The Landand Ironclads
H.G. Wells wrote very prolifically over his lifetime, filling many volumes
with his short stories, longer prose, papers on science, philosophy, and
the like. These are a few of my personal favorite short stories by
Wells. It is not intended to be, and will never be, a complete list
of his writing.
AEpyornis Island
After a trip scavenging for prehistoric fossils, a man named Butcher
finds himself shipwrecked with nothing to eat -- nothing but a few prehistoric
eggs. Soon, one of these begins to hatch, revealing a giant AEpyornis (a
prehistoric ostrich like creature). The man and bird peacefully co-exist
until the giant feathered beast decides that Butcher looks like a good
snack. A brief, but interesting, tale about mans greed. Wells portrays
the profit seeking nature in man as the Butcher searches for fossils to
sell to the highest bidder. Who is the true monster: the AEpyornis or Butcher?
The Empire of the Ants
It has been a while since I have read
"The Empire of the Ants," but as I recall it involve a trip down a river
in colonial territory. The boat was to investigate strange happenings
deep in the jungle, and this boat was equiped with a large cannon - the
finest weapon mankind could construct. When they reach their destination,
they find the settlement completely overrun by intelligent ants, ants that
not only work together, but also use armor and weaponry. (I need
to read this one again)
A pre World War I story that rather accurately predicts the machine
that would prove to be so valuable in the war's last days. Wells describes
a machine not unlike the early tank. These "land ironclads" easily
overtake their less armored opponents. After witnessing this battle, the
narrator reflects on the value of machines against the poor foot soldier
in modern warfare.
Wells wrote this story in the midst of his science fiction years.
A rather bizarre and interesting tale of the human body and soul, questioning
the existence of the personality or psyche separate from the physical body.
When he wrote "Under the Knife," Wells was in a deep depression.
Months of constant sickness (I believe pneumonia) made the then young writer
question the nature of man. Comparable to today's reports of near-death-experiences.
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