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H. G. Wells Sci-Fi Omnibus: Four Great Novels
- Narrated by: Greg Wagland
- Length: 23 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction
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Summary
H. G. Wells is rightly regarded as one of the founding fathers of the science fiction genre. This compilation of nearly 20 hours' duration comprises four of his finest sci-fi works, and they really need little introduction.
They are, in order: The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The First Men in the Moon and The Island of Doctor Moreau. They are complete and unabridged and narrated by Greg Wagland.
Critic reviews
What listeners say about H. G. Wells Sci-Fi Omnibus: Four Great Novels
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- SVN
- 20-02-17
Omnibus Book Starting Points
Chapter 1 Start of The Time Machine
Chapter 14 Start of The War of the Worlds
Chapter 41 Start of The First Men on the Moon
Chapter 67 Start of The Island of Doctor Moraeu
243 people found this helpful
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- Freneticmonk
- 13-06-18
Batting 500 Mr. Wells
I must admit that I’m relatively new to the sci fi classics. Yes I’ve seen the movie The Time Machine and I’ve listened to the play of The War of the Worlds both of which I enjoyed. The Time Machine was a bit elementary for me. The I didn’t feel that it was warranted being deemed a classic. The First Men In the Moon felt as though it was an attempt at comedy but morphed into a tragedy. It also seemed very drawn out. There were a few times I was tempted to turn the whole thing off. WotW and Dr. Moreau were brilliant and captivating. The latter kept me wanting more.
19 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-01-19
Superb story and storytelling
A great collection of HG Wells' best work. I enjoyed it immensely. It was read superbly. Greg Wagland's delivery was engaging, entertaining and at times a little creepy - just right! The stories transported me to the era which they represented. The chraracters and scenarios were almost real as Greg's superb narration painted vivid pictures as he read Wells' words. A truly unmissable combination.
11 people found this helpful
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- Bookworm
- 05-07-20
Four great stories.
HG Wells remains pleasantly readable. However, it is slightly spoiled byGreg Wagland's insistence on a rising tone at the end of every phrase. If you can ignore this, you will enjoy these stories.
10 people found this helpful
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- Brian Murgatroyd
- 11-07-17
Recommended
Fantastic narration, well worth a listen. Thoroughly enjoyable, especially for those who like material from the same period, like Derek Jacobs's Sherlock Holmes for example.
8 people found this helpful
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- Electroteddy
- 04-04-18
A classic HGW story.
Narration superb. Greg Wagland's smooth and articulate voice is a pleasure to listen too.
No irritations at all. A classic HGW story as it should be told. I cannot recommend this more.
5 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 27-08-20
Really could not get into this
Long winded and boring and rather heavy sorry h g wells I tried my best
3 people found this helpful
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- B F.
- 22-12-18
Very good way to experience Wells.
My favourite was Island of Dr M. Wasn't mad on First Men on the Moon. World of Worlds is best if you're familiar with London and the surrounding area due to lots of geographical references.
3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 24-10-18
Fabulous Listen
really enjoyed all the stories, perfectly delivered by the narrator , well worth a credit
3 people found this helpful
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- Bluedude
- 16-03-21
The critique of pure unreason
H G Wells not only invented every single one of the classic sci fi tropes. He also firmly established sci fi's traditional function as social commentary. Each of these short novels has that function, but I was made most aware of it with the first one. I don't think I've read War of the Worlds since I was at school, and it struck me at once - the Martians were in fact all but unnecessary! The story was truly about Victorian English suburban complacency; possibly the most complete assurance of security that any people have ever enjoyed. At the time, no power on Earth could threaten that security, so Wells imagined an unearthly power.
All the other stories have that same applicability to that particular time and place, which may be why it's always been so difficult to successfully adapt them for the screen. And they are all utterly gripping, which is why filmmakers keep trying
2 people found this helpful
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- Brent J. Maxwell
- 14-02-16
Fascinating perspective on the future
Great books, all four of them fascinating and mind-stretching. Wells clearly put a lot of thought into what may happen in the future given the trajectory of the human condition.
6 people found this helpful
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- H. Greene
- 10-08-17
excellent rendition
perfect person to read a classic collecting. A must read for all sci-fi and thriller fans
1 person found this helpful
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- Paul Harris
- 12-04-16
very good
enjoyed the four stories, nice price, we'll read, a must read classic. And one gets 4 for the price of 1
5 people found this helpful
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- Julian
- 29-12-20
More properly, four fascinating novellas
It is a commonplace now that fiction about other worlds is not really about other worlds, but Wells is quite possibly the originator of this trope through these and others of his stories. These critiques of Western, and particularly English, society from a socialist viewpoint still fascinate for their relevance to the modern world as well as for what they reveal about late nineteenth century life and thought. First Men posits an alternative, utopian society constructed by and for intelligent insects, illustrating the undesirable features of the status quo by contrast. The Time Machine reveals supposed contemporary trends by extrapolation thousands of years into the future, and a bleak, predatory future it is too. War of the Worlds satirises colonialism by envisioning hostile contact with England by a race of vast technical superiority. This is the closest Wells comes to truly affecting literature in this volume - the final, unexpected defeat of the Martians is told in a haunting manner that almost evokes pity for the fallen conquerors. Notable also is the strange absence of names of characters, presumably a device meant to add to the disorienting effect of the invasion. Dr Moreau is the strangest and darkest of the stories, a disturbing meditation on the fineness of the line between man and beast in a post-Darwin world and the possibility that technology could violate it. As for the narrator Greg Wagland, these stories, being mostly first-person recollections with few speaking characters, are not the greatest acting challenge, but his rendering is competent and unobtrusive.
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- Haley Newton
- 19-10-18
A great way to experience HG Wells
As someone who had never previously read Wells, this is a great selection of his SciFi titles to start with, and is extremely well performed by Greg Wagland. His narration especially helps update the sense of urgency during tense scenes, which is nice for someone reading these in 2018 (they just didn't write suspense the same way back in the day).
Although the scientific ideas underlying these books are comically out of date, these novels are really about the bigger ideas, and in that sense, they have aged extremely well. I was also was very impressed with Wells' sense of pacing given how long ago these were written (excluding War of the Worlds, which I found to be pretty dry). The 3 others were all fantastic pieces that I will definitely revisit as classics, and I would highly recommend this set to anyone looking to try or revisit HG Wells.
1 person found this helpful