Collected works of Wells

Excellent collection of H.G Wells' short stories, consisting of some of his lesser known and non-cience fiction works.
Well worth the read.

Muy buena edición.

ENGLISH: In this collection of 66 stories, there are all kinds, not just sci-fi: thrillers, ghost stories, stories about normal life, such as "The jilting of Jane" and several more in the same line, and so forth. I liked especially 26 of them, 16 of which are sci-fi. I have reviewed separately 30 of those that have their own index card in Goodreads, especially those I most like. I'll mention here those of the others I have liked most:

1. "The stolen bacillus," 1894, about an original anarchist. At the beginning of the 20th century, anarchist were what we now call terrorists.

2. "Little Mother up the Morderberg," 1910, a hilarious story about an amazing mountaineer and his little mother.

3. "The story of the Last Trump," 1915, a story with surprising theological connotations for a writer who ended up being an atheist, although when he wrote this story he had still not gone all the way in that direction.

4. "The magic shop," 1903, a story about a mysterious shop where they sell... what? Prestidigitation? Imagination? Genuine magic?... Do they sell?

Comparing Wells with Verne, the other pioneer of sci-fi, I'd say that Verne predicts much better the development of science and technology, while Wells deals with great subjects that, even though they may never happen, attract human imagination: an invasion from Mars; the discovery of extra-terrestrial intelligence in the Moon; the dangers of future technology (as in "The Island of Dr. Moreau"); and so on. But when Wells deals with immediate advancements in technology (such as the conquest of the air), he proves to be a very bad prophet. Thus in "Filmer" (published in 1901) he predicts that the century-long discussion about lighter than the air (balloons) and heavier than the air (airplanes) would be solved by 1907 in favor of a hybrid solution (dirigible balloons or Zeppelins), which had actually been built since 1900. See also my review of "The Argonauts of the air".

Verne, on the other hand, never goes into super-themes of extra-terrestrial invasion or genetic modification via vivisection. In his novel "Around the Moon" he leaves the possible existence of Moon inhabitants open; and in his long journey around the solar system (Hector Servadac) the only extra-terrestrials in the novel are the British soldiers at the top of the rock of Gibraltar. On the other hand, his predictions about immediate technological advances (submarines, aircraft, and so) are sounder.

Wells uses at least four different literary procedures to tell us about the future: 1. Either the novel takes place directly in the future (as in "The World set Free" or "When the Sleeper Wakes"). 2. Or the characters travel in time (as in "The Time Machine" and "The Chronic Argonauts"). 3. Or one person dreams about the future (as in "A dream of Armageddon"). 4. Or one person is given by mistake a newspaper issue dated forty years later (as in "The Queer Story of Brownsley's Newspaper"). His prophetic predictions, however, are not very accurate, as when he predicted in 1913 that the First World War would start in 1956. And he uses these predictions to advance his ideas about future society: a world government, universal peace, and (curiously) a reform in the calendar, which has been discussed unsuccessfully since over a century ago, about which I wrote in my blog: Proposals for a reform of the calendar.

SPANISH: En esta colección de 66 cuentos, los hay de todo tipo, no solo de ciencia-ficción: cuentos de terror, de fantasmas, de la vida normal, como "The jilting of Jane" y varios más en la misma línea, etc. 26 de ellas me han gustado más; de ellas, 16 de las cuales son de ciencia-ficción. He revisado por separado 30 de los que tienen su propia ficha en Goodreads, especialmente los que más me gustan. Mencionaré aquí aquellos de los restantes que me han gustado más:

1. "El bacilo robado", que trata de un anarquista original. A principios del siglo XX, los anarquistas eran lo que ahora llamamos terroristas.

2. "La madrecita escalando el Morderberg", 1910, cuento muy divertido sobre un alpinista increíble y su madrecita.

3. "La historia de la última trompeta", de 1915, cuento con sorprendentes connotaciones teológicas para un escritor que acabó siendo ateo, aunque cuando escribió este cuento todavía no había llegado tan lejos en esa dirección.

4. "La tienda mágica", 1903, un cuento sobre una tienda misteriosa donde venden... ¿Qué venden? ¿Prestidigitación? ¿Imaginación? ¿Magia genuina?... ¿De verdad venden?

Comparando a Wells con Verne, el otro pionero de la ciencia ficción, yo diría que Verne predice mucho mejor el desarrollo de la ciencia y la tecnología, mientras que Wells trata grandes temas que, aunque no lleguen a ocurrir, atraen la imaginación humana: una invasión desde Marte; el descubrimiento de inteligencia extraterrestre en la Luna; los peligros de la tecnología del futuro (como en "La isla del Dr. Moreau"); etc. Pero cuando Wells habla de avances tecnológicos inmediatos (como la conquista del aire), demuestra ser muy mal profeta. Así, en "Filmer" (publicado en 1901) predice que la discusión, que ya duraba un siglo, sobre lo más ligero que el aire (globos) y lo más pesado que el aire (aviones) se resolvería en 1907 a favor de una solución híbrida (dirigibles o Zepelines), que en realidad ya estaban construidos desde 1900. Véase también mi reseña de "Los argonautas del aire".

Verne, por su parte, nunca se mete en super-temas de invasiones extraterrestres o modificación genética a través de vivisección. En su novela "Alrededor de la Luna" deja abierta la posible existencia de habitantes de la Luna; y en su largo viaje por el sistema solar (Héctor Servadac) los únicos extraterrestres de la novela son los soldados británicos en la cima del peñón de Gibraltar. Por otro lado, sus predicciones sobre avances tecnológicos inmediatos (submarinos, aviones, etc.) son más acertadas.

Wells utiliza al menos cuatro procedimientos literarios diferentes para informarnos sobre el futuro: 1. La novela se desarrolla directamente en el futuro (como en "El mundo en libertad" o "Cuando el durmiente despierta"). 2. Los personajes viajan en el tiempo (como en "La máquina del tiempo" y "Los argonautas crónicos"). 3. Una persona sueña con el futuro (como en "Un sueño de Armagedón"). 4. Una persona recibe por error un ejemplar de un periódico con fecha de cuarenta años después (como en "La historia queer del periódico de Brownsley"). Sin embargo, sus predicciones proféticas no son muy precisas, como cuando predijo en 1913 que la Primera Guerra Mundial comenzaría en 1956. Y usa estas predicciones para promover sus ideas sobre la sociedad futura: un gobierno mundial, paz universal y (curiosamente) una reforma del calendario, que viene debatiéndose sin éxito desde hace más de un siglo, sobre la que escribí en mi blog: Propuestas de reforma del calendario.

'The Door in the Wall' is probably the most affecting, bitter sweet short story I have ever read.
It is full of yearning, for lost youth, for lost childhood, for lost love. The central character's fate is inevitable, from the moment he first spies the green door in the wall as an infant, and venturing inside, finds the radiant blonde girl that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

It is a story of obsession, of chances lost, and the self-defeating procrastination that comes with the dogged pursuit of success at the expense of beauty. It's not the only great story in this collection, but it is the best. Once read, never to be forgotten. I read it first as a child, and its legacy is lasting. We all have our doors in the wall.

"the night bookmobile" by audrey niffenger referenced this book, and inspired me to read it.

As a young man, I loved Wells. As a disaffected kid who thought he could find truth hidden somewhere inside a book, Wells' novels and stories were some of my favorite places to look.

I'm using one story, "The Man Who Could Work Miracles," for philosophy class. It was made into a fascinating old b&w movie. Do read it!

Love these short stories. They are perfect for reading during break time at work.

Read across the course of the last few months. While Wells’s novels are superior to his short fictions, there’s no arguing that his visionary brilliance and wit shines like a fiesta of floodlights across this enormous volume. I reviewed some of the highlights here. The later pieces are less engaging, so I have bookmarked the following for my future self to read at a later date. Here you are, future me:

Unread (for future reference):
‘A Story of the Stone Age’
‘A Story of the Days to Come’
‘Mr Skelmersdale in Fairyland’
‘The Inexperienced Ghost’
‘Mr. Ledbetter’s Vacation’
‘The Stolen Body’
‘Mr Brisher’s Treasure’
‘Miss Winchelsea’s Heart’
‘A Dream of Armageddon’

Wells was a master of the short story format.
There too many stories within this volume to include a full review of each and every story.
BUT this is the Definitive book to own.
Many many classics and some that are just little slights of wit,comedy,farce,commentary etc.
All your favourites will be here:
Country Of The Blind
The Star
The Door In The Wall
The Stolen Bacillus
The Magic Shop
The Late Mr.Elvisham
The Red Room,and many others.
A must own collection of gems.

H.G. Wells wrote quite a few excellent stories and some duds. He also embraced, enthusiastically, eugenics. So this tome is a mix of insightful science fiction, offensive racism and boring bits. It is also too thick and heavy to curl up with and enjoy.

I read a slightly different edition, so this may not apply to the exact stories in this collection. As someone who loved the science fiction novels of Wells as a child, I found myself mostly disappointed by these short works. Light, mostly devoid of the deeper themes or social commentary Wells put in to his longer works, one has the definite sense that these were the 'paycheck' stories put out to fill copy while he worked on other things.

Wells is still a gifted writer and his prose still shines through, but I found the short story collection easy to put down.

(I read the British edition of this title, which is slightly over 1000 pages, was first published 1927, and so may have a different story selection)