The Shape of Things To Come - A Science Fiction Classic (Complete Edition) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Prophetic Future History of War, Crisis, and World GovernmentBy H. G. Wells
Length19h 55m
About this audiobook
The Shape of Things To Come is one of H. G. Wells's most ambitious exercises in speculative history, presenting the future as a discovered record that charts humanity's passage from crisis to reconstruction. Written in a documentary, prophetic mode rather than as conventional adventure fiction, it blends political forecast, social criticism, and scientific imagination. Its visions of war, economic breakdown, air power, dictatorship, and eventual world government place it at the center of interwar science fiction and utopian literature. Wells, already renowned for The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, was not merely an entertainer but a public intellectual deeply engaged with science, education, and global politics. His Fabian sympathies, belief in rational planning, and disillusionment after the First World War all inform this work. The book reflects his conviction that civilization required deliberate coordination, technological competence, and a new moral order if it were to survive modernity. Readers interested in science fiction as a vehicle for historical diagnosis and political prophecy will find this complete edition indispensable. It is especially recommended for those who value speculative writing that asks not only what the future may look like, but what humanity must become in order to deserve one.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.5 (1.3K)
Includes Goodreads
GenreScience Fiction, Dystopia
Length19 hrs 55 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateApr 27, 2015
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Shape of Things To Come - A Science Fiction Classic (Complete Edition) (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5Author Biography
Show all chaptersShow less
6Introduction: The Dream Book of Dr. Philip Raven
7Book the First: Today and Tomorrow: The Age of Frustration Dawns
81. A Chronological Note
92. How the Idea and Hope of the Modern World State First Appeared
103. The Accumulating Disproportions of the Old Order
114. Early Attempts to Understand and Deal with These Disproportions; The Criticisms of Karl Marx and Henry George
125. The Way in Which Competition and Monetary Inefficiency Strained the Old Order
136. The Paradox of Over-Production and Its Relation to War
147. The Great War of 1914-1918
158. The Impulse to Abolish War; The Episode of the Ford Peace Ship
169. The Direct Action of the Armament Industries in Maintaining War Stresses
1710. Versailles: Seed Bed of Disasters
1811. The Impulse to Abolish War: Why the League of Nations Failed to Pacify the World
1912. The Breakdown of “Finance” and Social Morale after Versailles
2013. 1933: “Progress” Comes to a Halt
21Book the Second: The Days After Tomorrow: The Age of Frustration
221. The London Conference: the Crowning Failure of the Old Governments; The Spread of Dictatorships and Fascisms
232. The Sloughing of the Old Educational Tradition
243. Disintegration and Crystallization in the Social Magma. The Gangster and Militant Political Organizations
254. Changes in War Practice after the World War
265. The Fading Vision of a World Pax: Japan Reverts to Warfare
276. The Western Grip on Asia Relaxes
287. The Modern State and Germany
298. A Note on Hate and Cruelty
309. The Last War Cyclone, 1940-50
3110. The Raid of the Germs
3211. Europe in 1960
3312. America in Liquidation
34Book the Third: The World Renascence: The Birth of the Modern State
351. The Plan of the Modern State Is Worked Out
362. Thought and Action: the New Model of Revolution
373. The Technical Revolutionary
384. Prophets, Pioneers, Fanatics and Murdered Men
395. The First Conference at Basra: 1965
406. The Growth of Resistance to the Sea and Air Ways Control
417. Intellectual Antagonism to the Modern State
428. The Second Conference at Basra, 1978
439. “Three Courses of Action”
4410. The Life-Time Plan
4511. The Real Struggle for Government Begins
46Book the Fourth: The Modern State Militant
471. Gap in the Text
482. Melodramatic Interlude
493. Futile Insurrection
504. The Schooling of Mankind
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