
WHEN THE SLEEPER AWAKES (A Dystopian Sci-Fi Classic) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. He wakes after 203 years to a transformed London of vast wealth, rigid control, and grim prophecyBy H. G. WellsLength19h 53m
About this audiobook
When the Sleeper Awakes is a seminal dystopian romance in which Graham, an ordinary Victorian gentleman, falls into a trance and awakens two centuries later to find himself the legal master of a vast, dehumanized world. Wells fuses scientific speculation, political allegory, and melodramatic adventure, imagining aerial warfare, mass entertainment, urban gigantism, and corporate tyranny. Written at the fin de siècle, the novel belongs to the formative moment of modern science fiction, translating anxieties about capitalism, technology, and empire into a prophetic urban nightmare. H. G. Wells, trained in biology under T. H. Huxley and deeply engaged with socialist and Fabian debates, repeatedly used fiction as an instrument of social diagnosis. His concern with evolution, class conflict, and the future of industrial civilization shaped this narrative, which extends the critical energies of The Time Machine into a more explicitly political vision of modernity's possible degeneration. Readers interested in dystopian literature, speculative futurism, and the genealogy of twentieth-century science fiction will find this novel indispensable. Though sometimes urgent and uneven, it remains intellectually vivid: a restless warning about wealth, spectacle, and the fragility of democratic hope.
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
GenreDystopia, Science Fiction
Length19 hrs 53 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMar 5, 2017
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5Author Biography
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6WHEN THE SLEEPER WAKES
7Chapter I. Insomnia
8Chapter II. The Trance
9Chapter III. The Awakening
10Chapter IV. The Sound of a Tumult
11Chapter V. The Moving Ways
12Chapter VI. The Hall of the Atlas
13Chapter VII. In the Silent Rooms
14Chapter VIII. The Roof Spaces
15Chapter IX. The People March
16Chapter X. The Battle of the Darkness
17Chapter XI. The Old Man Who Knew Everything
18Chapter XII. Ostrog
19Chapter XIII. The End of the Old Order
20Chapter XIV. From the Crow’s Nest
21Chapter XV. Prominent People
22Chapter XVI. The Aerophile
23Chapter XVII. Three Days
24Chapter XVIII. Graham Remembers
25Chapter XIX. Ostrog’s Point of View
26Chapter XX. In the City Ways
27Chapter XXI. The Under Side
28Chapter XXII. The Struggle in the Council House
29Chapter XXIII. While the Aeroplanes Were Coming
30Chapter XXIV. The Coming of the Aeroplanes
31THE SLEEPER AWAKES (Revised Edition)
32Preface
33Chapter I. Insomnia
34Chapter II. The Trance
35Chapter III. The Awakening
36Chapter IV. The Sound of a Tumult
37Chapter V. The Moving Ways
38Chapter VI. The Hall of the Atlas
39Chapter VII. In the Silent Rooms
40Chapter VIII. The Roof Spaces
41Chapter IX. The People March
42Chapter X. The Battle of the Darkness
43Chapter XI. The Old Man Who Knew Everything
44Chapter XII. Ostrog
45Chapter XIII. The End of the Old Order
46Chapter XIV. From the Crow’s Nest
47Chapter XV. Prominent People
48Chapter XVI. The Monoplane
49Chapter XVII. Three Days
50Chapter XVIII. Graham Remembers