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睾夭丕丞 丕賱亘丨乇
睾丕乇丞賹 睾乇賷亘丞賹 賲賽賳 賳賻賵毓賽賴丕 卮賻賴賽丿賻賴丕 丕賱爻丕丨賱購 丕賱賮賻乇賻賳爻賷購賾 賲賽賳 賲禺賱賵賯丕鬲賺 賲購禺賷賮丞賺 鬲購卮亘賽賴購 丕賱乇兀爻賯丿賲賷丕鬲貙 賱賴丕 賱賵丕賲爻購 胤賵賷賱丞貙 賵毓賷賵賳賹 賰亘賷乇丞貙 賵鬲購卮亘賽賴購 丕賱賵購噩賵賴賻 丕賱賲購卮賵賻賾賴丞貙 丿賮賻毓賻賴丕 丕賱噩購賵毓購 廿賱賶 鬲賻乇賰賽 兀毓賲丕賯賽 丕賱亘賽丨丕乇賽 賱鬲鬲睾匕賻賾賶 毓賱賶 丕賱賲購氐胤丕賮賽賷賳賻 賵丕賱賲賻賱賻賾丕丨賽賷賳貙 賵鬲賻鬲乇賰賻 亘賯丕賷丕 噩購孬孬賽賴賲 毓賱賶 丕賱卮賻賾賵丕胤卅賽 賱鬲購孬賷乇賻 丕賱乇購賾毓亘賻 賮賷 丕賱賳購賾賮賵爻. 賮賰賷賮 賷購賲賰賽賳購 氐賻丿購賾 賴噩賲丕鬲賽 賴匕賴 丕賱賲禺賱賵賯丕鬲賽 丕賱賲購賯夭賽賾夭丞賽 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賻賯鬲丕鬲購 毓賱賶 丕賱賱丨賲賽 丕賱亘卮乇賷貙 賲毓賻 毓丿賲賽 鬲賻賵丕賮購乇賽 兀賷賽賾 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲賺 毓賽賱賲賷丞賺 毓賳賴丕責 丕賯乇賻兀 丕賱賯氐丞賻 丕賱賲孬賷乇丞賻 賱鬲賻毓乇賮賻 丕賱賲夭賷丿賻 毓賳 鬲賱賰 丕賱賲禺賱賵賯丕鬲賽 丕賱毓噩賷亘丞貙 賵賲丕 爻鬲賻卅購賵賱購 廿賱賷賴 丕賱兀賲賵乇.
14 pages, ebook
First published January 10, 1896
13 people are currently reading
642 people want to read
About the author
H.G. Wells
4,839听books10.8k听followersHerbert George Wells was born to a working class family in Kent, England. Young Wells received a spotty education, interrupted by several illnesses and family difficulties, and became a draper's apprentice as a teenager. The headmaster of Midhurst Grammar School, where he had spent a year, arranged for him to return as an "usher," or student teacher. Wells earned a government scholarship in 1884, to study biology under Thomas Henry Huxley at the Normal School of Science. Wells earned his bachelor of science and doctor of science degrees at the University of London. After marrying his cousin, Isabel, Wells began to supplement his teaching salary with short stories and freelance articles, then books, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).
Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.
He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.
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Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.
He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
October 5, 2024
Story 3 stars**
Audio 3.5 stars**
Narrator Nigel Patterson
Audio 3.5 stars**
Narrator Nigel Patterson
March 1, 2017
There is not much I can say about this, other than what we have are three fantastic little stories from the mercurial mind of Mr Wells, who never fails to thrill a dulled mind.
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
September 10, 2020
A Slip Under The Microscope - another Little Black Classics, was still the only work of HG Wells I have read so far. Maybe, I should have read more, considering that I like science fiction a lot. The three stories that were included in the Sea Raiders, with deep-sea creatures taking it out on a small coastal town among other things, were quite okay but except for the last one about a magic shop, they didn't leave much of an impression on me.
~Little Black Classics #84~
~Little Black Classics #84~
March 4, 2025
Penguin books, 2007.
The language is scenic, vivid, sharp and dynamic.
The narrator is heterodiegetic and omnipresent.
It's written in a journalistic genre.
An excellent protolovecraftesque horror.
Be aware when you go swimming in the blueness of the sea.
Hasta luego mis murci茅lagos!
The language is scenic, vivid, sharp and dynamic.
The narrator is heterodiegetic and omnipresent.
It's written in a journalistic genre.
An excellent protolovecraftesque horror.
Be aware when you go swimming in the blueness of the sea.
Hasta luego mis murci茅lagos!
March 27, 2021
ENGLISH: This story, published in 1896, was a consequence of the discovery, made a few decades before, of remains of giant squids, which were quickly identified with the Kraken, the legendary monster of the seas. The name assigned to the giant squids (Architeuthis, which means Supersquid) is not the same used by Wells (Haploteuthis, which means simple squid), which makes no sense.
Wells created a story about a drove of deep-sea giant squids that get to the surface and attack people. Of course the story has nothing to do with reality, although Wells manages to write a good yarn with it.
ESPA脩OL: Este cuento, publicado en 1896, fue consecuencia del descubrimiento, realizado unas d茅cadas antes, de restos de calamares gigantes que r谩pidamente fueron identificados con el Kraken, el legendario monstruo marino. El nombre asignado a los calamares gigantes (Architeuthis, que significa Supercalamar) no es el que usa Wells (Haploteuthis, que significa calamar sencillo), que no tiene sentido.
Wells cre贸 un cuento sobre una manada de calamares gigantes de aguas profundas que salen a la superficie y atacan a la gente. Naturalmente el cuento no tiene nada que ver con la realidad, aunque Wells logra escribir con ella una buena historia.
Wells created a story about a drove of deep-sea giant squids that get to the surface and attack people. Of course the story has nothing to do with reality, although Wells manages to write a good yarn with it.
ESPA脩OL: Este cuento, publicado en 1896, fue consecuencia del descubrimiento, realizado unas d茅cadas antes, de restos de calamares gigantes que r谩pidamente fueron identificados con el Kraken, el legendario monstruo marino. El nombre asignado a los calamares gigantes (Architeuthis, que significa Supercalamar) no es el que usa Wells (Haploteuthis, que significa calamar sencillo), que no tiene sentido.
Wells cre贸 un cuento sobre una manada de calamares gigantes de aguas profundas que salen a la superficie y atacan a la gente. Naturalmente el cuento no tiene nada que ver con la realidad, aunque Wells logra escribir con ella una buena historia.
November 18, 2022
Haploteuthis ferox a species of large predatory flesh-eating monsters 馃 which are a new species of killer squid from the deep are soon terrorizing boaters along the Devon coastline. A classic H.G. Sci-Fi delight. I can just envision this as a great late 1950's early 60's B&W B Flick.
October 17, 2019
Huge, seemingly intelligent octopuses deliberately attacking humans sounds scary enough, but the factual way in which this short story was written did absolutely nothing for me unfortunately!
January 25, 2019
I was excited for this one after reading another collection of story stories by Wells -
. This one disappointed me for a number of reasons.
The first story, The Sea Raiders, was an uncomfortable tale of deep sea monsters attacking an English coastal town and gobbling up some of its inhabitants. This should have been terrifying for me, a desperate individual fearful of anything dwelling in water, even goldfish. Despite a few truly disgusting and unsettling passages, the deeply factual narrative seemed to eradicate all tension and suspense from the prose.
I read around half of the second story, The Land Ironclads, and gave up. I had no idea what was going on and was horribly disengaged. Something about big scary machines.
And miraculously, gloriously, The Magic Shop saved this entire book. A man and his son stumble upon a shop of magic tricks in London and wander inside. As you can imagine, wonderful, awe-inspiring things are shown to them. Beautiful displays of magic the likes of which would enthral any character. The deeper into the shop the two travel, the faster things become more frightening and macabre. This was tension; this was engagement. I adored The Magic Shop and its ambiguous ending, allowing our thoughts to continue to collide for hours after turning the last page.
There is still no denying I was in the presence of the father of science fiction here. Nevertheless, I would absolutely recommend A Slip Under the Microscope over this one, unless you鈥檙e prepared to seek out this book only to skip to the shortest and best story of them all.
The first story, The Sea Raiders, was an uncomfortable tale of deep sea monsters attacking an English coastal town and gobbling up some of its inhabitants. This should have been terrifying for me, a desperate individual fearful of anything dwelling in water, even goldfish. Despite a few truly disgusting and unsettling passages, the deeply factual narrative seemed to eradicate all tension and suspense from the prose.
I read around half of the second story, The Land Ironclads, and gave up. I had no idea what was going on and was horribly disengaged. Something about big scary machines.
And miraculously, gloriously, The Magic Shop saved this entire book. A man and his son stumble upon a shop of magic tricks in London and wander inside. As you can imagine, wonderful, awe-inspiring things are shown to them. Beautiful displays of magic the likes of which would enthral any character. The deeper into the shop the two travel, the faster things become more frightening and macabre. This was tension; this was engagement. I adored The Magic Shop and its ambiguous ending, allowing our thoughts to continue to collide for hours after turning the last page.
There is still no denying I was in the presence of the father of science fiction here. Nevertheless, I would absolutely recommend A Slip Under the Microscope over this one, unless you鈥檙e prepared to seek out this book only to skip to the shortest and best story of them all.
Read
January 23, 2023thankyou Mr Wells for teaching me the word laminaria which I really feel I should鈥檝e already known
May 19, 2024
(1896)
Efficient, energetic scene setting. Being pursued over slippery seaweed strewn boulders under cold, dark cliffs - the sound of tumbling waves, the wince of too close behind for comfort. A fear of death from wildlife we in Western Europe rarely need to consider suddenly apparent.
The 鈥榩olice news鈥� reporting style particular to some old horror yarns may not appeal to all.
Efficient, energetic scene setting. Being pursued over slippery seaweed strewn boulders under cold, dark cliffs - the sound of tumbling waves, the wince of too close behind for comfort. A fear of death from wildlife we in Western Europe rarely need to consider suddenly apparent.
The 鈥榩olice news鈥� reporting style particular to some old horror yarns may not appeal to all.
September 8, 2022
Who doesn鈥檛 love a giant squid tale
February 28, 2018
This little collection contains 3 stories. I really enjoyed The Sea Raiders because tentacled creatures from the depth of the ocean are creepy as hell. The Land Ironclads mostly bored me because it was very long and I had trouble following all the war descriptions. Also, I could've done without the racist comparison. The last one, The Magic Shop, was my favourite but I wish it would've ended on a more sinister note.
July 23, 2018
I read in English but this review is written in Bahasa Indonesia
Melihat koleksi Penguin Classic di Kinokuniya Pondok Indah Mall membuatku galau. Antara beli atau tinggal saja. Apalagi harganya hanya Rp22.000. Sebuah godaan yang manis, bukan?
Kali ini adalah H.G Wells. yang dilabeli sebagai bapak science fiction. Kita pasti familiar dengan tulisannya yang berjudul War of the World ataupun The Invisible Man. Namun, dalam edisi Penguin Classic yang imut ini, hanya terdiri dari 3 cerita pendek milik H.G Wells.
Dibuka dengan cerita tentang The Sea Raiders, cerita petualangan singkat bertemu dengan makhluk-makhluk air yang belum pernah diketauhi. Apabila sudah mengenal H.G Wells, pasti tahu kalau tulisannya selalu bisa membawa pembaca seakan melihat sebuah peristiwa menarik. H.G Wells jarang menggunakan dialog sebagai cara bercerita. Ia kuat dalam narasi, detil, dan hal-hal imajinatif yang membuat pembaca bisa saja memiliki pikiran kalau tulisan H.G Wells dalam The Sea Raiders memang benar terjadi.
Setelah The Sea Raiders ada The Land Ironclads dengan latar belakang peperangan. Salah satu tokoh utamanya adalah seorang koresponden perang. Mengisahkan bagaimana perang berlangsung, siapa yang menembak dan siapa yang tertembak. Siapa yang kalah dan siapa yang dia anggap menang. Ketika membaca cerita ini, aku rasa pembaca akan teringat film-film perang dunia kedua seperti Dunkirk. Bagiku pribadi, The Land Ironclads lebih menarik ketimbang dua cerita lainnya.
Buku kecil ini ditutup dengan cerita The Magic Shop. Dengan dua tokoh utama yang masuk ke dalam toko seperti toko yang ada di dunia sihir ciptaan J.K Rowling. Gip, si tokoh utama mencari sebuah benda yang tidak disangka oleh kawannya. The Magic Shop sekaligus mengingatkanku pada salah satu cerita ringan milik Neil Gaiman.
Membaca The Sea Raiders bisa dikatakan sebagai cara paling mudah untuk mengenal karya H.G Wells sebelum mencoba membaca karyanya yang lebih tebal. Meskipun tipis, namun H.G Wells selalu membawakan ceritanya dengan imajinatif dan menyenangkan.
Melihat koleksi Penguin Classic di Kinokuniya Pondok Indah Mall membuatku galau. Antara beli atau tinggal saja. Apalagi harganya hanya Rp22.000. Sebuah godaan yang manis, bukan?
Kali ini adalah H.G Wells. yang dilabeli sebagai bapak science fiction. Kita pasti familiar dengan tulisannya yang berjudul War of the World ataupun The Invisible Man. Namun, dalam edisi Penguin Classic yang imut ini, hanya terdiri dari 3 cerita pendek milik H.G Wells.
Dibuka dengan cerita tentang The Sea Raiders, cerita petualangan singkat bertemu dengan makhluk-makhluk air yang belum pernah diketauhi. Apabila sudah mengenal H.G Wells, pasti tahu kalau tulisannya selalu bisa membawa pembaca seakan melihat sebuah peristiwa menarik. H.G Wells jarang menggunakan dialog sebagai cara bercerita. Ia kuat dalam narasi, detil, dan hal-hal imajinatif yang membuat pembaca bisa saja memiliki pikiran kalau tulisan H.G Wells dalam The Sea Raiders memang benar terjadi.
Setelah The Sea Raiders ada The Land Ironclads dengan latar belakang peperangan. Salah satu tokoh utamanya adalah seorang koresponden perang. Mengisahkan bagaimana perang berlangsung, siapa yang menembak dan siapa yang tertembak. Siapa yang kalah dan siapa yang dia anggap menang. Ketika membaca cerita ini, aku rasa pembaca akan teringat film-film perang dunia kedua seperti Dunkirk. Bagiku pribadi, The Land Ironclads lebih menarik ketimbang dua cerita lainnya.
Buku kecil ini ditutup dengan cerita The Magic Shop. Dengan dua tokoh utama yang masuk ke dalam toko seperti toko yang ada di dunia sihir ciptaan J.K Rowling. Gip, si tokoh utama mencari sebuah benda yang tidak disangka oleh kawannya. The Magic Shop sekaligus mengingatkanku pada salah satu cerita ringan milik Neil Gaiman.
Membaca The Sea Raiders bisa dikatakan sebagai cara paling mudah untuk mengenal karya H.G Wells sebelum mencoba membaca karyanya yang lebih tebal. Meskipun tipis, namun H.G Wells selalu membawakan ceritanya dengan imajinatif dan menyenangkan.
December 21, 2019
The Sea Raiders is a book that consists of 3 short stories. The Sea Raiders, The Land Ironclads and The Magic Shop. These short stories were written by H. G. Wells. This is the 2nd book I have read after The Time Machine. I bought this short book in order to catch up with my reading challenge and I am actually glad to have read it. The imagination of H.G. Wells is quite vivid in these stories especially in The Land Ironclads. It was hard read for me. There were a lot of words that I didn鈥檛 know and eventually I didn鈥檛 really understood the point of it so I have decided to read again and the second time I read it I have understood. He was compairing human power with machine force and eventually machines win. This book was written in 1896 and being able to farsee the events of the modern age was pretty impressive. Even thought I am not a huge fan of H. G. Wells I have always appreciate his creativity and imagination. That being said, I have to mention that in order to understand the power of a book, you need to look at the date when it was written. If you would have written a book like that today, talking strictly about The Land Ironclads, you would fail to make a difference and that book would not even be published because it is not a big thing to write about what is in front of you. The Sea Raiders was about some sea creatures who come to surface to attack boats and feed. Those creepy creatures with tentacles is also a production of his mind. It was a very easy read. When I bought the book, I had an impression that this book is about pirates and I was ready for such adventure.. When I understood, my thought was wrong, I was a bit dissapointed but I kept reading. As expected the book reflects the language and insights of the era it was written and even thought this is perfectly normal, I am almost always impressed of those times when I read a book that is more and 100 years old. It truly takes me to a real adventure. Even though The Sea Raiders is not a book written to reflect the era, you still feel it. I love this sensation. Final story, The Magic Shop, is, as name suggests, about a magic shop and its mystic owner who manages to impress a little boy. It was a nice and peaceful read.
February 20, 2019
This book is a gem!
It contains three Short stories-the sea raiders, the land ironclads and the magic shop. The first two are kind of bland amd tiring and a bit boring, but the third one - "the magic shop" is truly amazing. It features a magic shop which sells "genuine magic goods, genuine, absolutely no deception"
I was kind of sad and depressed and kept complaining to myself that I haven't come across any interesting reads recently, then I got this story. Whoa! Literally lifted up my spirit!
It contains three Short stories-the sea raiders, the land ironclads and the magic shop. The first two are kind of bland amd tiring and a bit boring, but the third one - "the magic shop" is truly amazing. It features a magic shop which sells "genuine magic goods, genuine, absolutely no deception"
I was kind of sad and depressed and kept complaining to myself that I haven't come across any interesting reads recently, then I got this story. Whoa! Literally lifted up my spirit!
April 15, 2021
Three stories from an expert in science fiction. The Sea Raiders, The Land Ironclads and the Magic Shop that make up this short selection are exactly what one should expect to find from a fantasy read. I enjoyed all the stories.
March 2, 2022
Un buon racconto horror d'ambiente marino, ben costruito e raccapricciante al punto giusto.
Si ascolta bene e non annoia.
3 stelle.
Si ascolta bene e non annoia.
3 stelle.
March 8, 2023
Pretty creepy!
January 11, 2024
Read this straight after War of the Worlds. Wells spent a lot of time thinking about tentacles huh.
February 26, 2024
4/5 or 8/10
Individual scores for the short story's:
The Sea Raiders 9/10
The Land Ironclads 7/10
The Magic Shop 8/10
I love H.G. Wells writing, sometimes I'll have to look up words or re-read a sentence a few times. But in terms of describing 鈥� well anything really, he is the goat. The Sea Raiders was so freaky and vivid I love it. Working humbly with only 14 pages, I was still so invested with Fison's wellbeing. The Land Ironclads, not so much. I still think its pretty genius but I just kept putting it down due to slightly struggling to comprehend 鈥� nothing I couldn't overcome 鈥�, super concepts too. Finally The Magic Shop, Its simply awesome. The father is a goat.
I'll definitely read more old mate Wells.
Thoughts after a re-read.
The scores go something like.
4/5 or 8/10
Individual scores for the short story's:
The Sea Raiders 8/10
The Land Ironclads 6/10
The Magic Shop 8/10
Individual scores for the short story's:
The Sea Raiders 9/10
The Land Ironclads 7/10
The Magic Shop 8/10
I love H.G. Wells writing, sometimes I'll have to look up words or re-read a sentence a few times. But in terms of describing 鈥� well anything really, he is the goat. The Sea Raiders was so freaky and vivid I love it. Working humbly with only 14 pages, I was still so invested with Fison's wellbeing. The Land Ironclads, not so much. I still think its pretty genius but I just kept putting it down due to slightly struggling to comprehend 鈥� nothing I couldn't overcome 鈥�, super concepts too. Finally The Magic Shop, Its simply awesome. The father is a goat.
I'll definitely read more old mate Wells.
Thoughts after a re-read.
The scores go something like.
4/5 or 8/10
Individual scores for the short story's:
The Sea Raiders 8/10
The Land Ironclads 6/10
The Magic Shop 8/10
November 10, 2015
Love H.G. Wells.
Love K. Anderson Yancy and his SonicMovies.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."
Love K. Anderson Yancy and his SonicMovies.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."
March 7, 2017
This was an exceptionally well done short story. It was very intense and you felt the danger confronting the protagonist as he's attacked by tentacled monsters. I really wish this story was longer, because a story this good should not end as quickly as it did.
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2016
You can read my review here:
February 25, 2017
I really don't have the words to describe how much I enjoyed this Little Black Classic, particularly "The Sea Raiders". Worth your money <3
July 6, 2017
This great addition to the Little Black Classics series definitely continued my thoroughly enjoyable exploration of Wells' work. Since there are only three short stories in it, I'll talk a little about each one:
The Sea Raiders is a brief sci-fi, horror tale about a coastal town being attacked by horrible octopus-esque creatures that emerge from the depths of the sea. As with the 4 novels by Wells I've read thus far, it was both exciting and thought-provoking, being a still remarkably timely reminder that humans know so little about what inhabits the planet's oceans, and that in reality, we are at the mercy of nature. [4/5]
The Land Ironclads is a war story that focusses on the notion of man vs machine, in an eerily accurate prediction of the direction modern warfare would take. Story-wise, giant armoured 'monsters' with heavy firing capabilities that are able to traverse the battlefield with ease tip the balance in favour of the enemy. In all honesty, it wasn't my cup of tea as much as the other Wells I've read, but I bumped it up an extra star for once again proving how far ahead of his time the author was, given that the story was first published 13 years before the emergence of tanks. [3/5]
The Magic Shop is less sci-fi and more fantasy, I'd say. It follows a man and his young son as they enter the eponymous magic shop. They are greeted by an enigmatic shopkeeper, who insists the mind-boggling tricks and enchanting objects he shows them are all very much real. The story has a real sense of whimsy, being fun at first, but with a creeping sense of unease soon emerging. [4/5]
All-in-all, I have to say that the three stories actually felt like odd choices for a single collection, given that they all fall under different genres. They do, however, once again prove what a great writer Wells was; what an innovative and imaginative mind he had, and that there were more strings to his bow than just straight-up sci-fi.
The Sea Raiders is a brief sci-fi, horror tale about a coastal town being attacked by horrible octopus-esque creatures that emerge from the depths of the sea. As with the 4 novels by Wells I've read thus far, it was both exciting and thought-provoking, being a still remarkably timely reminder that humans know so little about what inhabits the planet's oceans, and that in reality, we are at the mercy of nature. [4/5]
The Land Ironclads is a war story that focusses on the notion of man vs machine, in an eerily accurate prediction of the direction modern warfare would take. Story-wise, giant armoured 'monsters' with heavy firing capabilities that are able to traverse the battlefield with ease tip the balance in favour of the enemy. In all honesty, it wasn't my cup of tea as much as the other Wells I've read, but I bumped it up an extra star for once again proving how far ahead of his time the author was, given that the story was first published 13 years before the emergence of tanks. [3/5]
The Magic Shop is less sci-fi and more fantasy, I'd say. It follows a man and his young son as they enter the eponymous magic shop. They are greeted by an enigmatic shopkeeper, who insists the mind-boggling tricks and enchanting objects he shows them are all very much real. The story has a real sense of whimsy, being fun at first, but with a creeping sense of unease soon emerging. [4/5]
All-in-all, I have to say that the three stories actually felt like odd choices for a single collection, given that they all fall under different genres. They do, however, once again prove what a great writer Wells was; what an innovative and imaginative mind he had, and that there were more strings to his bow than just straight-up sci-fi.
August 22, 2017
The Sea Raiders: 4/5
The most typical Wellsian story of the three, which serves well to get people new to his work acquianted with his style. Biological mystery experienced through the anxious first person perspective of a regular person who was fortunate enough to have an interesting point of view. Interesting, scientifically formal and fascinating as usual!
The Land Ironclads: 3/5
An interesting story of social class and progressive warfare which, sadly, I found hard to get through because much of the technical jargon. This made me miss out on some of the imagery and technical descriptions, but the philosophical theme was clear and nice.
The Magic Shop: 4/5
A very unusual theme for Wells to write in, in my opinion, but it turned out to be a surprisingly fun story! Spooky, creative and steering away from cheap story elements rendering Wells' version of this children's story template more succesful than I expected.
A fun and diverse set of shorts overall, although they are not quite in the same league as the longer novels. It's a bit unfair to compare though, of course.
The most typical Wellsian story of the three, which serves well to get people new to his work acquianted with his style. Biological mystery experienced through the anxious first person perspective of a regular person who was fortunate enough to have an interesting point of view. Interesting, scientifically formal and fascinating as usual!
The Land Ironclads: 3/5
An interesting story of social class and progressive warfare which, sadly, I found hard to get through because much of the technical jargon. This made me miss out on some of the imagery and technical descriptions, but the philosophical theme was clear and nice.
The Magic Shop: 4/5
A very unusual theme for Wells to write in, in my opinion, but it turned out to be a surprisingly fun story! Spooky, creative and steering away from cheap story elements rendering Wells' version of this children's story template more succesful than I expected.
A fun and diverse set of shorts overall, although they are not quite in the same league as the longer novels. It's a bit unfair to compare though, of course.
July 19, 2018
I feel like this is an unfair rating considering it is a collection of short stories and it just so happens that I only ended up really enjoying the last one, "The Magic Shop". I've read some of H.G. Wells' previous work, which was what encouraged me to try my hand at this book, but I just didn't like them. However, I did really like the concepts from each story: a giant squid creature, a machine-like bug used for warfare, and a magic shop that only sells genuine magic tricks, but the storyline was lacking for me in the first two stories. I haven't read any other of Wells' short stories so I'm not sure if it's a stylistic technique that's going over my head, but I just felt like there wasn't much substance there and it failed to keep me engaged and interested in the narrative. But with this being said, I am in no way discouraged from reading more of Wells' short stories or novels and really look forward to continuing my literary journey with "the father of science fiction".
December 27, 2023
Disappointed to rate this two stars. The Sea Raiders was somewhat engaging, as it had a semblance of a plot that was creepy, but then again killer creatures aren't exactly my thing. The Land Ironclads ruined this whole book. Not only was there a usage of a deeply inappropriate racial slur, but the fact of the matter is it was so boring. I kept skimming the pages hoping something interesting would happen, and to be frank, I have no idea what that story was about other than war? The Magic Shop saved this book. No joke (pun intended). It was an interesting dynamic between father and son with mysterious elements, and quite engaging. If it were that short story alone, this would be rated higher. But alas, it isn't.
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