Scan barcode
smateer73's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book was very interesting and excellently crafted. Its view of what the world could become and the intricate politics spun make it a thought provoking read. The language and prose is intelligent and the plot thick. This is definitely my favorite of the H.G Wells books so far.
wildweasel105's review against another edition
3.0
H.G. Wells wrote this first as a magazine serialization between 1898 and 1899, followed as a re-edited novel in 1910. It is a fascinating dystopian view of London 203 years into the future. The main character, Graham, is accidentally placed into a coma after being treated for insomnia. The result is NOT your typical Rip Van Winkle story!
Upon awakening from that LONG sleep, Graham discovers that his financial estate had accrued so much wealth from compounded interest and investments made by his ancestors 203 years previous, that he is the sole heir to a vast fortune, making him the single richest man in the world. This also bestows upon him the dubious honor of being "Master of the World" in which he is initially guaranteed all political and economic control of the world's affairs.
The London of the future is described as a fantastic technologically and architecturally advanced super-city teeming with what unfortunately appears to be a divided population of "haves" and "have nots". The latter have been patiently waiting for his re-awakening in hopes of being freed from social tyranny.
The question is, does he want this singular responsibility of being Master of the World?
Wells explores socialism and the effects of technology that outpaces man's ability to adapt to its proper uses. He suggests to the reader that the negative effects of the Industrial Revolution (much closer to HIS time) are never going to be fully eradicated, even 203 years in the future.
Although his descriptions of future technology are somewhat quaint and naive by today's standards, you must remember that Wells does a marvelous job of prophesying the advent of items such as air to air combat, passenger airplanes, television, audio-visual advertising (computers?), industrial plastics, and so on years, and decades before the actual invention of these items.
It's no wonder that Wells' premonition of future social struggles have been thought to influence Aldous Huxley's "brave New World", written in 1932, and George Orwell's "1984" written in 1949.
Although I find this novel interesting in comparing today's world with what Wells had predicted (even if I am off by 83 years!), the ending seemed to be a bit abrupt and anti-climactic. I would give this 3 1/2 stars.
Upon awakening from that LONG sleep, Graham discovers that his financial estate had accrued so much wealth from compounded interest and investments made by his ancestors 203 years previous, that he is the sole heir to a vast fortune, making him the single richest man in the world. This also bestows upon him the dubious honor of being "Master of the World" in which he is initially guaranteed all political and economic control of the world's affairs.
The London of the future is described as a fantastic technologically and architecturally advanced super-city teeming with what unfortunately appears to be a divided population of "haves" and "have nots". The latter have been patiently waiting for his re-awakening in hopes of being freed from social tyranny.
The question is, does he want this singular responsibility of being Master of the World?
Wells explores socialism and the effects of technology that outpaces man's ability to adapt to its proper uses. He suggests to the reader that the negative effects of the Industrial Revolution (much closer to HIS time) are never going to be fully eradicated, even 203 years in the future.
Although his descriptions of future technology are somewhat quaint and naive by today's standards, you must remember that Wells does a marvelous job of prophesying the advent of items such as air to air combat, passenger airplanes, television, audio-visual advertising (computers?), industrial plastics, and so on years, and decades before the actual invention of these items.
It's no wonder that Wells' premonition of future social struggles have been thought to influence Aldous Huxley's "brave New World", written in 1932, and George Orwell's "1984" written in 1949.
Although I find this novel interesting in comparing today's world with what Wells had predicted (even if I am off by 83 years!), the ending seemed to be a bit abrupt and anti-climactic. I would give this 3 1/2 stars.
pachycereus's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
philosopher_kj's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs
franklyfrank's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
mysternightowl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This book was a very hard book to read. I love H. G. Wells other titles, so I thought I would give it a try. This book was written in 1899.⠀The irony is not lost on me. I am reading a book in the years 2000, that was written in the 1900's, about a time in the future, 2100's.⠀It features as the main character, an insomniac who takes a drug to help him sleep. Unfortunately, when he wakes up it is 200 years in the future.⠀Thus begins some shady information fed to us about the evil-doings of something called the White Council. There is a revolutionary uprising, some back stabbing trickery and an action filled ending I did not see coming. Once I reflected on what I read, I enjoyed the story slightly more, but this is not my favorite Wells work of fiction. I rate it ⭐⭐
kjn1995's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
fritz2022's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
geraldinerowe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
H G Wells himself admitted this wasn't his best book, and boy was he right. For the most part it's incredibly dull. I struggled to picture the futuristic world he described and I skimmed other parts because they added nothing to the story. It's interesting that the author predicted technological advancements in the early 22nd century but not attitudes. Some changes to what was considered acceptable was briefly touched upon, but what Wells didn't predict was the idea that all adult humans are equal. In fact, this is almost certainly the most racist book I've ever read. Yes, it was written in 1899 and no doubt reflects the attitudes of the time, but I've never encountered them laid out bare in such a way before. There's also a good dollop of misogyny too. At least it didn't spoil an otherwise good book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs