The Apocalypse Reader

Book Description

These are the ways the world ends.
Thirty-four new and selected Doomsday scenarios: an enthralling collection of work by canonical literary figures, contemporary masters, and a few rising stars, all of whom have looked into the future and found it missing. Across boundaries of place and time, these writers celebrate the variety and vitality of the short story as a form by writing their own conclusions to the story of the world. Obliteration has never hurt so good.
Contributors include Grace Aguilar, Steve Aylett, Robert Bradley, Dennis Cooper, Lucy Corin, Elliott David, Matthew Derby, Carol Emshwiller, Brian Evenson, Neil Gaiman, Jeff Goldberg, Theodora Goss, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Jared Hohl, Shelley Jackson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Stacey Levine, Tao Lin, Kelly Link, H.P. Lovecraft, Gary Lutz, Rick Moody, Michael Moorcock, Adam Nemett, Josip Novakovich, Joyce Carol Oates, Colette Phair, Edgar Allan Poe, Terese Svoboda, Justin Taylor, Lynne Tillman, Deb Olin, Unferth, H.G. Wells, Allison Whittenberg, and Diane Williams.

Customer Reviews:

A gorgeous book, from presentation to content........2007-09-19

"THESE ARE THE WAYS THE WORLD ENDS--THIRTY-FOUR NEW AND SELECTED DOOMSDAY SCENARIOS"

This is a gorgeous book, from presentation to content. The selections are humorous, serious, simple, complex, and much more--thirty-four stories, some short, some long, make for a wide spectrum of apocalypses. Taylor, in the foreword, expounds on his conception of an apocalypse:

"It's worth pointing out that the word Apocalypse comes from the Greek, and literally means "a revelation" or "an unveiling." It can be used to describe cataclysmic changes of any sort. Revolution, for example, or social upheaval. [...] There are micro-Apocalypses that mark moments in our lives: childhood's end, a relationship's sudden implosion, Death."

The selections do span the gamut--some were written so long ago as to be in the public domain, and some were freshly minted in the late 2000's; some focus on religious upheavals, some macro, some micro; there are personal upheavals, student rantings, surreal recountings of madmen; and of course many take the reader through more conventional "end of the world" scenarios. And even with all that diversity, perhaps guided by the introduction, the theme of the anthology runs strong.

If there were a criticism I could make of this volume, that, ironically, would be it. I consider myself a bit of an Apocalypse afficionado--I particularly enjoy reading such stories, along with dystopias--and I would have thought that I could never grow tired of reading well-wrought incarnations of such--and these stories were all well-wrought and well-edited, there is no doubt about that--but this volume overwhelmed me. I was tired, even weary, by the time I had wended my way through the collection (and that in the course of several "sittings")..

The lead story, a piece of flash fiction by H. P. Lovecraft, starts the anthology out elegantly, and slowly. It warns you, implicitly, that you're in for some heavy reading, even if you're a fan of Mr. Lovecraft's writing (and not just his mythos, which more people are familiar with, and is much easier to get into third hand). On that end of the scale, there's also a piece from Edgar Allan Poe that is ponderous but worth an examination, entitled "The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion".

Some of my favorites included:

"The Apocalypse Commentery of Bob Paisner" by Rick Moody -- This is an essay detailing the allegorical depths of the Book of Revelation with regard to Bob Paisner's life. The tone is both erudite and a bit delirious, and the piece as a whole is both informative and immersive--I found myself eagerly wondering where Moody was going to take us next, what dark or clinical humor would next be presented.

"Fraise, Menthe, et Poivre 1978" by Jared Hohl -- Another piece of meta-fiction, this follows a group of people through the more traditional trope of being the last survivors in a ruined post-apocalyptic city. What makes this piece stand out is the manic bent of the narrator and the push for the show to go on--the story weaves the primary narrative with a small handful of abbreviated stageplays that emphasize much about human nature, hope, and despair, while retaining a very human humor.

"An Accounting" by Brian Evenson -- An "honest" accounting of how one explorer fell into becoming a reborn Jesus and how he helps his flock survive. I don't want to say too much about this, but the voice is clear, the narrative is well woven and unrolls at a compelling pace, and other than, perhaps, the initial fanaticism he encounters, it is all quite believable.

"Some Approaches to the Problem of the Shortage of Time" by Ursula K. Le Guin -- This is a clever set of abstracts that are ever timely and consider a novel scenario for the end of the modern-day universe. The shortage of time is pervasive, and this story is brief to give you a maximum pleasure for what it takes.

"Think Warm Thoughts" by Allison Whittenberg -- A bite-sized slice of apocalypse that is poetically poignant; every word counts.

"When We Went to See the End of the World by Dawnie Morningside, age 11 1/4" by Neil Gaiman -- This is the end of the world, everyone and everything together, through the playful, somewhat naiive eyes of an eleven year old. It's told in the vein of "What I did over Summer vacation", and is very evocative, sweet, and strange.

"The Escape--a Tale of 1755" by Grace Aguilar -- This is an elegant tale of a woman's love for her husband, religious persecution, and a prison escape. It is written with a very modern feel despite its age (originally published in 1844).

That's not to say I disliked the other stories; and on another day I would have different favorites, though there were some pieces that didn't work for me. But I hope this selection will help give you a feel for the collection as a whole, beyond my simple regard for it. In all, it's a beautiful collection, and I recommend it strongly, with the caveat that you may want to take it in small doses.

too esoteric to feed my apocalypse-hungry soul.......2007-09-12

I was initially excited to discover the collection and didn't see how such a broad-based compilation could go wrong. I'm an avid reader of post-apocalyptic fiction, science fiction and futurism, so I'm no slouch, but this turned out to be quite different from what I was hoping for.

While a few of the pieces are good reads, so many of them are abstract, esoteric, or even reminiscent of the scribblings from slightly disturbed angst-ridden teenage diaries. There's no good "meat" here, no concrete scenarios, suspense or drama to drive fear into your heart and make your mind race. The circumstances under which "apocalypse" occurs are rarely even revealed. Even the subject matter is open to interpretation - "apocalypse" is made to mean many things, not simply the end of the world. Which it does, of course, but that's not what I was hungry for when I picked up this book. The book description should have done a better job of managing those expectations.

Perhaps if you are looking for a broad literary "treatment" of the subject, that kind of interpretation will appeal to you (or if you enjoy the just plain bizarre) then this collection is for you. It was not for me.

These Zombies Are Not A Metaphor.......2007-05-16

This is a fun collection of stories from some well known and serious talent (Gaiman, Lovecraft, Poe) and some newly minted authors. I found myself particularly amused by "These Zombies Are Not A Metaphor," the work of one of the new authors named Jeff Goldberg. I'll be keeping an eye peeled for future work from him.

The Time Machine (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

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Book
Classic
Review of The Time Machine
Free SF Reader
Good to read before bedtime

The Time Machine (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Les Martin (Adaptation)
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679803718
Release Date: 1990-08-18

Book Description

Illus. in black-and-white. When a turn-of-the-century scientist travels into the distant future in his time machine, he expects to find progress and superior people. But instead he discovers a world in decay. Reading level: 2.4.

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When the Time Traveler courageously stepped out of his machine for the first time, he found himself in the year 802,700--and everything had changed. H.G. Wells's famous novel of one man's astonishing journey beyond the conventional limits of the imagination is regarded as one of the great masterpieces in the literature of science fiction.

Customer Reviews:

Book.......2007-09-22

This is a strong book that always keeps yo guessing and on the edge of your seat. I think that this author writes some nice pieces of written masterpiece! I will be buying more!

Classic.......2007-09-21

A short read, but definitely fits in the realm of classic sci-fi. This is nothing like the newer movie remake of Time machine.

Review of The Time Machine.......2007-09-04

The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells, was first published in 1895. It remains a piece of classic literature because it is well written and because many feel that its message about society is still relevant today. H.G. Wells uses formal diction throughout the book, and much of the language used is typical of English literature in the late 19th century. The Time Traveler develops a Time Machine which he uses to travel into the future, to the year 802,701 A.D. While there, the Time Traveler learns about the society of the future, and the reasons for the distinct separation of classes.
Immediately upon arriving in the future, the Time Traveler meets the Eloi, a beautiful, graceful, child-like race. The Time Traveler befriends one of the Eloi after saving her from drowning in the river. Her name is Weena, and the Time Traveler learns about the Eloi from her companionship. The Eloi are a peaceful people, but also weak and stupid. The Eloi live a very leisurely lifestyle, eating strictly fruits. There are no houses in the year 802,701 A.D., and there seems to be no private ownership. The Eloi live, eat, and play as a group. There does not appear to have any form of government, and the Eloi seem to live in a perfected socialist society.
The Time Traveler soon realizes, however, that the Eloi are not the sole inhabitants of the earth in the future, after he returns to find his Time Machine stolen. A separate and very different race, the Morlocks, live below the ground. The Time Traveler describes these subterranean creatures as pale white, clammy, and apelike. The Morlocks have become so accustomed to the darkness underground that they avoid all light. The Time Traveler presumes that it is the Morlocks who have stolen his time Machine and hidden it in the base of a great statue.
It is not until the Time Traveler ventures below ground to search for his Time Machine that he realizes that the Morlocks are cannibalistic, relying on the weaker Eloi for food. The Time Traveler then begins to understand society in the future. The Eloi were once the aristocrats, and the Morlocks the working class. The aristocracy continued to buy the land above ground until the industry was forced below ground. The workers moved below ground with the industry, and the aristocrats stayed above ground, pursuing pleasure and relying on the workers underground for their goods and labor. Gradually, the laborers underground grew to detest the sun and their skin became bleached white, while the aristocrats became so comfortable and so unaccustomed to necessity or hardship that their size, strength, and intelligence waned. Thus, the Morlocks met all of the Eloi's needs so that they would have food. In essence, the Morlocks fattened up the Eloi in much the same way that we fatten up pigs for the slaughter. This society is not at all socialistic, like the Time Traveler first believed, but rather, the deep separation of classes has been caused by capitalism.
I would not recommend The Time Machine to one of my peers, simply because I do not agree with the underlying social message of the book. I do not believe that capitalism would ever produce a separation of classes as great as the one described in The Time Machine. History has shown that when the ruling class abuses its power and harms the working class, the working class will rebel and overthrow the ruling class. I did enjoy the book's story, however, and it is an easy read.

Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

It will come as no surprise that the protagonist in this story, the
traveller, invents a time machine and uses it to venture into the
future.

The society that he ends up in seems amazing for a brief time, then
he realises that all is not as it seems. There is a large underclass
that is terribly exploited to produce all this for the eloi, as they
are called.

The underclass are named Morlocks, and it is here that the Time Traveler's sympathies reside.

Good to read before bedtime.......2007-09-01

I enjoyed watching the 1960 version of the movie as a child. I thought that if I read the book, that it would enhance my movie watching experience. Boy, was I wrong!

This book was a slow tedious read. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen. Anything. It never did. All I wanted was for the book to end. Reading it was like dying a slow agonizing death. I forced myself to read the first seventy pages, then I could not stand it any more.

The characters were uninteresting and had no personality whatsoever. The plot was way too basic and uneventful. Even the descriptions of the locations were bland.

This book is good to read before bedtime. It will put you right to sleep.

Island of Dr. Moreau, Penguin Reader Level 3

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Worth reading carefully
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Staggeringly good!
Cheap reprint from public domain
The difference between can and should

Island of Dr. Moreau, Penguin Reader Level 3
H. G. Wells
Manufacturer: Pearson ESL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1405849991

Amazon.com

A shipwreck in the South Seas, a palm-tree paradise where a mad doctor conducts vile experiments, animals that become human and then "beastly" in ways they never were before--it's the stuff of high adventure. It's also a parable about Darwinian theory, a social satire in the vein of Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels), and a bloody tale of horror. Or, as H. G. Wells himself wrote about this story, "The Island of Dr. Moreau is an exercise in youthful blasphemy. Now and then, though I rarely admit it, the universe projects itself towards me in a hideous grimace. It grimaced that time, and I did my best to express my vision of the aimless torture in creation." This colorful tale by the author of The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds lit a firestorm of controversy at the time of its publication in 1896.

Book Description

Adrift in a dinghy, Edward Prendick, the single survivor from the good ship Lady Vain, is rescued by a vessel carrying an unusual cargo—a menagerie of savage animals. Nursed to recovery by their keeper Montgomery, who gives him dark medicine that tastes of blood, Prendick soon finds himself stranded upon an uncharted island in the Pacific with his rescuer and the beasts. There, he meets the sinister Dr. Moreau—a brilliant scientist whose notorious experiments in vivisection have caused him to abandon the civilized world. It soon becomes clear that he has continued to develop these experiments with truly horrific results.
-Includes a newly established text, a full biographical essay on Wells, a list of further reading, and detailed notes -Margaret Atwood's introduction explores the social and scientific relevance of this influential work

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BUT the islanders, seeing that I was really adrift, took pity on me. I drifted very slowly to the eastward, approaching the island slantingly; and presently I saw, with hysterical relief, the launch come round and return towards me.

Customer Reviews:

Worth reading carefully.......2007-10-06

I went through this book pretty quickly, and read it the way you'd read a Dan Brown book. As a result, when I finished it I thought of it as a freaky adventure story with a few comments on evolution.

However, after reading the afterword by Brian Aldiss, I realized how deep the rabbit hole really goes with this thing. H.G. Wells has not only talked about evolution and weird science, but tied in religion, the human capacity for reason, the abuse of knowledge, and enough other deep thoughts to make your head spin. I might have to give it a second read sometime.

If you can pace yourself while reading it to let the ideas sink, then I recommend the read.

Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

An Englishman is rescued twice, once from a shipwreck, and once from being abandoned by the captain of the ship who rescued him.

Dr. Moreau takes him into his home, and slowly it dawns on the
horrified individual that Moreau is basically insane, and has been
experimenting with enhancing animal intelligence. The relationship
between the creations and Moreau is very warped, and a large part of
the horror.

Staggeringly good!.......2007-08-28

I thought the book was more about what happens to Society when the thought of a central God is removed. We have moved into a world where Christianity is a million miles away from how it mattered to people in 1896, and there is confusion and hostility with those to whom religion matters a great deal. The Society of the Beasts surely mirrors what Wells thought we were all heading for in 1896? He was, in part, quite right. A book which has many interpretations, and amazingly gains more as the decades pass.

Cheap reprint from public domain.......2007-08-28

Filiquarian Publishing, LLC published this book under the idea that it is in "public domain status." Meaning, it is not any better than you would find online. The book is readable, but emphasis (bold or italics) are done by an underscore before and after the word(s). Example: "_His_ is the lightning flash, we sang. _His_ is the deep, salt sea." (page 82) To me, it is annoying to read it this way. You occasionally find extra quotation marks and a double dash (--) in the place of an ellipsis (...). On page 41, you get all of the above.

The binding is right up there with self-published titles. The cover is as basic as it gets, and has no text on the spine (see picture.) The back cover has merely a UPC barcode. On my copy, the glue they used for the spine was pressed out and made a rather strange bind. By strange, I mean cheap-looking.

Anyway, if you are looking for an inexpensive copy of this book and don't care about the bindery or text issues, then this book is for you.

The difference between can and should.......2007-01-07

I was not planning on writing a review of this book, as I should have thought that a book this popular would have been reviewed well here by this point. As I looked through the fifty or so reviews, however, I realized that none of the reviewers had realized what the main idea of this book was, or if they had, they failed to mention it, and failing to mention the main point of a book in a review of the book is a rather poor practice, is it not? The main point of this book was that Wells wanted us to wrestle with one assumption that science in his day was making, and still is today, namely that whatever we can do we should do. Just because scientific advancement has given us the ability to do things, does that mean we should? In Wells' day the hot topic was vivisection, so that is the practice discussed in this book, wrapped in the garb of a novel, and a very good novel at that. The same discussion is raging today with issues like stem cell research and cloning. Just because we can clone a human, does that mean science should do it? If not, why not? Because it violates humanity? If we are products of evolution what basis do we have for holding humanity as something that should not be violated? These issues are the ones that Wells brings to bear in this book by having Moreau use vivisection to create (near) humans from animals. The horror of the new creations is that they are distorted humanity. They are the violated humanity, but why should we find that horrific? Dr. Moreau, the figure of rationality with no regard for emotion, conscience, or morality, has no problem with the creatures. He does not see why they are horrific to Prendick, the narrator of the story. It seems that Wells is saying that scientific rationalism has no basis for saying that we should not violate humanity in the interest of science. For those who hold to this scientific rationalism, the question of should does not even arise. In such a position, can is equal to should. Of course, there are secondory points as well, such as man's ever persistent derire to shape the world around him to fit his will. Wells' point seems to be that our attempts to do this are doomed to failure, as nature simply refuses to be bent, just as Moreau's "humans" refused to stay human and kept reverting to their original animal state. As for the literary quality of the book, it is of the same excellent quality of the rest of Wells fictional works. The sense of realness is still there. The best way I can think to describe it is that is writing seems have the exact opposite feel that of fairy tales. Fairy tales always seem magical, happy, and imaginative. Wells is extremely realistic, usually unhappy, and seems as if they were writings of someone who had really been through the things the narrator claims to have been through. Overall grade: A

The H.G. Wells Reader: A Complete Anthology from Science Fiction to Social Satire

Average customer rating:

A Fine Introduction
A TERRIFIC COLLECTION
A TERRIFIC COLLECTION
I AM ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED
botched

The H.G. Wells Reader: A Complete Anthology from Science Fiction to Social Satire
John Huntington
Manufacturer: Taylor Trade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0878333061

Book Description

This collection, the first of its kind, indicates the full breadth of Well's visionary views and social commentary.

Customer Reviews:

A Fine Introduction.......2005-02-28

I come to this reader having read a few Wells novels: "War of the Worlds", "The Invisible Man", "The Time Machine". I didn't know much else about Wells' life or career. In reading this anthology, I found out quite a few new things, though not enough to claim that I'm an expert on the subject. Wells did live a long time, and this anthology uses a lot of space presenting things about Wells that I alreay knew. I know that Bison Books prints editions of "The Sleeper Awakes", "In The Days of the Comet", and "The Last War." The other reviewers of this book seem to miss the point that this book is meant to be an introduction. And an introduction is supposed to have a range and also be complete. A figure like Wells may be impossible to encapsulate in such a small volume, but I think for new readers, this might be the book for you. If you want to know the roots of science-fiction, where else can you look but at the master himself?

A TERRIFIC COLLECTION.......2004-04-27

I didn't know very much about Wells beyond THE TIME MACHINE and THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (which I've only encountered via the movie versions) until a friend gave me a copy of this terrific collection. It was great to have almost three complete novels by him as well as other selections in one volume. The excerpts made me want to read the whole of THE FOOD OF THE GODS, THE WHEELS OF CHANCE, and TONO-BUNGAY. There's not a poor choice in this book. Including the majority of IN THE DAYS OF THE COMET (not available elsewhere as one reader states) makes sense to me, since it seems like such an important book-bridge between his science fiction and social novels. The editor also includes most of THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, which manages to be wildly imaginative, beautifully written, incredibly hilarious, and deeply chilling, often in the same paragraph. There's so much other great stuff in this anthology, which is a bargain at $14. The editor's comments were very helpful in placing the selections within Wells' creative growth and intent, and in placing Wells within the broader context of his day. I can't understand the venom of some of the other reader responses. Do they have some personal grudge against the editor? Perhaps they were former students and he graded them poorly. You'd think Wells was their grandmother and they were defending her honor. Wells speaks for himself quite well, I think. And the truth is if Wells' later stuff is so outstanding, and its absence worthy of being bemoaned and bitched about, why is it mostly all out of print? I'm definitely going to check out later Wells, but wouldn't be doing so without this marvelous introduction to spur me on.

A TERRIFIC COLLECTION.......2004-04-27

I didn't know very much about Wells beyond THE TIME MACHINE and WAR OF THE WORLDS (which I've only encountered via the movie versions) until a friend gave me a copy of this terrific collection. It was great to have almost three complete novels by him as well as other selections in one volume. The excerpts made me want to read the whole of THE WHEELS OF CHANCE, THE FOOD OF THE GODS, and TONO-BUNGAY. There's not a poor choice in the book. Including the majority of IN THE DAYS OF THE COMET (not available elsewhere as one reader states) makes sense to me, since it seems like such an important book-bridge between his science fiction and social novels. The editor also includes most of THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, which manages to be wildly imaginative, beautifullly written, incredibly hilarious, and deeply chilling, often in the same paragraph. There's so much other great stuff in this anthology, which is a bargain at $14. The editor's comments were also very helpful in placing the selections within Wells' creative growth and intent, and in placing Wells within the broader context of his day. I can't understand the venom of some of the other reader responses. Do they have some personal grudge against the editor? You'd think Wells was their grandmother and they were defending her honor. Wells speaks for himself quite well, I think. And the truth is if Wells later stuff is so outstanding, why is it mostly all out of print? I'm defintely going to check out later Wells, but wouldn't be doing so without this marvelous introduction to spur me on.

I AM ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED.......2004-04-25

I am absolutely shocked by the strident, outrageous, and embarrassingly ignorant responses of these readers (who, by the way, lack the courage to sign their indictments and condemnations). If some "invisible" critics don't even want their names attached to their own reviews, where's the value? I urge prospective readers to ignore these Griffens. No anthology can adequately represent a literary career as long and prolific as that of Wells, who wrote 1,000+ pages of short stories, dozens of novels and nonfiction works, hundreds of articles, and thousands of letters and public statements, not to mention the autobiographical and scientific writings. Saying the task is similar to anthologizing Dickens or Trollope is entirely inaccurate, since the breadth and quality of their nonfiction output was negligible comparative to their fiction, whereas Wells was one of the most astute, far-wandering, and all-encompassing intellectual and imaginative forces of his day. Right from the start, Huntington ought to be applauded for being bold enough even to attempt such an endeavor (Huntington's audacity and admiration Wells would surely appreciate). One of these critics says: "One wonders precisely who this 'reader' is for!" NO. One wonders if these "critics" spent enough time from penning their own masterpieces of destruction for their own sake to actually peruse the editor's introduction and prefaces to his selections. These critcs are eviscerating this anthology because it doesn't correspond to their own "inner" collections. Huntington clearly define THE H. G. WELLS READER as an introduction, i.e. for someone who is either totally unfamiliar with Wells or for someone who might think of him as having only "written that Martian book." In 496 pages the editor does a commendable job of presenting Wells. Not the entirety of Wells, which is impossible to accomplish in even a 1,000-page anthology (not the hot trend nowadays in publishing). But Huntington explains his intentions and criteria and even admits the unavoidable limitations inherent in any collection: "I have selected the texts for this anthology with an eye for quality and to what I see as the central issues and styles of Wells. In the case of such a prolific and varied artist, there is danger of dispersal and dilution. I have therefore confined the selection strictly to fiction." That seems as cogent and clear as any manifesto I've encountered. Huntington continues: "I have also narrowed this selection by limiting it to work Wells published in the first decade and a half of his writing career. Later Wells is a fascinating area [obviously the editor has read the totality of Wells prodigiously], but only to readers who already have a sense of what early Wells is about. If I have emphasized the scientific romances, it is with a sense of how it leads into social novels like TONO-BUNGAY [excerpted] and THE HISTORY OF MR. POLLY." Why critique the editor for including readily available work after praising him for not neglecting "work that is out of print." Shouldn't that be the range and purpose of introductory readers? In fact, even that reproach is misleading. A hefty portion of THE H. G. WELLS READER is gathered from currently o.p. works. of which the editor includes nearly all of two novels (THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON and IN THE DAYS OF THE COMET, the former only recently reprinted by Modern Library) and one complete novel (THE HISTORY OF MR. POLLY, presently unavailable from a U.S. publisher) as well as a sampling of short stories (including the masterpieces "Aepyornis Island" and "The Country of the Blind," two of Wells's most perfect and haunting tales). IN THE DAYS OF THE COMET is not now available. The editor also excerpts the excellent yet unfortunately o.p novels THE WHEELS OF CHANCE and THE FOODS OF THE GODS. Easily two-thirds of this collection is unavailable elsewhere. Where one would expect Huntington to include all or gigantic chunks of THE TIME MACHINE, he has selected a previously excised and startling episode of the Time Travellor's travels not in many editions. How can an editor not include a healthy dose from Wells's masterpiece, THE WAR OF THE WORLDS? Key events on Moreau's island and from Griffen's psychic deterioration are also represented. One would expect Morlocks, Beast People, and Invisibly Inspired Mischief to abound, but, refreshingly, one encounters an anarchist, Selenites, and the incomparable Mr. Polly. Not bad for 496 pages. If one accepts the editor's view of Wells as a genius and satirist of society and the human condition, then this reader suddenly exhibits a critical strategy and brilliant architectural arc. No longer is it a potpourri of science fiction and mockery of social mores, but an evolution of Wells's satire from its guise as science fiction to its heartfelt and radical comedic critique of contemporary society. I'd prefer reading anything in this anthology than such mediocre Wells's "larks" as BOON and BEALBY. Another critic states that "Wells is a fugitive in the history of the novel and a questionable presence in the development of social sciences." WHAT? "Fugitive in the history of the novel." What does that nonsense mean? He was one of the forerunners, not among the fugitives. No one was hunting H. G. Wells. Certainly not George Orwell, Joseph Conrad, Jules Verne, or Upton Sinclair. Not even, as far as I can ascertain, Tommy Lee Jones. A questionable presence in the development of social sciences? WHAT? Wells's radical theories, accurate predictions, and prescient and resonant insights proved crucial to many scientific disciplines, both "hard" and "soft," from biology to sociology and futurism. "It doesn't tantalize prospective readers." Should that be the purpose of readers? Methinks, this anonymous cowardly lion mistakes books for burlesques. Both "reviewers" are slamming this work for not following their preferred and personal table of contents, which is entirely unjust. If one wishes to find fault with THE H. G. WELLS READER, one might critique it for not having a larger page count (thereby making possible the inclusion or more stories or excerpts from later novels) or a better proofreader. Instead, these "reviewers" snipe for what's not there, rather than responding to the formidable introduction and succinct and priceless prefaces. I challenge anyone to compose a better biographical, aesthetic, and critical profile in under ten pages than what Hujtington manages in his introduction. This collection doesn't stink, just the supposedly informed "critics." Kudos, kudos, kudos to Huntington. Only wish it could've been longer.

botched.......2004-02-01

This anthology stinks. I hope that this terrible collection doesn't hamper anyone else's attempt to put together a decently representative collection of Wells material. Huntington and his publishers should have read all of Wells before trying to assemble a collection of his work.

Wells remains a major 20th century intellectual--still up for grabs by the right and left, a fugitive in the history of the novel, and a questionable presence in the development of social sciences. I don't think this anthology does justice to Wells, it insults his critics and fans, and it does not tantalize prospective readers.

Customer Reviews:

Greatest Hits.......2001-03-02

This book contains the best-known short stories of H.G. Wells, as well as a lesser-known work called The Crystal Egg. The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, and War of the Worlds make up the heavy hitting line-up in this book. Wells wrote most of these stories in the 1890's, which solidified his position as grandfather of the science fiction genre. His work still holds up amazingly well today.

As I worked my way through these stories, I quickly came to realize that I was adversely affected by seeing film versions of the stories. It was impossible to read The Island of Dr. Moreau without seeing Brando in that outrageous get up. I didn't enjoy The Time Machine nearly as much as I would have if I hadn't seen that old film version. Despite this, I still enjoyed the stories. My favorite tale was The Island of Dr. Moreau, when we see the horrible effects of what happens when man decides to play God with nature. My least favorite tale was the Invisible Man, which I thought moved slowly and didn't have as much of the technological aspects as the other stories had. War of the Worlds is good as well, although a map of England would certainly come in handy, as Wells drops location names all over the place. A surprise was The Crystal Egg, which was the shortest work in the book. It made me think of Lovecraft with its bizarre plot of looking in on another world.

I won't go into detailed plot outlines, but it is sufficient to say that a person could do much worse than reading this book. If you like science fiction, this is must read material. I would certainly read other stories by Wells, and he wrote some very serious material that would probably be profitable to peruse.

A Great Collection.......2000-07-06

This collection houses the best of (or at least MOST of the best of) H.G. Wells's work. His three undeniably classic novels are here: The Time Machine, The War of The Worlds, and The Invisible Man. All early science fiction classics that still stand up today. Indeed, they do more than that, they put most of today's SF to shame. Also included is the notoriously underrated and controversial Island of Dr. Moreau, which is a very thought-provoking read, and one of Wells's best books. Also included is the good, but not great short story The Crystal Egg. A must read for any Wells fan.

The History of Mr. Polly (The Readers Club)

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The History of Mr. Polly (The Readers Club)
Wells H.G.
Manufacturer: The Readers Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J0JX6S

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The Invisible Man
Impeccable plot, Lots of Action but little character depth
Classic Science Fiction and Psychology
Fun!
The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man (Longman Fiction)
H.G. Wells
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0582084806

Book Description

"At last only the dead tips of the fingernails remained, pallid and white, and the brown stain of some acid upon my fingers. I was almost invisible..." In this horrific tale of man's toying with science and nature, an obscure scientist invents a formula that renders his flesh invisible. Now he can go anywhere, and do anything-except that can no longer render himself visible again-and he has gone murderously insane. When he enters the village pub on a wintery day, wrapped from head to foot, the invisible man at first presents a comic image. But as the villagers discover the truth, they turn on him in horror, as his malice and invisibilty prove a lethal combination. Only in death can he become visible-and harmless-once again. First published by in 1897, H. G. Wells's imaginative insights into human psychology enabled him to evoke in this novel perhaps the ultimate alienation that can befall a human being.

Customer Reviews:

The Invisible Man.......2006-07-12

ISBN 0590440160 - Other reviews have left me utterly confused as to what they were reviewing... This is in part Amazon's fault, because I'm looking at a Scholastic paperback listing and seeing reviews for an audiobook, for example. Because of that, I'm including the ISBN of the book I'm actually reviewing, hoping to keep things clear.

A strange man appears in Iping, taking a room at the Coach and Horses owned by Mr and Mrs Hall. He doesn't make a fuss about the price, but does make odd requests from the first. Thrilled to have a paying guest, Mrs Hall is more than happy to oblige, especially since her guest was obviously the victim of a terrible accident. Covered from head to toe, other than the very tip of his nose, he gives no name and no answers to her prying questions. Money talks, though, and she accepts quite a bit in the way of strange and bad behavior. When money is stolen from a neighbor, things begin to come together for the people of Iping and they realize there's an invisible man in their midst. Chased from town and forced into hiding, he runs. While fleeing, he meets with Dr Kemp, who was his fellow student at University College, and tells him his story. He identifies himself as Griffin and the story he tells removes all doubt for the reader about pitying the poor misunderstood invisible man - he's most definitely an unfeeling monster.

I couldn't help but wonder what to make of some of it. The sentence "Sounds like throwing the tablecloth about" made me wonder exactly what that sounds like - mine, thrown about, makes no noise. Also, Griffin says he made a rag invisible, as well as a cat. Of the cat, he says " ...giving drugs to a cat is no joke...". Does this mean he gave drugs to a rag? How is that possible? My pickiness aside, it's a very good book and a classic that everyone ought to read at least once. This edition is supposed to be for kids ages 9-13, but some might actually find it gives them bad dreams so I'd recommend it for the 9 year old who actually likes scary tales. It's not overly frightening, but a sensitive kid with a vivid imagination can scare himself silly fairly easily. Words like Strychnine and paleolithic appear through the book, so a dictionary to hand might help the younger ones.

Impeccable plot, Lots of Action but little character depth.......2004-02-09

Wells' writing style is easy to read and enjoyable - it's clear that he had fun writing The Invisible Man. The plot is truly impeccable, there is a great deal of action and the pace never slows. The only weakness here is character development. It is difficult to really care about any of the characters, even those that are hurt or killed by the Invisible Griffin.

The story begins when the bandaged invisible man comes to Iping to rent a room. Though at first overjoyed to get a renter in the off season who doesn't quibble about the rates, Mr. & Mrs. Hall soon have their fill of their rude and truculent guest. When his suspicious behaviour begins to garner the attention of the rural citizens of Iping, the invisible man's rash and impudent reactions to them bring on a whirl of actions and reactions that ends up with the the Invisible man on the run and several of the citizens of Iping requiring medical attention.

Events continue to escalate out of control when he runs into an acquaintence from school, Dr. Kemp, who knew the invisible man as Mr. Griffin. As Griffin explains how the story began, we lose all sympathy with our villain as we hear his callous treatment of his first victims prior to Iping. He then comes to the idea that his only method of 'escape' from his troubles is to bring about a reign of terror and declares the city of Port Burdock to be under his reign and not that of the Queen. By this time we are wholly ready for the resolution which speedily ensues.

This story is not particularly scary although it had potential with the reign of terror bit. Good character development would have enabled this to cross the science fiction genre a bit more but you can't argue with results. As it is it will definitely be an enduring story and is well worth the read.

Classic Science Fiction and Psychology.......2003-06-04

So, Wells didn't load the book with the violence seen in the movie adaptation "Hollow Man;" consider when the book was written, and what was comparable at the time. I, for one, was engrossed in the book and read it in about three sittings.

Wells excellently portrays Griffin (Invisible Man) as a man crossing back and forth from sanity to madness. Consider for yourself how you would overcome his difficulties, or how you might abuse his power.

What really stood out for me was the tongue-in-cheek undertones Wells incorporated into the story, such as the cockney dialect and rustic behavior of the people of Iping. Also, consider Wells' narration during intense moments, such as the fight between Griffin and the people of Iping...

"...[Huxter's] shin was caught in some mysterious fashion, and he was no longer running, but flying with inconceivable rapidity through the air. He saw the ground suddenly close to his face. The world seemed to splash into a million whirling specks of light, and subsequent proceedings interested him no more."
Later elaboration of the events included the terrifying realization that Griffin was "smiting and overthrowing, for the mere satisfaction of hurting."

If you find the book difficult to follow, try the version adapted by Malvina Vogel, complete with illustrations by Pablo Marcos. It's not as powerful, but easier to understand.

Fun!.......2003-01-22

What a great idea to assemble scifi icons from Star Trek to perform various H.G. Wells's classics! Of the works they've performed are: The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, The First Men in the Moon, and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

This audio recording of The Invisible Man was easy listening, and fun too. It's definitely worth a listen. I'm going to have to check out the others!

One side note, obviously the original work was abridged and adapted for audio drama. You'll still want to read the classic.

The Invisible Man.......2002-10-22

This is a good book thou it is hard to folow. You don't care if you put it down or not, it doesn't hold your attention. Maybe if it had more action it would hold your attention, but since it quickly goes by days with little action it is no fun to read. When there is some action it really isn't that long so it doesn't hook you on to the book.

The Invisible Man (Reader's Enrichment Series)

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The Invisible Man (Reader's Enrichment Series)
H. G. Wells
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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