Sci-fi Fantasy Classics: H.G. Wells secured his place as a visionary science fiction author with a succession of undying classics.
All written around the turn of the Victorian/Edwardian era, each one uncovers mankind’s hubris, vanity, selfishness and greed. Ethical and moral questions produce disturbing answers, not least when the thin veneer of civilization wears away.
The Time Machine: 1895
A shocking and subversive sci-fi novella. Wells’ time traveller encounters a bleak future of human decay, class war, devolution, cannibalism and eventual extinction.
The Island of Doctor Moreau: 1896
An horrific tale of vivisection and animal experimentation by a disgraced scientist on a remote island. The resulting Beast Folk question their ‘humanity’ and rebel. A cautionary tale of unregulated science, ethics and morality.
The Invisible Man: 1897
A scientist discovers invisibility but is driven insane by isolation and his inability to fit into society. Another cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific discovery without moral restraint.
The War of the Worlds: 1898
A pioneering alien invasion plot flips the script on British Imperialism as the Earth is colonized by a technologically advanced race. Humanity finds itself powerless to resist, but like all conquerors, hubris proves the Martians downfall. Earth’s bacteria defeats the aliens in a dramatic and ironic ‘Deus Ex Machnina’ twist.