The food of the gods and how it came to earth [Paperback]

Herbert George Wells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 16, 2009

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER THE THIRD THE GIANT RATS I It was two nights after the disappearance of Mr. Skinner that the Podbourne doctor was out late near Hankey, driving in his buggy. He had been up all night assisting another undistinguished citizen into this curious world of ours, and his task accomplished, he was driving homeward in a drowsy mood enough. It was about two o'clock in the morning, and the waning moon was rising. The summer night had gone cold, and there was a low-lying whitish mist that made things indistinct. He was quite alone—for his coachman was ill in bed—and there was nothing to be seen on either hand but a drifting mystery of hedge running athwart the yellow glare of his lamps, and nothing to hear but the clitter-clatter of his horse and the gride and hedge echo of his wheels. His horse was as trustworthy as himself, and one does not wonder that he dozed. . . . You know that intermittent drowsing as onesits, the drooping of the head, the nodding to the rhythm of the wheels, then chin upon the breast, and at once the sudden start up again. Fitter, litter, patter. ' What was that ?' It seemed to the doctor he had heard a thin shrill squeal close at hand. For a moment he was quite awake. He said a word or two of undeserved rebuke to his horse, and looked about him. He tried to persuade himself that he had heard the distant squeal of a fox—or perhaps a young rabbit gripped by a ferret. Swish, swish, swish,fitter, patter, swish . . . What was that ? He felt he was getting fanciful. He shook his shoulders and told his horse to get on. He listened and heard nothing. Or was it nothing ? He had the queerest impression that something had just peeped over the hedge at him, a queer big head. With round ears ! He peered hard, but he could see nothing. ...

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: General Books LLC (August 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0217625444
• ISBN-13: 978-0217625449
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,079,825 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Prophetic Examination of Scientific Ethics, May 31, 2006

By 

K. Wilson "Tapehead and Avid Reader" (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Food of the Gods: And How It Came to Earth (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

As one of Wells lesser known novels "The Food of the Gods" is often out of print and difficult to find. Despite its obscure status, it represents an early examination of scientific ethics that helped define an important genre in science fiction.

As a result of research into the growth curves of living matter, two scientists invent a seemingly miraculous substance called Herakleophorbia IV, nicknamed "The Food of the Gods."

Its consumption causes accelerated uninterrupted growth in all forms of life. Its creators' lack of forethought and ineptitude results in terrifying consequences when the substance escapes the bounds of the experiment and is ingested by unintended creatures.

This early masterpiece was a groundbreaking conjecture of many of the real issues now confronting scientists about genetically engineered foods and ethical considerations in scientific experimentation.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food of Social Change, January 6, 2011

By 

J. Lopez "gandalf5" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth (Kindle Edition)

H.G. Wells is a writer of his time. His thinking is scientifically unsound from a modern standpoint but it represents very well the fears and hopefulness of his generation. As such, the writing style itself may appear bland, slow-moving, or pretentious. This is not a failing in the book but in the reader.

Despite the obvious scientific commentary by Wells in this book, the larger meaning focuses on the means by which vast social changes occur. A particularly illuminating section of the work details the impressions of a man emerging from jail. He had been removed from society since before the arrival of the Food and upon his release, the seemingly gradual changes in the function of society are seen by the formerly imprisoned man as incomprehensible. When he asks his brother to explain the incredible changes, his brother responds as though all the changes are merely life-as-usual.

Since the sections are written from differing perspectives, it is difficult to determine whether any narrator or the author side with the Giants or the regular men. Wells' writing might favor the Giants. When the Giant children grow up and begin to determine their own fates, they are written as far more sympathetic characters than their normal-size counterparts. Furthermore, the Giants' speech and beliefs are more noble and hopeful and future-minded than the normal-size people. However, after the first battle, the speeches of the Giants at the very end of the book may serve to persuade the reader that they are to side with the regular-size people. The Giants are concerned only with largeness, with dumping quantities of the Food on cities so that children (against the will of their parents) will begin to grow. The Giants' plan is to continue this attack until eventually the tide turns in their favor and children attacked by the Food begin to outnumber the older generations of regular-sized people.

But it is clear that this an attack--an act of aggression which should be chilling. The Food does not work on adults - only on children. One can imagine mothers and fathers horrified that their beloved children are slowly becoming the very monstrous creations they fear most. Furthermore the Food is essential. Once a child has been exposed to the Food, it must continue to get the Food until it has passed through puberty or it will DIE. These parents whose children have been exposed now face a horrible choice: procure more of the Food and keep feeding it to the child or allow the child to die.

But none of that appears in the book. It is simply the logical conclusion to the ending speeches of the Giants who intend to continue to expose whole cities to the Food. But as mentioned, the Giants are obsessed with bigness. At the end they take no more thought for themselves and their struggles against a hostile world. Their one goal becomes bigness and more bigness until the world will be too small to hold them. Unlike the creators of the Food, the Giants never even imagine that just because they CAN, is it true that they SHOULD?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Old-Fashioned and Intriguing, November 13, 2009

By 

Christian D. Sorrell (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth (Kindle Edition)

This novel is very old fashioned and at times difficult to get through unless you are a huge fan of somewhat antiquated science fiction. Wells is great though and the story has an interesting arch with some really thought provoking ideas.