If you’d asked me the identity of H.G. Wells a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you the answer.
Science fiction has never really fascinated me, and his work, though famous, never really crossed my path. Then, a friend mentioned that he’d read “War of the Worlds,” and I thought I’d give it a shot.
His section in the library held many books, most short, all with interesting pictures on the covers. As I ran my fingers along the covers, the titles vaguely familiar, I found the one I was looking for and pulled it out. A couple days later, this was written.
War of the Worlds
Written
Read
Aliens invading Earth has been a topic so used (and sometimes abused) that reading about it hardly surprised me. What did surprise me was the author’s note, (or was it the preface?) that HG Wells had been the first one to introduce the idea. Then, while reading I was able to see how his “version” of alien invasion was the raw, original story.
Nowadays, science fiction has upgraded invading aliens to sentient beings ranging from emotional, sympathetic beings equal to humans, to little green blobs with no minds at all with only the incentive to destroy. Compared to these, HG Wells’ version seemed outdated. (I mean, cylindrical machines? Those haven’t been used in forever!)
However, looking back, I remember enjoying myself. It seemed as if Wells was digging back all the layers of today’s alien invasion stories and displaying the raw, unaltered original story. Also, his portrayal of his main character’s raw emotions of terror, fascination, and horror were vividly done.
All the other characters were briefly drawn up. They weren’t exactly “flat,” but they weren’t multidimensional. They were simply there, which really made the main character stand out.
I’ve never really been able to love horror stories for the sake of horror stories, and HG Wells’ “War of the Worlds,” though a fascinating read, didn’t really appeal to my emotions. I was able to feel a brief (very brief), thrill as I read the story, and the ending, (when the aliens die because they cannot fight off Earth’s bacteria), was unexpected.
The main theme, however, seemed to be that humanity, in reality, is nothing. Wells’ portrayal of our easy defeat and mindless terror suggests that, in the grand cosmic universe, humanity is really just a very small factor. He hints at powers greater than us and gives them the form of alien invaders. I came away from the book a bit cowed, and somewhat thoughtful. Not bad for a sci-fi read.
After “War of the Worlds,” which I actually found easy to read, I decided to check out another of Wells’ books, just so I could get a more complete picture of his style. “The Time Machine” was available, and I already knew the basic plotline, so I checked this one out.
The Time Machine
Written
Read
More H.G. Wells!
Like “War of the Worlds,” “The Time Machine” is short, science fiction, and told from a first-person point of view. After reading, I began to appreciate Wells’ ability to transport you into the protagonist’s life so effectively that it becomes easy to “feel” and “experience” everything that is happening.
Unlike “War of the Worlds,” “The Time Machine” touched my emotions and gave me a faintly disturbed, uneasy feeling. (Sort of similar to the feeling I got after reading “Childhood’s End.”) The idea that humans could sink so low and turn into such monsters made me shudder.
H.G. Wells’ strong point seems to be his ability to portray human emotion in a way that is totally realistic to the point of it almost being scary. The Time Traveler is totally multidimensional (the only multidimensional character in the book) and easy to sympathize with. His emotions are so powerful because they are the emotions that I would feel in his shoes (or, at least, very similar).
Another thing I appreciated about Wells was that his scientific assumptions were completely understandable. I’ve read a lot of science fiction, and some left me scratching my head in confusion.
(What? How does that work?!) But Wells takes the time to make the idea of a fourth dimension (time) and a time machine plausible.
His book is short and consequently he doesn’t spend many paragraphs in the explanations, but the way he explains is so clear, so simple, and so “real” that it really does seem plausible. (As plausible as a time machine can be, anyway.)
Again, not bad for a sci-fi book.
I didn’t fall in love with H.G. Wells’ books, nor am I now an avid reader of science fiction. However, after reading his books, I feel a sincere appreciation for the genre.
It was just a taste—a hint of what sci-fi fans must feel, but it was enough to make me glad of my choice to try his books. So give it a shot! Whether you’re a sci-fi fan or not, pick up one of his books and try it. You never know whether or not you’ll find a new author to love.
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