Customer Reviews

The Complete Short Stories of H.G. Wells (Phoenix Giants)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a "must have" for any fan of literature, science fiction, or just plain good story telling!

"The Time Machine" is the opening story in this book and starts the reader moving through the world of H.G. Wells. He will entice you with stories that pique the imagination, that range from the ancient past into the far future.

Over sixty short stories adorn this classic work, including:

The Empire of the Ants - killer ants from South America?

The Land Ironclad - land ships with guns can change trench warfare? (written in December 1903)

The Door In The Wall - a man recounts his boyhood memories of a door leading to a magical garden...

The Tempatation of Harringay - an artist is tempted by the devil himself

The Country of the Blind - is the one eyed man King in the land of the blind?

The Flowering of a Strange Orchid - Vampire flowers?

The New Accelerator - a man creates a mixture that allows him to move at ten times normal speed (concept adapted for a "Wild Wild West" episode)

Get the book, you won't be sorry.

(review based on hardback edition)

h.g.wells was to science fiction what shakespeare was to theatre. his short stories are composed of british warmth and wonder in equal measures. not only do we see the origins of the tank and the insect invasion story- but we see them as insights into human life and civilisation, in a manner that is easily the most similar to the 21th century. why is this landmark collection out of print is beyond me. it's like seeing mark twain or checkov out of print, which is just not done!

First off, this collection does not contain The Time Machine, I'm not sure what collection the other reviewer was referring to. However, this collection does contain some of the best stories you will ever read.

I discovered H.G. Wells relatively late in life (within this past year, at the age of 33) when I stumbled on a discount copy of "The Island of Dr. Moreau." Like most people, I'd read "War of the Worlds" in high school and thought it pretty good. However, I believe to truly appreciate Wells one must be older. Old enough to have experienced some sort of life and to appreciate fine, clean writing.

After reading "The Island of Dr. Moreau" I was surprised at how current the story felt and how horrific some of the details were (it definitely didn't read or feel like a book written over 100 years ago). As a result, each time I stopped at a used book store I'd peruse the shelves looking for anything Wells. I stumbled on a collection of five of his short stories called "The Empire of the Ants." What? Wells wrote short stories? No way! I bought the book and read it over my vacation. I was amazed. Wells is known for writing in detail, but I'd say his writing is even more detailed in his short stories (possibly because in a short story you don't have to worry about bogging the reader down in too much detail- causing them to lose the thread of the story).

What Wells does, and what he's famous for, is writing in such detail that a scenario becomes supremely believable, then, he adds a touch of the fantastic to really knock the reader's socks off. Since he's already created this ultra-realistic world, the fantastic becomes believable and the reader is left thinking, "that could really happen, couldn't it?"

After reading that collection of shorts, I looked for something more comprehensive and found "The Complete Short Stories of H.G. Wells" edited by John Hammond. I was amazed again! The breadth and scope of Wells' stories is amazing: from a rogue plant with a taste for human blood, to a voodoo shaman out for revenge, to an upstart student with a conscious, Wells' imagination knows no bounds.

I'm about half way through the book and my favorite stories thus far are "The Flowering of the Strange Orchid," "Pollock and the Porroh Man" and "In the Modern Vein: An Unsympathetic Love Story" (the stories I decribed above) also "The Lord of the Dynamos," "The Sea Raiders" and "A Story of the Stone Age." I must also add that I read "The Country of the Blind" as part of the previous book containing Wells' stories and it too is amazing. Also, I admit that sometimes Wells delves into too much detail, which can frustrate the reader and slow the story down. However, of the 30-40 stories I've read thus far, it has only happened a handful of times.

I only wish that this collection contained a short critique before each story. Mr. Hammond is a renowned Wells scholar and has even written a book analyzing Wells' short stories (a book I can't locate, by the way), that book I believe is essential to really understanding these stories (namely due to Wells' tendency to critique society in his writing). Unfortunately, no real analysis is available in this compilation, thus, the reader is left to his own interpretation. For the most part, the stories are pretty self-explanatory, but it would be nice to understand some of the other meanings.

In conclusion, I give this collection 5 stars and I highly recommend it for anyone with a taste for great storytelling. Wells' writing is fantastic, touching, humorous, detailed and very sensitive- I think you'll be surprised at how he'll win you over. H.G. Wells is a master writer, and he's gained me as a fan for life! :)

The St. Martin's press 22nd edition wasn't returned by Amazon, so I had to review this one. But this is more comprehensive than the collection I've read if my recognition of it is on target, so you'll get more for your buck in this one. In relating my experience in reading these stories, let me say right off that I read straight through the book, and this in my view enhanced my enjoyment because it eliminated the hassle of guessing at what I would enjoy. I'm a science fiction and fantasy reader primarily, and so I was pleased to see that over 85 percent of the stories present in the St. Martin's edition had some tie to these genres. But I was also pleased to discover that all of the tales I read, whether science fiction, fantasy, religious allegory, suspense, social stories such as slice of life or love stories, was a great read. Tales like A Catastrophe and The Jilting of Jane possessed aspects of irony and humor that made them fun as social tales, while I especially enjoyed The Plattner Story, In the Abyss, The Country of the Blind and The Empire of the Ants as science fiction tales. Some of the better adventure tales for me were My First Aeroplane and Little Mother Up the Morderberg, although the latter added a healthy dose of humor. And there is one story (can't think of the name-- sorry) that is an early take on the REAR WINDOW plot idea made famous by Hitchcock on film. That one was a suspense tale-- you'll recognize it when you see the guy laid up with broken legs who watches the river out the window. I hope you enjoy these fun and erudite stories. It's a big old book. There's at least fifty stories in the St. Martin's edition, and it's over 1000 pages thick.

This is a collection of collections

The Time Machine and Other Stories
The Stolen Bacillus And Other Stories
The Plattner Story And Others
Tales Of Time And Space
Twelve Stories And A Dream

-----

This collection takes The Time Machine, which is presumably a longish novella in actuality to do this, and adds some of the pieces from A Door in the Wall and Other Stories - including all the best stories from there, so not a bad idea, really.

Time Machine : The Time Machine - H. G. Wells
Time Machine : The Empire Of The Ants - H. G. Wells
Time Machine : A Vision Of Judgment - H. G. Wells
Time Machine : The Land Ironclads - H. G. Wells
Time Machine : The Beautiful Suit - H. G. Wells
Time Machine : The Door In The Wall - H. G. Wells
Time Machine : The Pearl Of Love - H. G. Wells
Time Machine : The Country Of The Blind - H. G. Wells


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.

3.5 out of 5


Just waiting for the takeover.

4 out of 5


Supernatural stuff seen.

2 out of 5


Give tanks a try.

3.5 out of 5


Fashion victim.

2.5 out of 5


Other places to go.

3 out of 5


It stings, chuck it away.

3 out of 5


Hard to be King, no matter how many eyes.

4 out of 5


--
A quite good and quite eclectic selection of stories. Something of everything, sf, fantasy, horror, crime, war, etc.

Stolen Bacillus : The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : The Stolen Bacillus - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : The Flowering of the Strange Orchid - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : In the Avu Observatory - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : The Triumphs of a Taxidermist - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : A Deal with Ostriches - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : Through a Window - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : The Temptation of Harringay - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : The Flying Man - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : The Diamond Maker - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : Aepyornis Island - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : The Lord of the Dynamos - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : The Hammerpond Park Bruglary - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : The Moth - H. G. Wells
Stolen Bacillus : The Treasure in the Forest - H. G. Wells

Anarchy plague hard to swallow.

3.5 out of 5


Hothouse leech.

4 out of 5


Big flying thing I think.

3.5 out of 5


New bird fooling.

3 out of 5


Jewellery eater.

3 out of 5


Krees manhunt.

3.5 out of 5


Bloody painting.

3 out of 5


Parachute raid.

3.5 out of 5


Pressure flux offer.

3.5 out of 5


Big egg hatching.

4 out of 5


Remote viewing.

3.5 out of 5


Engine sacrifice.

3.5 out of 5


Nice way to do the robbing business.

3 out of 5


Not fair to die before the end of the debate.

4 out of 5


Poison gold.

3.5 out of 5


--


This collection of stories ends with several mainstream tales, that are really of not much interest, although the last one is ok. If you aren't interested in those you can stop at 'The Purple Pileus'

Those aside, In the Abyss, Pollock and the Porroh Man, The Red Room and the Sea Raiders are all quite good.

As such, the whole thing averages a bit over 3.

Plattner Story : The Plattner Story - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : The Argonauts and the Air - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : In the Abyss - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : The Apple - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : Under the Knife - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : The Sea Raiders - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : Pollock and the Porroh Man - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : The Red Room - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : The Cone - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : The Purple Pileus - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : The Jilting of Jane - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : In the Modern Vein: An Unsympathetic Love Story - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : A Catastrophe - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : The Lost Inheritance - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : The Sad Story of a Dramatic Critic - H. G. Wells
Plattner Story : A Slip Under the Microscope - H. G. Wells


Other world reversal.

3 out of 5


Bad landing.

3 out of 5


Swap is not replacement.

3.5 out of 5


Sea devil double dive.

4 out of 5


Forbidden knowledge.

3 out of 5


Operation scare.

3.5 out of 5


Cephalopod people eaters.

4 out of 5


Black magic headcase helplessness.

3.5 out of 5


Fear place.

4 out of 5


Too hot here.

3 out of 5


Magic mushies.

3 out of 5


No good.

2 out of 5


Frivolous pursuits.

2 out of 5


Marriage regret.

2.5 out of 5


Writing gain, not.

3 out of 5


Bad play.

2 out of 5


Exam cheating.

3 out of 5


Too much biffo is a killer.

3.5 out of 5


Pigs and vicars? Why are they upset?

3.5 out of 5


Snow way to climb a mountain.

3.5 out of 5


Judgement day music.

2.5 out of 5


Prehistoric people story.

3 out of 5

--


A nice little collection of science fiction from Wells, from Martians to future history and your near miss astronomical disaster.

Tales of Space and Time : The Crystal Egg - H. G. Wells
Tales of Space and Time : The Star - H. G. Wells
Tales of Space and Time : A Story of the Stone Age - H. G. Wells
Tales of Space and Time : A Story of the Days to Come - H. G. Wells
Tales of Space and Time : The Man Who Could Work Miracles - H. G. Wells


Tuning in Mars.

4 out of 5


Just a near miss, that planet going past Earth. Nothing to worry those Martians.

4 out of 5


Cave girl, cave man, cave bear, plus lions and horses,not tigers.

3 out of 5


Giving the past lifestyle a try.

3 out of 5


It is really not a good idea to stop the Earth's rotation.

3.5 out of 5

--

A collection that has quite a bit of fantasy contained therein, but which again tails off in the latter part as far as interest goes.

Twelve Stories and A Dream : Filmer - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : The Magic Shop - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : The Valley of Spiders - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : The Truth about Pyecraft - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : Mr. Skelmersdale in Fairyland - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : The Inexperienced Ghost - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : Jimmy Goggles the God - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : The New Accelerator - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : Mr. Ledbetter's Vacation - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : The Stolen Body - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : Mr. Brisher's Treasure - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : Miss Winchelsea's Heart - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : A Dream of Armageddon - H. G. Wells


Strange flyer.

3 out of 5


Genuine article here.

3.5 out of 5


Puffballs, too many legs.

3.5 out of 5


A man needs to get his physics straight when asking for supernatural dieting assistance.

4 out of 5


Under Knoll.

3 out of 5


If you ask a spook for membership, he just might say yes.

4 out of 5


Deity impersonation.

3 out of 5


Flash tonic.

3.5 out of 5


Burglar reform.

3 out of 5


Remarkable medium possession save.

3 out of 5


Loot score.

2.5 out of 5


Snooks not for me.

2.5 out of 5


Future war visions.

3 out of 5




Too much biffo is a killer.

3.5 out of 5


Pigs and vicars? Why are they upset?

3.5 out of 5


Snow way to climb a mountain.

3.5 out of 5


Judgement day music.

2.5 out of 5


Prehistoric people story.

3 out of 5