"Nie jest pewne, czy ten dar był mu wrodzony. Co do mnie, to sądzę, że zjawił mu się niespodzianie. Trzeba dodać, że do trzydziestego roku życia był on sceptykiem i nie wierzył w potęgi cudowne. Tu muszę powiedzieć, że był to człowiek małego wzrostu, oczy miał czarne, świecące, czuprynę rudą, szczotkowatą, wąsy duże i piegi na twarzy. Nazywał się George Mac Fothering — nazwisko, które żadną miarą myśli o cudach nie podsuwa — i był urzędnikiem w firmie Gomshott. Nader wyrobiony w argumentacji słownej, właśnie w chwili, gdy dowodził niemożliwości cudów, otrzymał pierwszą wskazówkę o swej mocy nadzwyczajnej." (fragment) Tagi: po polsku, polskie, klasyka, opowiadanie

Książka w dwóch wersjach językowych: polskiej i angielskiej. A dual Polish-English language edition.

Książka zawiera dwa znakomite opowiadania. „Pokusa Harringaya” to krótka historia opowiadająca o tym, jak artysta próbuje namalować portret, a ostatecznie maluje diabła, który oferuje mu sławę w zamian za jego duszę. Fabuła jest interesująca ze względu na nieoczekiwaną reakcję artysty na ofertę. „W otchłani” to opowieść o tym, jak za pomocą aparatu w formie kuli, którym można podróżować na duże głębokości badacz relacjonuje, że na dnie morza, po zaobserwowaniu niezwykłych gatunków ryb i bezkręgowców, dojrzał „dziwne zwierzę kręgowe. Pionowe nachylenie jego twarzy nadawało mu niezwykłe podobieństwo do istoty ludzkiej. Jego prawie kuliste ciało wspierało się zaś na żabich nogach i długim grubym ogonie. To stworzenie wraz z innymi poczęło ciągnąć jego kulę do swego rodzaju ołtarza ustawionego w jakimś podwodnym mieście, a tam mieszkańcy padali na twarz przed badaczem i śpiewali. Obserwował to przez kilka godzin: w końcu kabel pękł i kula wróciła na powierzchnię. Co było dalej czytelnicy się dowiedzą po przeczytaniu niniejszej książki.

The story centers on Joseph Davis, a popular writer of romanticized histories, who comes to believe that some people differ fundamentally from most of us. They are more rational, possibly more talented and intelligent. His wife has increasingly become a stranger, the imminent birth of his first child has left him in a panicked state, and his rosy-tinted histories have lately begun to strike him as so much bosh. And then he overhears a conversation at his Planetarium Club, in which several of the learned members discuss the possibility of mankind’s increasing intelligence being the result of the cosmic rays that are constantly bombarding us. That is what Davis and two of his cronies, obstetrician Holdman Stedding and philosophy professor Ernest Keppel, endeavor to riddle out, in this thoroughly engaging and passionate piece of work.

Mr. Parham is a university academic of the traditional, classical sort, very much a snob and unhappy with many of the social trends of the time. Sir Bussy Woodcock is a self-made millionaire of sharp intelligence and great energy but lowly beginnings and no cultural education. This unlikely pair meet by chance and form an intermittent relationship. In an attempt to foster this acquaintance that goes on for six years, Mr. Parham finds himself involved in séances that summon a Master Spirit from the beyond. This entity occupies Mr. Parham’s body, and commences to inspire a political movement (the League of Duty Paramount) that overthrows the British government in a coup d’état. This is an intriguing tale which Wells uses to explore opposing social and political views of the period, with the fantasy element a vehicle for so doing. On the way, he creates a couple of memorable characters.

„The Brothers – A Story.” Herbert George Wells was a prolific English writer who wrote in a variety of genres, including the novel, politics, history, and social commentary. Wells returned to a literary genre in which he had always excelled: the satire written in the form of an allegory. In a land torn apart by civil war, Bolaris was fiercely loyal to the Strong Men. So when Number Four informed him that Ratzel, leader of the enemy, had been captured, it was naturally a cause for celebration – that was until Bolaris actually met his great opponent? The likeness between Bolaris and Ratzel was so remarkable that Bolaris was left in no doubt that they were related – brothers, or perhaps even twins. As sworn enemies, and now as his captor, Bolaris had to work out a way to discover the truth of his identity – and do so without sacrificing his loyalty.

„The Bulpington of Blup”, a 1932 novel by H. G. Wells, is a character study analyzing the psychological sources of resistance to Wellsian ideology, and was influenced by Wells’s acquaintance with Carl Gustav Jung and his ideas. Theodore Bulpington is a very ordinary man – with a very vivid imagination. Ill at ease with himself, he sees a way to recreate his identity by adding layer upon layer of deception. This he does with such panache that eventually he becomes an impostor, a liar and a cheat. But with so many different masks to hold in place, his carefully woven deception soon spirals out of control and heads towards the chaos of mental torment. The novel is also of interest for its extended analysis of psychological responses to World War I.

Wells’s treatise on education is set in the region of Camford (Cambridge/Oxford), and tells of a visitor who proves that education can save the world from destruction. The story centres around a Utopian ’ventriloquist’ who subjects human life and in particular its treatment by the University of Camford to sympathetic but quite unsparing scrutiny. At its core, it was a warning to the educational world of imminent war and of its lack of action, as well as an exploration of the place of education in society. Contents include: „Mr Trumber’s Experience”, „In the Cramb Meadows”, „Mr Preeders Pigeon-holes”, „The Communist Party is Annoyed in its Turn”, „Congregation Day”, and „The Healing Touch in History”. In this short tale of 75 pages Wells summarises many of his current preoccupations in the form of a parable which is noteworthy for its careful building up of atmosphere and its lively and biting characterisations.

A soul-corrupting evil invades the remote English village of Cainsmarsh, infesting the minds of the local residents. Dark events are plaguing its people. An elderly woman stiffens in dread at her own shadow; a terrified farmer murders a scarecrow; food prepared by others is eyed with suspicion; family pets are bludgeoned to death; loving couples are devoured by rage and violence. People are becoming suspicious of every move each other makes. Children are coming to school with marks on them. A spirit-corrupting evil pervades the land, infesting the minds of those who call Cainsmarsh home... Is this vision real, or a paranoid fantasy? And is the call to resist the danger itself a danger? These are questions that disturb the calm of an indolent croquet player who happens to hear the tale of the unlucky village. H. G. Wells’s ambiguous story of horror is a modern classic, a prophetic, disturbing glimpse of the primitive distrust and violence that gnaw at the heart of the modern world.

„The Dream” by H.G Wells follows the character, Sarnac, who lives a whole other life as Harry Mortimer Smith. Sarnac is at the height of his career as a scientist by discovering new research. Sarnac goes with his friends including his girlfriend, Sunray to escape for the holidays. Little does Sarnac know that he would be dreaming a whole new life as a different person. His dream world is peculiar rules and what is socially acceptable than reality. The roles of each member in this society is more conservative, yet relaxed at other situations. However, he finds that his dreams and the reality he has lived have become so entangled that he is no longer able to distinguish between them. „The Dream” is a 1924 novel by H. G. Wells about a man from a Utopian future who dreams the entire life of an Englishman from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, Harry Mortimer Smith.

Another H.G. Wells classic sci fi. The novel tells the story of a journey to the moon by the impecunious businessman Mr. Bedford and the brilliant but eccentric scientist Dr. Cavor. Bedford bankrupt businessman who is making a comeback by writing a play, through a series of circumstances, teams up with Professor Cavor a recluse scientist who does not realize his own potential. Together they build a contraption, sphere, that can cut off gravity waves. Once on the moon Bedford and Cavor find that they are not alone. After a few adventures they are detained by the Moonies referred to mostly in this story as Selenites. Will they be able to make it back to Earth and warn the people of the strange creatures? Or will they be caught and who knows what may happen to them in the long run. The novel can also be read as a critique of prevailing political opinions from the turn of the century, particularly of imperialism.

What happens when science tampers with nature? Mr. Bensington and Mr. Redwood create a new food material, Herakleophorbia, later called Boomfood, they hope will have beneficial uses to mankind. They come up with a substance that causes flora, fauna, and people to become giants. At first, there are giant nettles, mushrooms – but then it ramps up, with giant rats that can take down and eat horses and wasps so large one could hear them half a mile off. In the end it becomes a tragedy: several hundred children around the world had been given this „food of the gods” and grow to a height of around forty feet. The first giant babies are revealed and for the first time humanity has to contend with the existence of a new race of giant people. How humanity deals with this shocking new creation is revealed in „The Food of the Gods and How it Came to Earth”.

An intriguing HG Wells work, not of the sci-fi variety, which details a man’s struggle to find himself and get along with his world. Published in 1910, this novel is the story of Alfred Polly, a generally non-descript member of the English lower middle class. The story begins when he is thirty-five years old, miserably unhappy with his life, both his circumstances and himself. In other words, he is a man with a badly muddled sense of reality who, sick of the life that he leads, burns down the outfitter’s shop that he has come to hate, gives his wife half of the insurance money, and disappears, exchanging his „acceptable” life as a shopkeeper for that of a wanderer. Unexpected events, however, conspire at the last moment to lead the bewildered Mr. Polly to a bright new future – after he saves a life, fakes his death, and escapes to a life of heroism, hope and ultimate happiness.

A fictional biography of Rudolf „Rud” Whitlow, who builds a political party that slowly becomes a world dominant dictatorship. Wells wrote the work just before World War II as Hitler was consolidating his power in Germany. Rud, is a baby boy, and later, grew to be a young man who had a remarkable talent of oratory: the gift of gab. He is eventually encouraged to perform public speaking, lecturing and finally, revolutionary speeches. Through this character, Wells creates a platform for long discourses of his usual themes of social engineering. Rud eventually gets involved in socialist activism, and a group strategizing for world revolution. The revolution fails, revealing the cowardice underlying Rud’s aggressiveness. The ability of new weapons to decapitate the command structure of any regional power becomes the plot device that allows Rud to make himself world leader, destroying parts of the world which do not submit to the most destructive superpower.

Depicting one man’s transformation and descent into brutality, H.G. Wells’s „The Invisible Man” is a riveting exploration of science’s power to corrupt. In this tale of psychological terror, a young scientist must live in the personal hell created by his own experiments. Using himself as the subject, the scientist discovers the key to invisibility; yet, he is unable to reverse the results. He successfully carries out this procedure on himself, but begins to become mentally unstable as a result... Wells had created a gripping masterpiece on the destructive effects the invisibility has on the scientist and the insane and murderous chaos left in his malicious wake. Notable for its sheer invention, suspense, and psychological nuance, „The Invisible Man” continues to enthrall science-fiction fans today as it did the reading public nearly 100 years ago.

On a deceivingly beautiful island in the South Seas exists the sinister kingdom of Doctor Moreau. Edward Prendick is shipwrecked in the Pacific. Rescued by Doctor Moreau’s assistant he is taken to the doctor’s island home where he discovers the doctor has been experimenting on the animal inhabitants of the island, creating bizarre proto-humans...The main plot, a shunned biologist, Dr. Moreau, attempting to create a new species of animals by combining biological elements of the original animal with human and other animal bloods and cells, is handled in both a dramatic, yet accessible sicentific manner. „The Island of Doctor Moreau” portrays the consequences of Science without ethics. In this case it is early twentieth century vivesection.

Herbert George Wells is a huge name in the world of literature. He is known as the king of Science Fiction stories. He was an accomplished teacher, a best-selling novelist, a historian and a journalist, however, he established his name in the world through his passion for writing and will be remembered forever as „Father of Science Fiction”. „The King Who Was a King – The Book of a Film” is a fascinating treatise on the development of film written by H. G. Wells and first published in 1929. Writing at the when cinema was beginning to explode, Wells explores the emerging industry’s history, future, and the elements of contemporary film. H. G. Wells’s conception of a great film, as much a novel as it is a film scenario. Poses the issue „Is one man justified in shedding the blood of another, in order to avert the greater catastrophe of war?

About a political idealist who changes his colours and engages in a sexual adventure. A successful author and Liberal MP Richard Remington appears to be a man to envy. But underneath his superficial contentment, he is far from happy with either his marriage or the politics of his party. „The New Machiavelli” describes the disarray into which his life is thrown when he meets the young and beautiful Isabel Rivers and becomes tormented by desire. At first, he struggles to resist and remain focused upon his familiar political, personal and social life. But as he soon learns, it is harder than he could have imagined to turn his back on love. In the character of Richard Remington, Wells created a damning portrait of an insufferable, egoistic, pontificating windbag whose attempts to set an agenda to „improve” society – whether to uphold the British Empire or allow women to play a greater part in social life – pays no attention to the effects on the people he is supposed to represent.

Although most famous for his sci-fi, Wells’ best work often deals with ordinary people having big thoughts in picturesque settings. „The Passionate Friends” is a fine representative example of this. Wells uses the changing relationships among childhood friends as the media for his thoughts on human relations on personal and global scales, and of what it all means. On the death of his father, Stephen Stratton writes a long and deeply personal letter to his son, hoping that, as his son becomes a man, he can benefit from Stephen’s experience and wisdom. As Stephen sets down his life’s history, he tells the remarkable story of his former lover, Lady Mary. With a lust for freedom and a fierce desire not to be owned by a man, she is a woman living ahead of her time – until marriage threatens to ruin her. First published in 1913, „The Passionate Friends” is an inspiring love story – between father and son, and man and woman.

Mr. Wells builds novels out of ideas as other men build them of imagery and emotions. H. G. Wells takes us on a very entertaining and profound journey via a character named William who insists on living life nobly and thoroughly. Starting in his boyhood, and throughout his life, it produced profound adventures, yet also make him ridiculous, and even inspiring. It is a passion for courage, for personal nobility, for service to others, for self-sacrificing, all for the social betterment of the whole world. William gets into all sorts of hilarious trouble for living up to his ideals with a lot of it being ironic. The very people he seeks to defend or sacrifice himself for are the ones who take advantage of him, and often he finds himself subject to the logical consequences of adhering to his particular ideal. No matter what happens, he keeps pushing forward and sticking with his principles.

This charming, little-known fantasy by the author of „The Time Machine” and „The War of the Worlds” is also a sharply satirical look at the mores and moral of Edwardian England. During a family outing at the beach a family sees a young woman struggling further out in the water. It’s only when they „rescue” her that they see that she’s a mermaid. They quickly take her into the beach house, still unaware that the mermaid has planned the whole incident in order to meet a young man. Her motives are not quite clear; nor are her intentions of what she plans to do with the young man after she gets him, since she lives beneath the sea. On occasion she drops her guard and lets it be known she is death underwater. Will she be stopped in time from committing this dastardly deed? „The Sea Lady” takes a pretty good subject – mermaid turned siren in proper British society – and totally drops the ball.