I mean today we take for granted the alien invasion plot just based on how widespread and near universal it is within popular culture. But that wasn’t the case when Wells wrote War of the Worlds. That alone would make him at all time great but where he really shines is how he uses the alien invasion to satirize, at least in my humble opinion, the arrogance of imperialism.
We’ve got to remember that when HG Wells was alive and as he grew up the British Empire was the biggest thing on the planet. It was the center of the financial industry, it was the biggest Maritime power, but most importantly it was and still remains the largest empire in human history. Bigger than Rome, bigger than the Mongols it was, as the cliché goes, an empire that the sun never sets upon.
At the same time in order to Make an empire this big you have to take land. Unfortunately, most of this land already had people in it that were pretty content with their own self governance. So you have all these justifications for why they don’t deserve it and why the British do. Remember, this is the time of scientific racism and eugenics. The Indians, Africans, Aborigines, Irish, they were all these subhuman creatures that the great, white man was saving from their backwards and savage ways.
That’s why they got conquered, raped, enslaved, shot or destroyed by disease. They were practically asking for it! /s. Wells grew up and lived during this time and in a stroke of genius, decided to turn the concept on its head and give the British Empire a taste of its own medicine. War of the Worlds hypothesizes a scenario where the British meet a race of people that view them the same way they view the people they colonized.
It’s such a fantastic utterly unique premise that I feel gets missed when other authors write sequels or spinoffs of original war of the worlds. There’s a biting add shift social commentary that elevates this book from being standard science fiction. The so-called spin offs and sequels end up taking the alien invasion part and simply running with that. Which in my mind makes a weaker product.
Edit: Sorry everyone, after re-reading I see I've been incredibly vague. I should've specified that I was looking more for authors who were publishing between 1900-1930. Thank you for all the other suggestions though
I'm trying to read more science fiction to improve my writing/imagination. I've always had an interest in this period in terms of film but unfortunately I've never thought to read some works from the time (other than H. G. Wells)
Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.
https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1934/07/23.htm
We all know Stalin was a great revolutionary and this showed partly how, with the way he can eloquently debate and explain ideas to others.
Edit: Wells came off quite idealistic, yet respectable in his argument and it was great to see how knowledgeable Stalin was of worker movements of another nation, truly a proletarian hero.
Hi, Pam from Blackwall Labs!
Something a bit special for you guys here: Announcing our retelling of H.G Wells classic sci-fi tale set at the height of the WWII… Halo meets COD in VR :)
If you would like to sign up for a free demo go to our website….it will be ready for you soon 👾👽❤️ https://www.blackwallvr.com/games/wotw
For more updates coming soon: https://www.facebook.com/BlackwallLabs/
https://www.facebook.com/WAROFTHEWORLDSVR
https://reddit.com/link/cl22wp/video/x5fgh7bud0e31/player
Hello to all!
And a big hello to Red and Blue if you're reading this as well. First off, just a big thank you to the both of you for everything you do on your channel - it has been my go-to 'watch while having breakfast channel' and I'm always so excited when you guys upload. Your videos and informative, funny, and always leave me entertained. Keep up the amazing work!
Anyway, after rewatching Red's H.P. Lovecraft video for the 12th time, I've been thinking how cool a video about H.G Wells would be.
With Halloween fast approching, a look at the horrors of Well's particular brand of social science-fiction would be an interesting way to explore one of the great founders of the genre. The Time Machine, War of the Worlds, the Invisible man, all great stories blending wonder and awe with the terrors of time, space and science!
All in all, I feel like a video about H.G. Wells would be right up Red's alley!
What do you guys think?
- I have done several of these reviews now, and formerly I've tried to crank them out in a "see how much I read" spirit. I am taking off that mask, and allowing myself to further enjoy books, even if that means taking longer to get a review out. I am glad I have done this. The Time Machine, I found to be a pretty nuanced book, and devouring it in small sections seasoned the immersion. I truly enjoyed the fantastical imagery put forth in one of Wells' best known works, and the creativity necessary to map out for us the futurity of mankind.
- The Time Machine was published in 1895, a mere 30 or so years after Charles Darwin's and Alfred Russel Wallace's landmark publishings on the theory of evolution. Evolution, specifically the evolution of mankind, really is the central theme behind this narrative, and I thought how wonderful and new that must have been to read in the 1890's! As our protagonist, dubbed simply "The Time Traveller", explores the distant future of A.D. 802,701, mankind has evolved (or, in a sense, de-evolved) into two races of humans- the Eloi and the Morlocks. Our Time Traveller also happens to be a scientist, and posits his ideas as to why this evolution has occured, and I thought it was all very philosophic and remarkable. Simply put:
- Morlocks seem to have stemmed from the social class of the poor, blue collar, industry and factory workers (in the eyes of 19th century London), who have grown accustomed to dwelling underground and live subterranean. They display the features of real life creatures who dwell in caves and caverns : Big eyes, sensitivity to light, albino.... and have a certain cunning for the hunt being carnivorous (we like our meat!)
- Eloi stemmed from the aristocracy of the world, and being rich, beautiful and comfortable- lost intelligence with the onset of assured security. They are vegetarians- and live in the comfort and warmth of the light, playing all day and having no responsibility. They are preyed on at night by the Morlocks. They are literal human cattle.
- There are some really beautifully written segments I think of as "views through time", of the Time Traveller's perpectives as he journeys through the ages. I specifically began to see the Sun itself as a character during these narrations, and was almost rooting for it to govern a dying Earth with command once more in the eclipse scene. You can sort of get a sense how ancient peoples really worshipped our Star as a literal god in the past.
- If you
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Yesterday I was reading a short story by H.G. Wells called "The Purple Pileus" in his Thirty Strange Stories from 1898, where a guy takes magic mushrooms and changes his life. It's incredible and super early. So Wells must have known about the effects. I just wanted to share. You can read it here: http://www.online-literature.com/wellshg/2876/
Hi, Pam from Blackwall Labs!Something a bit special for you guys here: Announcing our retelling of H.G Wells classic sci-fi tale set at the height of the WWII…..we aim to make this one of the first genuine AAA titles so watch this space……Halo meets COD in VR :)
If you would like to sign up for a free demo go to our website….it will be ready for you soon 👾👽❤️ https://www.blackwallvr.com/games/wotw
War of the Worlds comes to VR....
For more info and updates:
