
H. G. Wells: The Greatest Sci-Fi Collection - 15 Books in One Edition (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. The Shape of Things to Come, The Time Machine, The War of The Worlds, The Island of Doctor Moreau…By H. G. WellsLength98h 51m
About this audiobook
H. G. Wells: The Greatest Sci-Fi Collection - 15 Books in One Edition gathers the major speculative romances through which modern science fiction found much of its vocabulary: time travel, alien invasion, biological experimentation, invisibility, lunar exploration, and dystopian social prophecy. Wells's prose is lucid, swift, and deceptively plain, combining journalistic immediacy with philosophical argument. Written in the late Victorian and Edwardian context of imperial expansion, industrial acceleration, and Darwinian controversy, these works transform scientific possibility into moral and political inquiry. Herbert George Wells (1866–1946) was trained in science under T. H. Huxley, and that education decisively shaped his imagination. His early poverty, experience as a teacher, interest in socialism, and distrust of complacent progress all informed his fiction. Wells wrote not merely to entertain but to test civilization under pressure: What becomes of humanity when technology outruns ethics, or when evolution exposes social arrogance? This collection is highly recommended for readers seeking both adventure and intellectual provocation. It offers an essential encounter with a writer whose inventions remain foundational, and whose anxieties about power, knowledge, and the future still feel uncannily contemporary.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- The Author Biography highlights personal milestones and literary influences that shape the entire body of writing.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreScience Fiction, Literary Classics
Length98 hrs 51 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 19, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
140CHAPTER XI. THE OLD MAN WHO KNEW EVERYTHING
2Introduction
141CHAPTER XII. OSTROG
3Author Biography
142CHAPTER XIII. THE END OF THE OLD ORDER
4Historical Context
143CHAPTER XIV. FROM THE CROW’S NEST
5Synopsis (Selection)
144CHAPTER XV. PROMINENT PEOPLE
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6The Time Machine
145CHAPTER XVI. THE MONOPLANE
7CHAPTER I
146CHAPTER XVII. THREE DAYS
8CHAPTER II
147CHAPTER XVIII. GRAHAM REMEMBERS
9CHAPTER III
148CHAPTER XIX. OSTROG’S POINT OF VIEW
10CHAPTER IV
149CHAPTER XX. IN THE CITY WAYS
11CHAPTER V
150CHAPTER XXI. THE UNDERSIDE
12CHAPTER VI
151CHAPTER XXII. THE STRUGGLE IN THE COUNCIL HOUSE
13CHAPTER VII
152CHAPTER XXIII. GRAHAM SPEAKS HIS WORD
14CHAPTER VIII
153CHAPTER XXIV. WHILE THE AEROPLANES WERE COMING
15CHAPTER IX
154CHAPTER XXV. THE COMING OF THE AEROPLANES
16CHAPTER X
155The Shape of Things to Come
17CHAPTER XI
156Introduction: The Dream Book of Dr. Philip Raven
18CHAPTER XII
157Book the First: Today and Tomorrow: The Age of Frustration Dawns
19The War of The Worlds
1581. A Chronological Note
20BOOK ONE. THE COMING OF THE MARTIANS
1592. How the Idea and Hope of the Modern World State First Appeared
21CHAPTER ONE. The Eve Of The War
1603. The Accumulating Disproportions of the Old Order
22CHAPTER TWO. The Falling Star
1614. Early Attempts to Understand and Deal with These Disproportions; The Criticisms of Karl Marx and Henry George
23CHAPTER THREE. On Horsell Common
1625. The Way in Which Competition and Monetary Inefficiency Strained the Old Order
24CHAPTER FOUR. The Cylinder Opens
1636. The Paradox of Over-Production and Its Relation to War
25CHAPTER FIVE. The HeatRay
1647. The Great War of 1914-1918
26CHAPTER SIX. The HeatRay In The Chobham Road
1658. The Impulse to Abolish War; The Episode of the Ford Peace Ship
27CHAPTER SEVEN. How I Reached Home
1669. The Direct Action of the Armament Industries in Maintaining War Stresses
28CHAPTER EIGHT. Friday Night
16710. Versailles: Seed Bed of Disasters
29CHAPTER NINE. The Fighting Begins
16811. The Impulse to Abolish War: Why the League of Nations Failed to Pacify the World
30CHAPTER TEN. In The Storm
16912. The Breakdown of “Finance” and Social Morale after Versailles
31CHAPTER ELEVEN. At The Window
17013. 1933: “Progress” Comes to a Halt
32CHAPTER TWELVE. What I Saw Of The Destruction
171Book the Second: The Days After Tomorrow: The Age of Frustration
33CHAPTER THIRTEEN. How I Fell In With The Curate
1721. The London Conference: the Crowning Failure of the Old Governments; The Spread of Dictatorships and Fascisms
34CHAPTER FOURTEEN. In London
1732. The Sloughing of the Old Educational Tradition
35CHAPTER FIFTEEN. What Had Happened In Surrey
1743. Disintegration and Crystallization in the Social Magma. The Gangster and Militant Political Organizations
36CHAPTER SIXTEEN. The Exodus From London
1754. Changes in War Practice after the World War
37CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. The “Thunder Child”
1765. The Fading Vision of a World Pax: Japan Reverts to Warfare
38BOOK TWO. THE EARTH UNDER THE MARTIANS
1776. The Western Grip on Asia Relaxes
39CHAPTER ONE. Under Foot
1787. The Modern State and Germany
40CHAPTER TWO. What We Saw From The Ruined House
1798. A Note on Hate and Cruelty
41CHAPTER THREE. The Days Of Imprisonment
1809. The Last War Cyclone, 1940-50
42CHAPTER FOUR. The Death Of The Curate
18110. The Raid of the Germs
43CHAPTER FIVE. The Stillness
18211. Europe in 1960
44CHAPTER SIX. The Work Of Fifteen Days
18312. America in Liquidation
45CHAPTER SEVEN. The Man On Putney Hill
184Book the Third: The World Renascence: The Birth of the Modern State
46CHAPTER EIGHT. Dead London
1851. The Plan of the Modern State Is Worked Out
47CHAPTER NINE. Wreckage
1862. Thought and Action: the New Model of Revolution
48CHAPTER TEN. The Epilogue
1873. The Technical Revolutionary
49The Island of Doctor Moreau
1884. Prophets, Pioneers, Fanatics and Murdered Men
50INTRODUCTION.
1895. The First Conference at Basra: 1965
51CHAPTER 1. IN THE DINGHY OF THE LADY VAIN
1906. The Growth of Resistance to the Sea and Air Ways Control
52CHAPTER 2. THE MAN WHO WAS GOING NOWHERE
1917. Intellectual Antagonism to the Modern State
53CHAPTER 3. THE STRANGE FACE
1928. The Second Conference at Basra, 1978
54CHAPTER 4. AT THE SCHOONER’S RAIL
1939. “Three Courses of Action”
55CHAPTER 5. THE LANDING ON THE ISLAND
19410. The Life-Time Plan
56CHAPTER 6. THE EVIL-LOOKING BOATMEN
19511. The Real Struggle for Government Begins
57CHAPTER 7. THE LOCKED DOOR
196Book the Fourth: The Modern State Militant
58CHAPTER 8. THE CRYING OF THE PUMA
1971. Gap in the Text
59CHAPTER 9. THE THING IN THE FOREST
1982. Melodramatic Interlude
60CHAPTER 10. THE CRYING OF THE MAN
1993. Futile Insurrection
61CHAPTER 11. THE HUNTING OF THE MAN
2004. The Schooling of Mankind
62CHAPTER 12. THE SAYERS OF THE LAW
2015. The Text Resumes: The Tyranny of the Second Council
63CHAPTER 13. A PARLEY
2026. Æsthetic Frustration: The Note Books of Ariston Theotocopulos
64CHAPTER 14. DOCTOR MOREAU EXPLAINS
2037. The Declaration of Mégève
65CHAPTER 15. CONCERNING THE BEAST FOLK
204Book the Fifth: The Modern State in Control of Life
66CHAPTER 16. HOW THE BEAST FOLK TASTED BLOOD
2051. Monday Morning in the Creation of a New World
67CHAPTER 17. A CATASTROPHE
2062. Keying Up the Planet
68CHAPTER 18. THE FINDING OF MOREAU
2073. Geogonic Planning
69CHAPTER 19. MONTGOMERY’S `BANK HOLIDAY’
2084. Changes in the Control of Behaviour
70CHAPTER 20. ALONE WITH THE BEAST FOLK
2095. Organization of Plenty
71CHAPTER 21. THE REVERSION OF THE BEAST FOLK
2106. The Average Man Grows Older and Wiser
72CHAPTER 22. THE MAN ALONE
2117. Language and Mental Growth
73The Invisible Man
2128. Sublimation of Interest
74CHAPTER I. THE STRANGE MAN’S ARRIVAL
2139. A New Phase in the History of Life
75CHAPTER II. MR. TEDDY HENFREY’S FIRST IMPRESSIONS
214The Food of the Gods
76CHAPTER III. THE THOUSAND AND ONE BOTTLES
215BOOK I. THE DAWN OF THE FOOD
77CHAPTER IV. MR. CUSS INTERVIEWS THE STRANGER
216CHAPTER THE FIRST. THE DISCOVERY OF THE FOOD.
78CHAPTER V. THE BURGLARY AT THE VICARAGE
217CHAPTER THE SECOND. THE EXPERIMENTAL FARM.
79CHAPTER VI. THE FURNITURE THAT WENT MAD
218CHAPTER THE THIRD. THE GIANT RATS.
80CHAPTER VII. THE UNVEILING OF THE STRANGER
219CHAPTER THE FOURTH. THE GIANT CHILDREN.
81CHAPTER VIII. IN TRANSIT
220CHAPTER THE FIFTH. THE MINIMIFICENCE OF MR BENSINGTON.
82CHAPTER IX. MR. THOMAS MARVEL
221BOOK II. THE FOOD IN THE VILLAGE
83CHAPTER X. MR. MARVEL’S VISIT TO IPING
222CHAPTER THE FIRST. THE COMING OF THE FOOD.
84CHAPTER XI. IN THE “COACH AND HORSES”
223CHAPTER THE SECOND. THE BRAT GIGANTIC.
85CHAPTER XII. THE INVISIBLE MAN LOSES HIS TEMPER
224BOOK III. THE HARVEST OF THE FOOD
86CHAPTER XIII. MR. MARVEL DISCUSSES HIS RESIGNATION
225CHAPTER THE FIRST. THE ALTERED WORLD.
87CHAPTER XIV. AT PORT STOWE
226CHAPTER THE SECOND. THE GIANT LOVERS.
88CHAPTER XV. THE MAN WHO WAS RUNNING
227CHAPTER THE THIRD. YOUNG CADDIES IN LONDON.
89CHAPTER XVI. IN THE “JOLLY CRICKETERS”
228CHAPTER THE FOURTH. REDWOOD’S TWO DAYS.
90CHAPTER XVII. DR. KEMP’S VISITOR
229CHAPTER THE FIFTH. THE GIANT LEAGUER.
91CHAPTER XVIII. THE INVISIBLE MAN SLEEPS
230In the Days of the Comet
92CHAPTER XIX. CERTAIN FIRST PRINCIPLES
231PROLOGUE THE MAN WHO WROTE IN THE TOWER
93CHAPTER XX. AT THE HOUSE IN GREAT PORTLAND STREET
232BOOK THE FIRST. THE COMET
94CHAPTER XXI. IN OXFORD STREET
233CHAPTER THE FIRST. DUST IN THE SHADOWS
95CHAPTER XXII. IN THE EMPORIUM
234CHAPTER THE SECOND. NETTIE
96CHAPTER XXIII. IN DRURY LANE
235CHAPTER THE THIRD. THE REVOLVER
97CHAPTER XXIV. THE PLAN THAT FAILED
236CHAPTER THE FOURTH. WAR
98CHAPTER XXV. THE HUNTING OF THE INVISIBLE MAN
237CHAPTER THE FIFTH. THE PURSUIT OF THE TWO LOVERS
99CHAPTER XXVI. THE WICKSTEED MURDER
238BOOK THE SECOND. THE GREEN VAPORS
100CHAPTER XXVII. THE SIEGE OF KEMP’S HOUSE
239CHAPTER THE FIRST. THE CHANGE
101CHAPTER XXVIII. THE HUNTER HUNTED
240CHAPTER THE SECOND. THE AWAKENING
102The First Men in the Moon
241CHAPTER THE THIRD. THE CABINET COUNCIL
103CHAPTER 1. Mr. Bedford Meets Mr. Cavor at Lympne
242BOOK THE THIRD. THE NEW WORLD
104CHAPTER 2. The First Making of Cavorite
243CHAPTER THE FIRST. LOVE AFTER THE CHANGE
105CHAPTER 3. The Building of the sphere
244CHAPTER THE SECOND. MY MOTHER’S LAST DAYS
106CHAPTER 4. Inside the Sphere
245CHAPTER THE THIRD. BELTANE AND NEW YEAR’S EVE
107CHAPTER 5. The Journey to the Moon
246A Modern Utopia
108CHAPTER 6. The Landing on the Moon
247THE OWNER OF THE VOICE
109CHAPTER 7. Sunrise on the Moon
248CHAPTER THE FIRST. Topographical
110CHAPTER 8. A Lunar Morning
249CHAPTER THE SECOND. Concerning Freedoms
111CHAPTER 9. Prospecting Begins
250CHAPTER THE THIRD. Utopian Economics
112CHAPTER 10. Lost Men in the Moon
251CHAPTER THE FOURTH. The Voice of Nature
113CHAPTER 11. The Mooncalf Pastures
252CHAPTER THE FIFTH. Failure in a Modern Utopia
114CHAPTER 12. The Selenite’s Face
253CHAPTER THE SIXTH. Women in a Modern Utopia
115CHAPTER 13. Mr. Cavor Makes Some Suggestions
254CHAPTER THE SEVENTH. A Few Utopian Impressions
116CHAPTER 14. Experiments in intercourse
255CHAPTER THE EIGHTH. My Utopian Self
117CHAPTER 15. The Giddy Bridge
256CHAPTER THE NINTH. The Samurai
118CHAPTER 16. Points of View
257CHAPTER THE TENTH. Race in Utopia
119CHAPTER 17. The Fight in the Cave of the Moon Butchers
258CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH. The Bubble Bursts
120CHAPTER 18. In the Sunlight
259The War in the Air
121CHAPTER 19. Mr. Bedford Alone
260CHAPTER I. Of Progress And The Smallways Family
122CHAPTER 20. Mr. Bedford in Infinite Space
261CHAPTER II. How Bert Smallways Got Into Difficulties
123CHAPTER 21. Mr. Bedford at Littlestone
262CHAPTER III. The Balloon
124CHAPTER 22. The Astonishing Communication of Mr. Julius Wendigee
263CHAPTER IV. The German Air-Fleet
125CHAPTER 23. An Abstract of the Six Messages First Received from Mr. Cavor
264CHAPTER V. The Battle Of The North Atlantic
126CHAPTER 24. The Natural History of the Selenites
265CHAPTER VI. How War Came To New York
127CHAPTER 25. The Grand Lunar
266CHAPTER VII. The “Vaterland” Is Disabled
128CHAPTER 26. The Last Message Cavor sent to the Earth
267CHAPTER VIII. A World At War
129When the Sleeper Wakes
268CHAPTER IX. On Goat Island
130CHAPTER I. INSOMNIA
269CHAPTER X. The World Under The War
131CHAPTER II. THE TRANCE
270CHAPTER XI. The Great Collapse
132CHAPTER III. THE AWAKENING
271The Chronic Argonauts
133CHAPTER IV. THE SOUND OF A TUMULT
272In the Abyss
134CHAPTER V. THE MOVING WAYS
273The Star
135CHAPTER VI. THE HALL OF THE ATLAS
274The Crystal Egg
136CHAPTER VII. IN THE SILENT ROOMS
275Analysis
137CHAPTER VIII. THE ROOF SPACES
276Reflection
138CHAPTER IX. THE PEOPLE MARCH
277Memorable Quotes
139CHAPTER X. THE BATTLE OF THE DARKNESS