H.G. Wells: Where should you start with his books?
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“These works of science fiction lead scholars to regard him as a pioneer in that genre.”
Looking at how legendary author H.G. Wells wrote classic science fiction works that were political, realistic—and always entertaining.
One of the earliest writers of science fiction, H.G. Wells (1866-1946) often explored the terror behind brand-new scientific ideas. Brian Aldiss called Wells the “Shakespeare of science fiction.”
A prolific author in many genres, including fiction and nonfiction, Wells is most remembered for his science fiction novels. His blockbuster SF titles explored the horrific effects of scientific ideas before they were common in the genre—including time travel (in 1895’s The Time Machine), biological engineering (1896’s The Island of Doctor Moreau), invisibility (1897’s The Invisible Man), and alien invasion (1898’s The War of the Worlds).
His science fiction classics also include When the Sleeper Wakes (1899), The First Men in the Moon (1901), The War in the Air (1907), and The Shape of Things to Come (1933). Wells also wrote strange fantasies and supernatural tales like “The Devotee of Art” (1888), “The Moth” (1895), “Pollock and the Porroh Man” (1895), “The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham” (1896), “The Purple Pileus” (1896), “The Red Room” (1897), “The Stolen Body” (1898), “The Door in the Wall” (1911) and “A Dream of Armageddon” (1911).
There have been so many strong screen adaptations of his science fiction, including Island of Lost Souls (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), Things to Come (1936), The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1937), The War of the Worlds (1953), The Time Machine (1960), First Men in the Moon (1964), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), The Time Machine (2002) and War of the Worlds (2005).
More about H.G. Wells online:
Further reading:
13 Adaptations of H.G. Wells novel The Invisible Man (well, lots more than that…)
Dark Corners Q&A: Universal’s Invisible Man—Horror’s Anti-Hero
Multiverse Fiction: 22 Diverting Examples of Parallel Universe Stories
Called “one of the most important and productive writers of the last century” by Oxford Bibliographies, Wells’ writings spanned the 19th and 20th centuries, showing the gap between the Victorians and modernists.
“These works of science fiction lead scholars to regard him as a pioneer in that genre. He continued to write fantastic fiction throughout his career, with a particular focus on utopian fiction in the early 20th century.”
His critical reputation in the later 20th century depended largely on his invaluable contributions as a writer on scientific themes. Even today, scholars from several fields (politics, sociology, literature, and history) continue to find his work stimulating and complex. “The legendary author’s sci-fi works were political and realistic, sometimes prescient,” noted Early Bird Books, “and always entertaining.”
Today, readers applaud H.G. Wells for his science fiction novels--but he was once far better known for his social criticisms.
“Most writers would be lucky to stay relevant 70 years after their death. But it’s curious that Wells, once so celebrated for his social critiques, earned a reputation for novels like The Time Machine (1895) and The War of the Worlds (1898). Perhaps his ongoing popularity is also indicative of his influence on science fiction—and the genre’s own unique power.”
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H.G. Wells: Where should you start with his books?
#1. The Time Machine (1895)
A dreamer haunted with the concept of traveling through time discovers the hidden secrets of a society that is considered peaceful. He builds himself a time machine and—to his surprise—travels more than 800,000 years into the future. Finding the world has been transformed by supposed harmony, he discovers a hidden barbaric and depraved subterranean class.
A post-apocalyptic science fiction novella published in 1895, The Time Machine is credited with popularizing the idea of being able to travel through time with a device or vehicle. In fact, Wells apparently introduced the term “time machine.”
Framing the story in Victorian England, Wells is considered to have used The Time Machine to comment on the increasing inequality of his own era. In the story, he introduced two separate human species, who apparently represented the descendants of the Victorian era’s upper and lower classes.
“Wells’s first novel, based loosely on a story he wrote while still in his early twenties, ‘The Chronic Argonauts’ (1888). It is, for our money, his best, and embodies early Wells in its vision, its storytelling, and its engagement with scientific and political issues, many of which are still with us today. It also more or less invented the concept of the time machine.” (Interesting Literature)
Over the decades since it was published, The Time Machine has been adapted, sequeled, and borrowed for movies, TV, comic books, and more. This includes the 1960 film The Time Machine directed by George Pal and starring Rod Taylor, Alan Young, and Yvette Mimieux; and the 2002 movie The Time Machine directed by Simon Wells (the author’s great-grandson) and starring Guy Pearce, Mark Addy, Sienna Guillory, Phyllida Law, and Jeremy Irons.
It’s also fun to mention the 1979 movie Time After Time, which imagines Wells having actually invented the time machine. When the machine is stolen by his friend—who turns out to be Jack The Ripper—Wells and The Ripper both end up in the future (1979). Starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, and Mary Steenburgen, Time After Time was the directing debut of Nicholas Meyer.
Find the original novel The Time Machine on Amazon
#2. The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896)
Edward Prendick finds himself adrift at sea, a lone survivor of a shipwreck. He spends more than a week drifting without food or water. Pendrick consigns himself to death, but fate intervenes and delivers him to an unknown Island. The terrors that await him on Doctor Moreau’s island are far worse than what he has just been rescued from or anything that he could have imagined. He discovers that Doctor Moreau creates human-like hybrids from animals...
H.G. Wells’ described his 1896 science fiction novel The Island of Doctor Moreau as an “exercise in youthful blasphemy.” The book explores several concepts, including the effects of trauma, human interference with nature, moral responsibility, pain and cruelty, and human identity.
“Although one of his better-known books, The Island of Doctor Moreau is still a pretty underrated story by H.G. Wells. Although this book by H.G. Wells was intended as a commentary on evolution and the fine line between human and animal, these days it also raises questions about some of the ethical issues around genetic engineering.” (Prose Posters)
The Island of Doctor Moreau has been adapted in other media many times. One of the more notable examples is the 1932 movie Island of Lost Souls, starring Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi. The movie added Lota (played by Kathleen Burke), a woman that had been a panther.
For future movie versions, other filmmakers have also added a similar woman-animal hybrid character in their adaptations. This includes Barbara Carrera’s character in the 1977 movie (which also starred Burt Lancaster and Michael York), and Fairuza Balk’s character in the 1996 movie (which also starred Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer).
The Island of Dr. Moreau has also influenced many fictional works by other authors. Just a few of the examples include Le Docteur Lerne (1908) written by Maurice Renard, Moreau’s Other Island (1980) by Brian Aldiss, Dr. Franklin’s Island (2002) by Ann Halam, In Moon Over Soho (2011) by Ben Aaronovitch, Sherlock Holmes: The Army of Dr. Moreau (2012) by Guy Adams, and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau (2022) by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
TV shows that have drawn on the ideas of The Island of Dr. Moreau—for one or more episodes—include Orphan Black, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sliders, and The Mighty Boosh. Animated shows that have borrowed the ideas include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman: The Animated Series, Pinky and the Brain, Venture Bros., The Simpsons, One Piece, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Johnny Bravo, Spliced, and South Park.
Find the original novel The Island of Doctor Moreau on Amazon
#3. The War of the Worlds (1898)
The frightening novel account of Martians invading London in the 19th century, The War of the Worlds is one of the earliest stories to detail a conflict between humankind and extraterrestrials. Originally published serially in Pearson’s Magazine in the UK and Cosmopolitan magazine in the U.S., Wells’ novel was published as a book in 1898.
The author stated that his plot was inspired by the catastrophic effect of European colonisation on the Aboriginal Tasmanians. In fact, it has been suggested that Wells wanted to inspire readers to challenge the ethics of imperialism.
“Perhaps the most notable work penned by HG Wells is War of the Worlds, which sees Victorian Britain invaded by beings from Mars. As hope for humanity seems to be disappearing for good, salvation comes from an unexpected source.” (DigitalBook.io)
The War of the Worlds has inspired a number of adaptations, including a bunch of movies, audio dramas, TV shows, comic books, and more.
Orson Welles hosted a 1938 radio adaptation—done in dramatic a style to mimic news reports—that apparently created a panic among listeners who thought they were listening to actual news.
Another notable adaptation includes the 1953 movie The War of the Worlds produced by George Pal, directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Gene Barry. (A fun side note is that a 1987 episode of the sitcom Newhart imagined whether the airing of this movie on local TV could spark the same public panic that was created by the 1930s radio drama.)
The War of the Worlds also inspired a few different TV shows that expanded on the ideas introduced in the book.
The book The War of the Worlds also influenced at least one actual scientist: Robert H. Goddard, who was inspired by the novel, helped develop rockets that eventually led to the Apollo 11 Moon landing—more than 70 years later.
Find the original novel The War of the Worlds from Amazon
#4. The Invisible Man (1897)
Blending comedy and tragedy, The Invisible Man (1897) explores the dark side of scientific progress. Considered the novel that established Wells as the “father of science fiction,” the book demonstrates the author’s skill at dramatizing humanity’s grandest possibilities and darkest fears.
The novel revolves around a scientist who discovers a way to make himself invisible. His inability to reverse the process leads to a radical disconnection from society—and eventually from his own sanity.
Arriving in a town where no one knows him, disguised in bandages and dark glasses, the invisible man is driven to violent and criminal extremes before his secret is revealed.
“The protagonist of Well’s The Invisible Man has gone down in history, and became a staple part of the horror genre. Griffin, a foul-tempered scientist, takes a room at a pub—we gradually learn that he has made himself invisible, and he is now desperately trying to regain his visibility. When he fails, he falls into madness and begins to strike back at a world that can’t see him. Like many of Wells’ characters, Griffin is motivated by science, but he lacks a moral compass and the exploration of his psychology makes for a fascinating read.” (The Boar)
The Invisible Man has inspired many examples where the ideas of the novel were adapted, borrowed, or riffed on, for movies, TV, comic books, and more. This includes the Universal Monsters movies (starting with the 1933 The Invisible Man movie directed by James Whale and starring Claude Rains and ending with the cameo voiceover in the 1948 monstertastic comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein); the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (read the comic books, feel free to skip the movie); more than one ongoing TV show; and the animated movies in the Hotel Transylvania series. (And, of course, lots more.)
Find the original novel The Invisible Man on Amazon
#5. The First Men in the Moon (1901)
H.G. Wells’ 1901 scientific romance about space travel The First Men in the Moon was criticized on publication for its fantastic ideas. However, it is now a respected science fiction classic.
Cavor, a brilliant scientist who accidentally produces a gravity-defying substance, builds a spaceship and, along with the materialistic Bedford, travels to the moon. The coldly intellectual Cavor seeks knowledge, while Bedford seeks fortune.
Instead of insight and gold they encounter the Selenites, a horrifying race of biologically engineered creatures who viciously, and successfully, defend their home.
Wells was apparently inspired by Jules Verne’s 1865 book From the Earth to the Moon, adapted for the 1875 opera by Jacques Offenbach. In that opera, the word “selenites” is used for the first time for Moon inhabitants.
The First Men in the Moon was serialized (starting in 1900) in The Strand Magazine and The Cosmopolitan. In 1901, The First Men in the Moon was published as a book. Wells called it one of his “fantastic stories.”
“Although exciting and daring, The First Men in the Moon is evidently one of Wells’s books considered less popular with the average reader. Wells seems particularly farcical with this book, with lots of comedic excitement flying intermittently across various scenes.” (Book Analysis)
C.S. Lewis said that that his Space Trilogy was inspired by Wells—but also written as an antithesis. In a letter, he proclaimed that The First Men in The Moon was “the best of the sort [of science fiction] I have read.”
On the other hand, Verne complained about The First Men in The Moon because the characters go to the Moon with made-up anti-grav material instead of actual technology.
The First Men in The Moon has inspired multiple movies. The 1919 movie is credited as the first movie adaptation made from a science fiction novel. There were also a theatrical movie in 1964, a TV movie in 2010, and a 3D movie in 2010.
There was also the 1902 movie A Trip to the Moon. It was a kind of mix that seemed to have borrowed from several sources, including Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon. However, while A Trip to the Moon also included parallels to The First Men in the Moon, experts don’t actually know whether the filmmaker was aware of the book.
Find the original novel The First Men in the Moon on Amazon
One of Wells’ lesser-known works of science fiction, the satirical 1904 novel The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth features a group of scientists which invents food that accelerates the growth of children and turns them into giants when they become adults.
Wells called it a “fantasia on the change of scale in human affairs.” He hit upon the idea while working out the possibilities of the near future in a 1901 book of speculations titled Anticipations.
The novel has been adapted (or borrowed from) lots of times for different media, including movies, TV, theater, comic books, and more. Filmmaker Bert I. Gordon produced TWO different movies riffing on the book: Village of the Giants (1965) and The Food of the Gods (1976).
Talking about Village of the Giants, it was a fun genre mashup that combined dystopia with beach party movies. Featuring teen rebels who become giants, the cast included Tommy Kirk (who was in a number of Disney sci-fi flicks, including 1961’s Absent Minded Professor, 1963’s Son of Flubber, and 1964’s The Misadventures of Merlin Jones), Johnny Crawford (from the 1958-1963 TV show The Rifleman), and a young Ron Howard (who, of course, grew up to be a major movie director). The movie was also heckled on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Find the original novel The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth on Amazon
#7. When the Sleeper Wakes (1899)
A dystopian science fiction book, When the Sleeper Wakes follows a man who sleeps for more than 200 years—and when he wakes up, he finds that the world is a different place. And that he is now the richest man in the world.
He awakes to a London encased in a glass dome, in which the Victorian class system has hardened—and a revolution is brewing. Although he finds his dreams fulfilled, he also discovers a future full of horrors.
A deeply pessimistic book (albeit with a faintly optimistic ending), When The Sleeper Wakes has been an influence on dystopian fiction as a category. In 1940, George Orwell wrote, “Everyone who has ever read When the Sleeper Wakes remembers it.”
Some examples where the story inspired other storytellers include Harry Stephen Keeler’s 1914 story “John Jones’ Dollar,” Woody Allen’s 1973 movie Sleeper, and The Futurama 1999 episode “A Fishful of Dollars.” It has also been suggested that the 1929 Buck Rogers comic strip—where the adventurer falls asleep and wakes up in the distant future—might have been inspired by When The Sleeper Wakes.
More than one version was published. When the Sleeper Wakes was first published in 1899 serially, then as a book that same year. A revised version of the novel was published in 1910 as The Sleeper Awakes.
And if, like me, you’re wondering, “So, how close was this to whenever ‘Rip Van Winkle’ came out?” Turns out that short story—by author Washington Irving—was published 1819. In that story, a guy sleeps 20 years to wake up in a changed world.
Find the original novel When the Sleeper Wakes from Amazon
#8. The Shape of Things to Come (1933)
A classic example of Wellsian prophesy, world events between 1933 and 2106 are speculated with a single superstate representing the solution to all humanity’s problems. An economic collapse causes a war that leaves Europe in ruins. In danger of a plague, civilization is rebuilt, with new leaders pushing away old governments and setting up a benevolent dictator.
“Be warned: it’s serious future fictional history without a character or action-driven plot... The Shape of Things to Come is frankly heavy reading which Wells tries to enliven with interruptions of the diplomat’s text with observations about the man’s struggle to write certain parts of it... But the interest of the book, for me, lies in its detailed imagining of how humanity might endure one disaster after another to emerge with a Star Trek-like vision of a future where want and greed are abolished. I’m always torn about utopia-like versions of the future. I want to imagine a hopeful future, sure, but Wells cuts out a lot to get there.” (SciFi Mind: Visions of Future Worlds)
The novel was loosely adapted into the screenplay for the movie Things to Come—with the script, in fact, written by Wells himself. The 1936 movie also pulled ideas from Wells’ non-fiction book The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind.
Find the original novel The Shape of Things to Come from Amazon
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Further reading online
The Best H. G. Wells Novels (Interesting Literature)
5 Books and Stories by H.G. Wells You Need to Read (Prose Posters)
Top 10 Novels from HG Wells (digitalbook.io)
H.G. Wells’ Best Books (Book Analysis)
The best books of: H.G. Wells (The Boar)
The Shape of Things to Come by H.G. Wells (Sci-Fi Mind: Visions of Future Worlds)
The Scientific Socialism of H.G. Wells (Jacobin)
How an H.G. Wells sci-fi novel predicted Oppenheimer and atomic bombs (Big Think)
H.G. Wells and Orwell on Whether Science Can Save Humanity (Foundation for Economic Education)
‘The Invisible Man’: Revisiting HG Wells’ iconic novel (Kathmandu Post)
This Offbeat Time Travel Movie Has HG Wells Chasing Jack The Ripper To The 1970s (Game Rant)
Blockbuster exposé confirms H.G. Wells’ truism that “human history” is “a race between education and catastrophe.” (Nation of Change)
The Mandalorian References H.G. Wells' The Time Machine (CBR)
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