H
G
W
e
lls.
W
ar of the
W
o
r lds.
P
e
r
haps
h is
m o st
e x p l i c i tl
y
f u t u r
i s t ic w o r k,
it
bor
e
t h e
subtitle
" A
nE x p e r i m e nt in
P r o p h e c y"
when
o r i g i n a l ly
s e r i a l i z ed
in
a
m a g a z i n e .
T h e
b o o k
is
in te r e s ting b o th
f o r its
h its
(trains
a n d
c a rs
r e s u lting
in th e
d i s p e r s ion
o f
p o p u la tion
from
c ities
to
s u b u r b s; m o r al r e s tr i c t i o ns
d e -
c li n i ng
a s
m e n a n d
women
s e ek
g r e a t er
s e x u al
f r e e d o m )
a n d
i ts
m i s s e s( " m y
i m a g i n a t io n
r e f u s e s
t o
s e e a n y
s o r t
o f
submarine
d o i n g a n y t h i n gb u t
s u f f o c a te i ts
c r ew
a n d
founder
a t
s e a ." )
H is
e a r ly n o v e ls, c a l led " s c i e n t if ic
r o m a n c e s ",
invented
a
n u m b er
o f
t h e m e s n o
w
c l a s s i c
i n
s c i e n c e
f i c t io
n i n
s u c
h
w o r k s
a s
T h e
T
i
me
M a -
c
h i n e,
T h e
I n v i s i b le
M a n ,a n d
T h e
W
a
r
o f
t h e
W
o
r
ld s
a n d
a r
e o f
t e nt h o u g ht
o f a s
b e i n g i n f l u e n c ed
b y
t h e
w o r ks
o f
J u l es
V
e
r n e .
H e
a l s ow
ro te o t h er, n o n - f a n ta s tic n o
v
e ls
w h ic
h
h a v e
r
e c e iv
ed
c r
i tic
a l
a c c
l a i m ,
i
n
c
luding
th e
s a tir
e
o
nE d w ar d ia n
a d v e
r
tising
T
o
n o -B u n ga
y
a n d
K ip p s .
T h o u g h n o t
a
s c i e n c e- f ic tion n o v e l, r a d io a c tive
d e c ay p la y s a
s m a ll
b u t
c o n s e q u en t i a l r o l e
i n
T
o
n o - B u n ga
y
.
It
p l ay
s
a
m u
c
h
l a r g e r
r
o l e
i n
T h e
W
o
r
l
d
S
e t
F
r
e e
,
published
in
1914.
T h is
b o o k
c o
n t a i ns w h at
i s
s u r e ly
h is b ig g e st
p r o p h e tic
" h it ." S c i e n t is ts
o f
t h e
d a y w e re w e ll a w a r e
th a t
t h e
s lo w
n a t u r a l
d e c a y o f
r a d i u m
r e l e a s e s
e n e r g y
a t
a s lo w
r a te
f o r
t h o u s a n ds
o f
y
e a r s.
T h e
r
ate
o f
r
e l e a se
is
t o o
s l o w
to
h a v e
p r
a c t ic
a l
u t i l it
y
, b u t t h e t o t a l a m o u nt r
e l e a s ed
is
huge.
W
e
l
l s '
n o v
e l r e v ol
v
e
s
a r o u nd a n
( u n s p e c i f i e d)
invention
t h a t
a c c e l e r a t es
t h e
p r o c e ss o f
r a -
d io a c tive
d e c ay
, p r
oducing bo
m b s
th a t
e x p lo de
w ith n o m o r
e
t h a n t h e
f o r ce o f
o r d in a ry
h i g h
e x p lo s i v e- - b u t
which "continue
to
e x p l o d e"
f o r
d a y s
o n e n d . " N o t h i ng
c o u ld
h a v e
been more
o b v i o us
to th e
p e o p le
o f
th e
e a r
l i e r
t
w e n tie th c e n tur
y
,"
h e
w
ro te , " th a nt h era p id it
y
w ith
w h ic
h
w a r
w a s
b e c o m i ng i m p o s s i b l e . ..
[ b u t]
they
d id n o t
s e e
it u n t il t h e
atomic bombs
b u r st in t h e ir
fumbling hands."
L e ó
S z i l á rd a c k n o w l-e d g ed
th a t
t h e
b o o k
inspired
h im a n d
l e d
to
h is
d is c o v e ry
or invention
o f
t h e
n u c le ar
chainreaction.
W
e
lls
a l so w
r o te n o n - f i c t i o n.H is
c l a s s ic
t
w o - v o l u m e w o rk
T h e
O u t l i ne
o f
H i s t o ry
( 1 9 2 0) s e t
a
n e w
s t a n d a rd a n d
direction
f o r p o p u l a r i s ed s c h o l a r s h i p.
M a ny o t h er a u th o rs
f o llo w ed
w ith'O u tl in e s '
o f
t h e ir
o w n
in o t h er
s u b j e c t s.
W
e
l ls
f o l
l o w ed
itin
1922
b y a
m u c h
shor
t e r
popular
w o r k,
A
S
h o r
t
H i s t o r
y
o f
t h e
W
o
r
ld.
T h e
'O
utlines'
b e c
a m e s u f f ic ie n tl
y
c o
m m o n
f o r
J a m es
T h u r
b e r
to
p a r o dy
t h e
tr
e n d i n
h i s
h u m o r o u s
e s s a y
A n O u tl i n e
o f
S c i e n t i s t s .
F
r
o
m q u i te
e a r
l
y
in
h is
c
a r e er
, h e s o u g ht
a
b e t t er
w a y
to
o r g a n iz
e
s o c i et
y
, a n d
w
r o te
a
n u m b er
o f
U t o p i an
n o v
e l s.
U s u al
l
y
star
t i n g w i t ht h e
w o r ld
rushing
to
catastrophe,
u n t il
p e o p le
r e a l i ze a
b e t t er
w ay
o f l i v i n g:
w h e t h er
b y
m y s t e r i o us
g a s es
from
a
comet
c a u s ing p e o p le
t o
b e h a ve r a t i o n a l ly
( I n t h e
D a y s
o f
t h e C o m e t ),
or
a
w o r ld c o u n c il
o f
s c ie n t i s ts
t a k i ng
o v
e r
,
a s
in
T h e
S
h a p e
o f
T h i n gs t o C o m e
( 1 9 3 3 ) ,w h ic
h
h e
l a t e r
a d a p te d
f o r
t h e
1938
A le x a n d e r K o r
da
f i l m ,
T h i n g s t oC o m e.T h is
depicted,
a l
l
t o o
a c c ur
a t e l
y
,t h ei m p e n d i ng
W
o
r
ld
W
a
r,w i th
c i t i es b e i n g d e s t r o y ed
b y a e r i al
bombs.
W
e
ll s
contemplates
t h e
i d e a s
o f
N
a t u r e
v s
N
u r t u r
e
a n d
q u e s t i o n s
h u m a n it
y
in
b o o ks
lik e
T h e
Island
o f
D
r.M o r
e a u .
N o t
a l
l
h is s c ie n tif icr o m a n c es
e n d ed in
a
h a p py
U to p ia,
a s
th e
d y s to p ian
W h e n th e
S le e p e r
A
w a k es
s h o w s.
T h e
Island
o f
D r
. M o r e au
is
e
v
e n
darker
.
T h e
n a rr a to r,
h a v i ng
been
t r a p p ed o n a n
i s l a n d
o f
a n i m a ls
v i v i s e c t ed
( u n s u c c e s s-
f u l ly )
i n t o h u m a n
b e i n g s ,
e v e n t u a l l y
r e t u r n s t o E n g l a n d ;
l i k e
G u l l i v e r
o n
h is
r e t u rn
from
t h e H o u y h n h n ms h e
f in d s h i m s e lf u n a b le
to
s h a k e
o ff
t h e
p e r c e p t i o ns
o f
h is
f e l l ow
h u m a ns
a s b a r ely c i v i l i s ed
b e a s t s ,
s l o w l y
r e v e r t i n g b a c k
t o t h e i r
a n i m a l
natures.
H e
c a l l ed
h is p o l i t i c al
v i e w s
s o c i a l i s t,
a n d w i th
h is f o n d n e ss f o r
Utopias,
h e
w a s
a t
f i r st
q u i te
s y m p a t h e t ic
toL e n i n 's a t t e m p ts a tr e -
constructing
t h e s h a t t e r ed R
u s s i an e c o n o m y
,
a s
h is a c c o u nt
o f a v i s i t
( R u s s i a
i nt h e
S h a d o w s 1 9 2 0 ) s h o w s .
B u t h e
g r e w
d is i ll u s i o n e d
a tt h e
doctrinal
r ig id ity
o f
th e
B o ls h e v ik s,
a n d
a f ter
m e e ting
Stalin
g r e w
c o n-
v in c e d
t h e
w h o l e
enterprise
h a d
g o n e h o r r i b ly w r o n g . 1
W
e
lls
a l so w
r o te t h e p r
e f a ce
f o r
t h e
f i r st
e d i tio n
o f
W
.
N . P
.
B a r b e l
lio
n 's
diar
ie s,
T h e
J o u r n a l
o f a
D i s a p p o i n ted M a n ,
published
in
1919.
S in ce B a r b e l lion
w a s
th e
r e a l
a u t h o r 's p e n - n a m e,
m a n y r e v ie w -
e rs b e l ie
v
ed
W
e
lls
to
h a v e
been
t h e
tr
u e
a u t h or
o f
t h e
J o u r n a l;
W
e
llsa l w a ys
d e n i ed t h is ,
despite
b e i n g
f u ll o f
p r a i se f o r
t h e
d i a r i e s,
b u t t h er
umours
p e r s i s t e d
u n t i l
B a r b e l l i o n 's
d e a t h
l a t e r
t h a t
y e ar
.
I n
1927,
F
lo r e n c e
Deeks
s u e d
W
e
ll s
f o r p l a g i ar i s m ,
c
l a i m i n g
t h a t
h e h a d
stolen
m u
c
h
o f
t h e
c o
n t e n t
o f
T h e
O
u t l i ne
o f
H i s t o r
y
from
a
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