The Shape of Things to Come
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- Author：H.G. Wells
- ISBN：0141441046
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Summary
"When a diplomat dies in the 1930s， he leaves behind a book of 'dream visions' he has been experiencing， detailing events that will occur on Earth for the next 200 years。 This fictional account of the future （similar to Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon） proved prescient in many ways， as Wells predicts events such as World War II， the rise of chemical warfare， and climate change。"
（from Amazon。com）
（from Amazon。com）
Reviews
Nick
，
I love H G Wells， The time machine， the invisible man， the war of the worlds and especially the island of doctor Moreau resonated with me。 But here is the thing， most people including myself tend to stop there。 I even had no idea that he had written several books after that and in 1933 had published a 400 paged prediction of the world to come。 Stumbling upon it in a cheap book pile I was intrigued and decided what the heck。 Halas my appreciation for H G Wells has taken a bit of a dive after samp I love H G Wells， The time machine， the invisible man， the war of the worlds and especially the island of doctor Moreau resonated with me。 But here is the thing， most people including myself tend to stop there。 I even had no idea that he had written several books after that and in 1933 had published a 400 paged prediction of the world to come。 Stumbling upon it in a cheap book pile I was intrigued and decided what the heck。 Halas my appreciation for H G Wells has taken a bit of a dive after sampling a chunk of this book that I will not force myself to fully digest。 The shape of things to come is basically H G Wells’s Thomas More Utopia or Voltaire’s Micromégas。 It is the supposedly truthful transcription of the dreams of a diplomat form the league of nations， dreams sent to him from the far future of 2106ish。 Like Thomas More and Voltaire， Wells uses the vehicle of a visitor to tell us about what is awaiting us and in doing so telling us what might be what he whishes to happen？ See I am not sure， at times it sure felt as serious prediction but other times it felt as if HG Wells was writing a huge pile of worldbuilding material for later scifi books。 This poses a dilemma for us as modern readers; do we look at it as a serious prediction？ Or as worldbuilding material？ I am going to do a bit of both because I honestly can’t tell what it really is。 All science fiction is setting out predicting the future and that is the fun of it really， to tell a story of how the world will look like if one tweaks certain aspects of society or one adds something new to the mix。 The shape of things to come however does not do the second thing that sci fi does， it does not give us a story。 The book is without a protagonist through whose eyes we explore this world， whose knowledge and assumptions color the world for us to be guided by。 The style leaves much to be desired; paragraph length sentences， monotone， dry and slow paced。 This is why I say it feels as worldbuilding material， there is plenty of stuff here that would make the perfect background for a sci fi story， but that is all it is， the background。 As I said at the start， I did not read the whole book but did read chunks all over to get a grasp of the timeline。 What it basically boils down to is that a second world war of ten years in length （1940-1950） started by Nazi Germany， Japan and Italy results in a global implosion of society。 Famine， poverty， destruction and devastation leads to mutinies like the 1917 october revolution but also to outbreak of new super pandemics that kill off half of the world population。 The world breaks down to segments and pockets isolated from one another， the global society as Wells new it in the late 19th and early 20th disappears。 Only a few hideouts of technology， governance and vision remain， most importantly the aviators。 For that is where Wells sees the future dynamic， not with the communist or capitalist nor the classic sovereign nation， but in a global technocratic movement， the socalled air dictatorship who by use of their expertise and power force the world to submit to their new world order。 A world order that by 2100 leads to a new biological epoch of mankind and transition to a mindhive。 Well that is a lot isn’t it？ I mean we can all snobly point out that obviously none of this happened but I do see some things that have come up with Wells before。 Readers of the war of the worlds know about the role of germs in that book。 The time machine also gave us a world where the human race had underwent an evolutionary change and there society had broken down as well。 Well has written about the air dictatorship before in a book called “the war in the air” so in that sense this book combines quite a few of his ideas in one timeline。 At the same time I was reminded by a book I read two years back， “alleen de wolken” by which talked about how immense society changed and was rocked by a bombardment of technological inventions and new political thinking between 1918 and 1940 and how in particular people who had been adults in the late 19th century must have been bewildered by how different the world had become and how uncertain and tumultuous the future looked。 This book does seem to confirm that premise。 Having said all that， there are a few things in this book that is bound to make people stare at their page for a while。 “ at the other extreme were the shiftless Irish。 Until the return of production their fysical misery was very great indeed…。。 （and a bit further） they live on buttermilk， potatoes， whiskey and political excitement”……。 I mean are you kidding me？ Like what is this？ This has got to be the most British description of the Irish I have ever read。 It is so stereotypical that I cant help but imagine a few old English aristocrats nipping their tea and say “quite right， those shiftless Irish are no good at all。” I can’t help but wonder what the hell Wells was thinking， was this a joke？ It leaves me bewildered。 A few other things， in this timeline the USA falls apart and the president wants to turn back to the English crown， India returns to barbarity as the UK retreats from Asia。 While Japan focus solely on conquering China and the French and Poles beat the Germans。 I mean those first two makes me see a pattern here of placating to the most base superiority complexes of Britain rules the waves and the second， well that second two is not that far-fetched。 Japan had indeed been guided by an army directive to conquer mainland Asia for their resource hunger， it was only later that they switched gears and went for the navy’s take the islands warfare。 Then， if the French had pushed immediately at the moment Germany declared war on Poland？ Well who knows？ Nobody could predict the USSR and nazi Germany pact on Poland in 1933。 And this is my dilemma， the book has these extremes of reasonable ideas and predictions and then has these weird absurd chauvinistic statements。 I can’t help but wonder that Wells at this point was grasping for the nostalgic memory of the UK in 1900’s world order where its control over India was far les disputed， the Irish part of the UK and the country as a whole not so dependent on the USA economy。 I could not continue reading this but those who are looking for a glimpse in futurism form the interbellum will find this enlightening and revealing。 Then it did make me think about a few other things。 The idea of the air dictatorship is something that in the 1990ties would make a serious comeback with Steampunk as would the idea of warblasted world kept together by a cabal of engineers out for scarce resources （or plundered by insane marauders in mad max）。 Then it also made me think about Warhammer 40K where the premise of that extensive massive lore is that mankind grew depended on robots and AI to colonize the universe until they revolted and which brought an age of barbarism over the galaxy prompting the rise of the emperor and his genetically enhanced super soldiers， the adaptus astartes。 This idea of great devastation awaits us not despite but because of the technology we embrace is not a dead idea， it is quite common。 Not for me but I do believe that there is quite a lot here to be analyzed by those interested in the ideas circulating around in the 1930ties。 。。。more
Connie Drake
，
This story reads like non-fiction。 You might be tempted to skip the forward， but it is essential for understanding the book as fiction。 The preface tells that a friend dreamed of a history book of the future。 The story is organized into five books that cover real history before the writing of the story， and for a couple hundred years afterwards。 The first books are interesting if you like history。 H。G。 Wells tells his version of history from World War 1， through foreshadowing of World War 2。 It This story reads like non-fiction。 You might be tempted to skip the forward， but it is essential for understanding the book as fiction。 The preface tells that a friend dreamed of a history book of the future。 The story is organized into five books that cover real history before the writing of the story， and for a couple hundred years afterwards。 The first books are interesting if you like history。 H。G。 Wells tells his version of history from World War 1， through foreshadowing of World War 2。 It is worth reading book 1 and 2 if you are interested in that。 His imagined future is mixed into those books， but you can take it with a grain of salt。 Books 3 to 5 read like a manifesto。 H。G。 Wells makes the case for a New World Order by talking about the processes that he imagines will bring it about。 He promotes a managed economy such as in socialism。 He goes into excruciating detail about many things。 It is hard to follow。 H。G。 Wells got some predictions very close to right。 He predicted something like Wikipedia and he was only a few years off the dates。 He correctly predicted that German and Poland would set off fighting of a new war （WW2。） Book 5 has ideas about where society is headed。 Many of those ideas match with how society changed。 However， many of the things he told didn’t come about。 Therefore， this should be read as one man’s hopes and fears for the future。 Take it in the context of the time that he wrote it。 。。。more
Tomislav
，
H。 G。 Wells published this novel in 1933， posing the author as a historian looking back from the year 2106。 Readers familiar with Wells from his scientific romances， such as The Time Machine or The War of the Worlds， will see a very different sort of writer in this work。 There are no characters at all， other than those of the frame story， in which H。 G。 Wells himself introduces some manuscripts and papers he has been given from the estate of Dr。 Phillip Raven。 Apparently， Raven dreamed he was th H。 G。 Wells published this novel in 1933， posing the author as a historian looking back from the year 2106。 Readers familiar with Wells from his scientific romances， such as The Time Machine or The War of the Worlds， will see a very different sort of writer in this work。 There are no characters at all， other than those of the frame story， in which H。 G。 Wells himself introduces some manuscripts and papers he has been given from the estate of Dr。 Phillip Raven。 Apparently， Raven dreamed he was the future historian， and recorded his dreams。 Within 17 pages， Raven is out of the way， and that future historian is speaking to the reader in an academic style。 It tells the story of the transformation of the world into “The Modern State” over the then-next 173 years。 I have to say that as a fiction novel， this writing is really dry。 I didn’t so much enjoy it， as study it。 If I were not engaged in a systematic read of historical utopian/dystopian works， no way I would have gotten through。 BOOK 1 - Approximately the first quarter of the book is interpretation of actual historical events leading up to the early 1930s， through the lens of H。 G。 Wells’ support for unified world government。 He principally looks at pre-war denial and isolationism， the Great War itself， and the post-war Treaty of Versailles， the League of Nations， and the London Economic Conference。 It is important， I think， to remember that 1933 was a just a few years into the global Great Depression， at a time when it was becoming obvious there would not be quick economic rebound。 Wells and other intellectuals were examining structural flaws in the existent economic system。And I have to mention that his comment on women’s suffrage is shockingly dismissive。 "Later on， in just the same way， a minority of dissatisfied and aggressive women struggling for a role in affairs inflicted the vote upon the indifferent majority of women。 But their achievement ended with that。 Outside that sexual vindication， women at that time had little to contribute to the solution of the world's problems， and as a matter of fact they contributed nothing。"BOOK 2 – From the perspective of the same future historian， this middle-ish third of the book looks back on the events of the 1930s and 40s – the speculative near future of the time the book was written。 It is a very thorough and probably realistic projection from the geopolitical， cultural， and economic trends that existed up to 1933。 Ironically， while cataloging the failure of humanity to rise above ethnic hatred， Wells himself elaborates with extensive prejudice about the German mind， the French mind， the American mind， the Negro mind， etc。 – while assuming the English mind to hold the greatest equanimity。 Today， this section reads like an alternate history novel of World War 2。 While he did not get the specifics exactly right; the flashpoints are Polish aggression in defense of the Danzig Corridor and an Italian invasion of the Dalmatian coast; the conflicts are based substantially on the same issues。 Fortunately for England， it manages to stay out of direct conflict in this second worldwide war。 In the end， rather than any concise victory， fatigue and disillusionment and disease set in， leading to national collapses and transient socialist revolutions - all precursors to his idealized Modern State。 The world hits bottom before it can rise up in new form。BOOK 3 – The next almost one quarter of the book describes the emergence of the Modern State from a world that has returned predominantly to subsistence agriculture。 Rudimentary trade grows out of a Transport Union。 The Modern State Movement is born， led by a technocratic elite made up of “modern scientific men。” At its first major conference in Basra， they declare themselves to be owners of all airports and aircraft。 I suspect H。 G。 Wells， writing during the beginnings of air transportation， did not understand how dependent it would be on a complex economic and manufacturing infrastructure。 In any case， there is no governmental control at that time to oppose their takeover。 After a few years of recovery， during a second major conference in Basra that is contending with the reappearance of dormant sovereign nations， The World State declares itself to be the global government， and puts down rebellions with its expanded air superiority。BOOKS 4 and 5 – The remainder of the book is divided into two thin sections。 After the World State government completes its task of redefining human culture， it closes itself down， to be replaced by the Modern State society without government。 In order to do this， it is necessary to eliminate all human national， ethnic， and religious identity。 If necessary， isolated vestigial groups （such as religious bodies） can be reformed into ineffective and innocuous forms。 The World Council has a 30-year Plan to accomplish that through population turn-over and education of the next generation。 Wells seems to assume the blank-slate model of human nature， ready to be shaped however is needed， which is now understood to be incorrect。 As for abolishing government， it does seem clear that if there is only one government and one culture， that those aspects of government and culture which face outwards to others will have become useless。 But I remain skeptical of any realistic chance of it happening。 I have recently read H。 G。 Wells' A Modern Utopia （1905）， and was curious to know if there were consistent ideas between the two works。 While A Modern Utopia concerns what the ultimate human utopia might be like， this work is primarily about social evolution from the present day， with the ultimate human condition only briefly covered in the end。 I think by the time of The Shape of Things to Come， Wells came to think of many of the specific laws and practices of his utopia as of lesser importance than the overall trend towards unification of humanity。 The Samurai class of A Modern Utopia reappears， although less explicitly， in the modern scientific men of the Modern State Movement。 One concept that did survive fully， however， was his proposal for a currency based on units of energy rather than units of precious metals。 This is extended by an explanation of its equivalence to quantified units of transportation。 。。。more
John Folk-Williams
，
H。G。 Wells’ The Shape of Things to Come （1933） purports to be the “dreamed” history of the next hundred and fifty years of human experience。 Be warned: it’s serious future fictional history without a character or action-driven plot， though there are a few strong personalities who take the spotlight in the later chapters。 Possibly inspired by Olaf Stapeldon’s much more ambitious Last and First Men， which covers the next few million years of human development， The Shape of Things to Come presents H。G。 Wells’ The Shape of Things to Come （1933） purports to be the “dreamed” history of the next hundred and fifty years of human experience。 Be warned: it’s serious future fictional history without a character or action-driven plot， though there are a few strong personalities who take the spotlight in the later chapters。 Possibly inspired by Olaf Stapeldon’s much more ambitious Last and First Men， which covers the next few million years of human development， The Shape of Things to Come presents itself as an edited version of the notes of a famous diplomat who envisioned a very different world from the one he lived in。I first became aware of this book after seeing the 1936 film， Things to Come， with a script by Wells。 It’s one of the most ambitious early science fiction movies that embodies the outlines of this imagined future in a more personal story of successive generations of a family that plays a leading role in world change。 I won’t try to summarize the film until I’ve had a chance to see it again and read Wells’ own short stories that provided the basis for its plot。 Suffice it to say， it’s a knockout of a film for that time。The Shape of Things to Come is frankly heavy reading which Wells tries to enliven with interruptions of the diplomat’s text with observations about the man’s struggle to write certain parts of it。 。。。But the interest of the book， for me， lies in its detailed imagining of how humanity might endure one disaster after another to emerge with a Star Trek-like vision of a future where want and greed are abolished。 I’m always torn about utopia-like versions of the future。 I want to imagine a hopeful future， sure， but Wells cuts out a lot to get there。His vision of the middle decades of the twentieth century is pure disaster – economic collapse lasting decades， terrible wars that obliterate whole cities and the destructive dominance of small-minded nationalisms and power struggles。 The world descends into chaos as governments collapse and a plague drastically cuts down the population。 All the damage is done by the 1960s。What saves the day is the eventual emergence of a small cadre of highly disciplined leaders who manage to take over the key systems of world transport， communication， food production and distribution， and most important in this scheme， education。 In its early version， this is the Dictatorship of the Air that takes control of all airports and the means of manufacturing planes and other forms of transportation。Wells envisioned a world unified by information networks， headquartered in Barcelona， that spreads a message of hope and humanistic altruism around the world。 A world mind， if you will， that helps bring together the remnants of a world torn apart by the narrow minded economic and religious systems of the past。Over the course of a century or so， beginning in the late 1960s， this disciplined minority of the Dictatorship gradually evolves into a World Council and eventually even that is dissolved as the system functions without centralized control。 That is possible because all the changes bring about a fundamental shift in human nature。 。。。Read the full review at SciFi Mind 。。。more
Baba
，
SF Masterworks （2010 relaunch series） #93:In a nutshell the history of the world for the next couple of centuries after this book was published in 1933， in which Wells shows a lot of insight for the near future but appears to go way off from around the mid-1940s onwards。 Although a thought provoking and interesting read documenting the ups and downs of mankind as it moves towards the salvation of a world-state， the book reads like a history text book， and thus took me over four months to finish！ SF Masterworks （2010 relaunch series） #93:In a nutshell the history of the world for the next couple of centuries after this book was published in 1933， in which Wells shows a lot of insight for the near future but appears to go way off from around the mid-1940s onwards。 Although a thought provoking and interesting read documenting the ups and downs of mankind as it moves towards the salvation of a world-state， the book reads like a history text book， and thus took me over four months to finish！ 6 out of 12。 。。。more
Krish
，
Not an easy read， especially coming from a reader with a government and leadership similar to what is being described in this book。 I find myself caught between this fiction and my current reality or living in both？
Almustafa Couch
，
I did enjoy this， however it did take particular effort to finish it had no real （in my opinion） plot and no real character or character development。 It was written about the future of the human race and this struggles inhabiting the world。 The way the human race tackles the problem is enlightening， you （the reader） can certainly see some parallels with the political methodology for tackling the virus。 It was a rather surprisingly laborious read but well worth the effort。
Joe
，
This took me over a year to read
Tom Griffin
，
I wonder how much of the paranoia on the American far-right about globalism comes from reading Well's account of the emergence of a future world government as if it were a straightforward Fabian pamphlet？The early chapters are interesting for their occasionally insightful predictions of the then immediate future， most obviously with the identification of Danzig as the flashpoint of the next war。Wells' impatience with parliamentarism and the internationalism rather than 'globalism' of the League I wonder how much of the paranoia on the American far-right about globalism comes from reading Well's account of the emergence of a future world government as if it were a straightforward Fabian pamphlet？The early chapters are interesting for their occasionally insightful predictions of the then immediate future， most obviously with the identification of Danzig as the flashpoint of the next war。Wells' impatience with parliamentarism and the internationalism rather than 'globalism' of the League of Nations， may be almost as much in tune with our time as his own， but it makes me wonder what he would have made of the EU， and how far it had succeeded in reconciling his aspirations with those older liberal imperatives。 The Shape of Things to Come reads at times like a Communist Manifesto for intellectuals as a social stratum， and that may give it a contemporary relevance at a time when education has become a major political cleavage。I was surprised to see from an allusion by Wells that Huxley's Brave New World was slightly earlier than this book， of which it could easily be a satire。 。。。more
Rob Carr
，
This book is quite unusually written which does not make it easy to read。 It is fiction written as non-fiction and told from the perspective of someone telling the story for someone else。 Once I got my head around this though I did find it fascinating。 Wells has woven into the story a case study of how the world could end up under a single government and what it would look like。 While much of what he predicted has not come to pass it is remarkable what trends he was able to pick up on。
Quirkyreader
，
After close to a year with lots of craziness going on I finally finished it。 The audio version that is。It was a good lesson on history and a play on history at the same time。 The narrator keep me intrigued during the whole time。
Filippos Farmakis
，
Oh my， what a slog。 Never before （I think）have I spent so much time to read a book that I regularly tried to read。 Some chapters were forgotten as soon as they were read and others were so full of information I felt the urge to keep notes - university style。However， this book is very rich in language and mental scope。 It is as historical as it is ahistorical。 A treasure trove of information and planning can be found in its pages。 If， by reading the synopsis， you think this book is for you， then Oh my， what a slog。 Never before （I think）have I spent so much time to read a book that I regularly tried to read。 Some chapters were forgotten as soon as they were read and others were so full of information I felt the urge to keep notes - university style。However， this book is very rich in language and mental scope。 It is as historical as it is ahistorical。 A treasure trove of information and planning can be found in its pages。 If， by reading the synopsis， you think this book is for you， then go for it - by all means！ But the lack of a linear plot makes it a heavy reading。 。。。more
Kevin
，
my first DNF in I’m not sure how long。 Got through about 25 pages before I died of boredom。 This is such a difference from other Welles books I’ve read。 Really disappointed since I liked the movie so much。 Usually the book is at least on par with the movie， but this is not the case here。
Tea
，
It rare for me to do this， but I can’t find this book。 It’s boring。 A friend of h。g Wells has come to him and told him about a friend who keeps a dream diary believing they come true。 A little fiction this could be so good。 But I think it might be non- fiction All he’s talking about is Russian leaders。 And British health care。
Lois Hill
，
BoringBeing a recent fan of Wells I fully expected more science fiction。 I understand that while this is meant too be an eerie prediction of mankind's future I found the presentation incredibly dull。 Lost papers found is always a good premise， but it read like someone's thesis。 Going back and forth in time so much and the compared and contrast got to be too much。 I did like some ideas presented like breaking down to build back up and a global peace。 Also the way we could change our thinking to a BoringBeing a recent fan of Wells I fully expected more science fiction。 I understand that while this is meant too be an eerie prediction of mankind's future I found the presentation incredibly dull。 Lost papers found is always a good premise， but it read like someone's thesis。 Going back and forth in time so much and the compared and contrast got to be too much。 I did like some ideas presented like breaking down to build back up and a global peace。 Also the way we could change our thinking to achieve this goal。 。。。more
Tania
，
Life has a melody， Gaius。
Murat Eskiyerli
，
Not a very convincing monologue for the world stateI always thought one of the most interesting authors of the early 20th century。 His insights to the burgeoning British middle class were illuminating in Tono Bungay and Ann Veronica。 I am afraid that this book does not quite match the brilliance of his earlier output。 It is repetitive in language and thought with little insight to the danger for the corruption of the single world state。
Bettie
，
Description: "When a diplomat dies in the 1930s， he leaves behind a book of 'dream visions' he has been experiencing， detailing events that will occur on Earth for the next 200 years。 This fictional account of the future （similar to Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon） proved prescient in many ways， as Wells predicts events such as World War II， the rise of chemical warfare， and climate change。" Description: "When a diplomat dies in the 1930s， he leaves behind a book of 'dream visions' he has been experiencing， detailing events that will occur on Earth for the next 200 years。 This fictional account of the future （similar to Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon） proved prescient in many ways， as Wells predicts events such as World War II， the rise of chemical warfare， and climate change。" 。。。more
James Kinsley
，
Loses a star for being dry （and boy is it dry - Wells has a lot of ideas to share， and not a minute to waste making it entertaining）， but this is HUGE on ideas。 Now， admittedly， some of those ideas are how useless women and the Irish are， but one doesn't have to accept or condone those shortcomings to find the rest of it fascinating。The back cover of my copy perhaps overplays how prescient it is - one wouldn't have had to be a genius in 1933 to anticipate a second European conflict， for example Loses a star for being dry （and boy is it dry - Wells has a lot of ideas to share， and not a minute to waste making it entertaining）， but this is HUGE on ideas。 Now， admittedly， some of those ideas are how useless women and the Irish are， but one doesn't have to accept or condone those shortcomings to find the rest of it fascinating。The back cover of my copy perhaps overplays how prescient it is - one wouldn't have had to be a genius in 1933 to anticipate a second European conflict， for example （and there's occasional hilarity， such as when he hypothesises about 22nd century historians listening to gramaphone recordings of events in the 1980s）。 But in terms of humanity's potential， the vast rewriting of our priorities and structural organisation that could yield unbelievable rewards， it remains nothing less than inspirational。 Living in an age of rising far-right nationalism and UK isolationism， it's incendiary to read Wells' writing on the wastefulness of hatred and the need to abandon national borders in favour of human unity。 Pie-in-the-sky fantasy or a blueprint for humanity's salvation， this deserves to be read， and is as relevant now in 2018 as it ever has been。 。。。more
Ben Fleck
，
The Shape of Things to Come: Or， The Big （Faux） TextbookFirst and foremost: that was such a slog to get through。 Come on， H。G。， give me a little fun。 Maybe a joke here or there？ This speculative fiction read more like a textbook that your college professor assigned to you in preparation for a final。 I felt like I was studying and for a class that doesn't even exist。 And， most of this book is just predictions of a future that hasn't come to pass。 He did get some things right， but mostly he wa The Shape of Things to Come: Or， The Big （Faux） TextbookFirst and foremost: that was such a slog to get through。 Come on， H。G。， give me a little fun。 Maybe a joke here or there？ This speculative fiction read more like a textbook that your college professor assigned to you in preparation for a final。 I felt like I was studying and for a class that doesn't even exist。 And， most of this book is just predictions of a future that hasn't come to pass。 He did get some things right， but mostly he was incorrect。Besides this being super long and super boring in parts， a lot of interesting points are made that especially ring true today。 I don't want to get political， but a lot of H。G。's points about Hitler sound like a certain President today。 There is no denying that H。G。 Wells was a brilliant man and was very keen on humanity and society。 Some quotes that stood out: "Why did humanity gape at the guns and do nothing？""When the existing governments and ruling theories of life， the decaying religious and the decaying political forms of today， have sufficiently lost prestige through failure and catastrophe， then and then only will world-wide reconstruction be possible。"History has a tendency to repeat itself all too often。 Now， take out your #2 pencils and prepare for a pop quiz because I know everyone read this textbook very thoroughly！ 。。。more
David Mann
，
This would have been more interesting to read at the time it was written。 Obviously the future envisioned by Wells did not come to pass， and， in retrospect （so easy！）， it appears improbable。 Although he predicted war in 1940， in his vision the Poles were the aggressors who invaded Germany。 Various plagues and failures of capitalism finally lead to a dawning realization of a more global， socialistic outlook of mankind。 Global control of air transport results in the "Air Dictatorship" that eventua This would have been more interesting to read at the time it was written。 Obviously the future envisioned by Wells did not come to pass， and， in retrospect （so easy！）， it appears improbable。 Although he predicted war in 1940， in his vision the Poles were the aggressors who invaded Germany。 Various plagues and failures of capitalism finally lead to a dawning realization of a more global， socialistic outlook of mankind。 Global control of air transport results in the "Air Dictatorship" that eventually （in a rather totalitarian fashion） enforces this new evolution/revolution of the world。 The vision ends in the 22nd century， and apparently people are happy with their new life。Having lived through the horrors of the World War， Wells clearly shows his disgust with business as usual in the post war period， that resulted in the Depression。 Sick of countries and nationalism he envisions a world governmental Utopia， and then charts out how to get there。 The story， if you can call it that， is framed as a series of dreams， but the story elements are minimal。 A few characters emerge and there is a bit of drama， but all told this is written like a history book and a rather dry one at that。 Wells incorporates a lot of contemporary writing into the book， which seamlessly blends with the made-up literature of the future。 He doesn't hesitate to assign death dates of at the time living writers like Aldous Huxley， which I'm not sure was a very popular thing to do。 He does muster up quite a bit of verisimilitude in his names and events of the future。 To the modern reader however， much of this is quite dry and repetitive （by modern reader I mean me）。Wikipedia comments that the book may have inspired the Encyclopedia Galactica and the Psychohistory of Asimov， as well as the Future History of Heinlein， and there may be some truth to that。 Overall it is a strange work that is difficult to recommend。 。。。more
Suncerae
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A book of dream visions from a recently deceased League of Nations diplomat named Doctor Phillip Raven describes future events from about 1930 to 2100。 The predicted future is a highly detailed account that proves prescient in many ways， extending past our current time into the transition to a Golden Age。In the Shape of Things to Come， H。G。 Wells looks into the future and discusses political theory in this thinly-veiled political manifesto。 In fact， the plot is merely a frame story that interjec A book of dream visions from a recently deceased League of Nations diplomat named Doctor Phillip Raven describes future events from about 1930 to 2100。 The predicted future is a highly detailed account that proves prescient in many ways， extending past our current time into the transition to a Golden Age。In the Shape of Things to Come， H。G。 Wells looks into the future and discusses political theory in this thinly-veiled political manifesto。 In fact， the plot is merely a frame story that interjects so sporadically that its mostly distracting from the political point in question。H。G。 Wells is a fantastic historian， and if his commentary on recent events of World War I and the roaring twenties is insightful， his prediction of the players， causes， and timing of World War II is incredible。 He didn’t get every detail correct， but it begs the question of whether Wells was an extraordinarily astute student of current events， or if a large population of the time could have made the same predictions。 However， as the predictions move further into the 20th century， he misses the mark more and more， as you might expect。It’s not fair to judge a book on the author’s ability to see the future， but the climax of the “story” examines how the Modern State， in which an egalitarian world government rules a human population without hunger or gambling or unemployment， comes to be。 The future state seems like a place of leisure with infinite resources， but also full of eugenically engineered people in which women have no positions of authority。Unfortunately， the majority of the book is tedious and rambling， especially if you are looking for a science fiction story with a plot and a protagonist。 In fact， it’s downright boring most of the time。Recommended for fans of history and political theory， and for superfans of H。G Wells！readwellreviews。com 。。。more
Nicki
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Couldn't get into this one reads like a long essay rather than a novel Couldn't get into this one reads like a long essay rather than a novel 。。。more
Andy Ritchie
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It's with a heavy heart that I admit that I gave up on this book。Although it's touted as a sci-fi work， it isn't really - instead， it's almost like a piece of non-fiction， a historical analysis， not of the past， but of a possible future。。。all of which would probably be very interesting if it was the current future。。。but it's not。 Instead， it's a future envisioned in the 1930s and immediately undermined by the fact that it doesn't account for World War 2 which shaped so much of the second half of It's with a heavy heart that I admit that I gave up on this book。Although it's touted as a sci-fi work， it isn't really - instead， it's almost like a piece of non-fiction， a historical analysis， not of the past， but of a possible future。。。all of which would probably be very interesting if it was the current future。。。but it's not。 Instead， it's a future envisioned in the 1930s and immediately undermined by the fact that it doesn't account for World War 2 which shaped so much of the second half of the 20th century and still has such a lasting impact on the 21st。 And I'm afraid that although there may be a number of 'oh， he foresaw that， did he？' moments amidst the 400+ pages， that's not sufficient enticement for me to spend any more time on this book when there are so many other books out there still to be read。Sorry， Mr Wells :（ 。。。more
Steve R
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A highly fanciful， very interesting description of 'future history'， this book purportedly describes events in world history from 1933 up to 2106。 An eminent diplomat， Dr。 Philip Raven， manages to write down dream vision s he has received of a history textbook published in 2106。 Religion is suppressed， World War II still breaks out， a world dictatorship is formed， and the nation state dies out。 Not remembered; scheduled for rereading。 There is an interesting movie with Raymond Massey in 1936， th A highly fanciful， very interesting description of 'future history'， this book purportedly describes events in world history from 1933 up to 2106。 An eminent diplomat， Dr。 Philip Raven， manages to write down dream vision s he has received of a history textbook published in 2106。 Religion is suppressed， World War II still breaks out， a world dictatorship is formed， and the nation state dies out。 Not remembered; scheduled for rereading。 There is an interesting movie with Raymond Massey in 1936， the screenplay for which Wells worked on。 。。。more
Edward Davies
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To be perfectly honest this was not only a struggle to read but also something of a let-down。 I was expecting to read a brief history of the world spanning from 1933 to 2106， but instead I got around 300 pages focussing almost entirely on the twenty years following the publication of the book and then some random excuses for why the history was so incomplete。 I thought， with Wells at the helm， that this would be a clever look at our future， but its focus is so tight compared to what it claimed i To be perfectly honest this was not only a struggle to read but also something of a let-down。 I was expecting to read a brief history of the world spanning from 1933 to 2106， but instead I got around 300 pages focussing almost entirely on the twenty years following the publication of the book and then some random excuses for why the history was so incomplete。 I thought， with Wells at the helm， that this would be a clever look at our future， but its focus is so tight compared to what it claimed it would show that it couldn’t be anything but a disappointment。 。。。more
Horza
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It is 1929。 A grand old man of the League of Nations Secretariat is afflicted with a recurring nightmare: every morning he is stranded between wakefulness and sleep reading a history of the next 86 years narrated by someone who read that Stapledon fellow's future history but felt it didn't spend enough time talking about how right HG Wells is about everything。 It is 1929。 A grand old man of the League of Nations Secretariat is afflicted with a recurring nightmare: every morning he is stranded between wakefulness and sleep reading a history of the next 86 years narrated by someone who read that Stapledon fellow's future history but felt it didn't spend enough time talking about how right HG Wells is about everything。 。。。more
James
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After having read， thoroughly enjoyed and been suitably impressed by the HG Wells’ Sci-Fi and ‘Social’ novels over the last few months， it was with a sense of some expectation that I recently embarked upon Wells’ ‘The Shape of Things to Come’ （TSOTTC）。Whilst not in any way expecting classic HGW Sci-Fi – clearly this novel was never intended to be that， and was going to be something else entirely。 Hence I wasn’t anticipating nor wanting another ‘War of the Worlds’ or ‘The Time Machine’ and was we After having read， thoroughly enjoyed and been suitably impressed by the HG Wells’ Sci-Fi and ‘Social’ novels over the last few months， it was with a sense of some expectation that I recently embarked upon Wells’ ‘The Shape of Things to Come’ （TSOTTC）。Whilst not in any way expecting classic HGW Sci-Fi – clearly this novel was never intended to be that， and was going to be something else entirely。 Hence I wasn’t anticipating nor wanting another ‘War of the Worlds’ or ‘The Time Machine’ and was well aware that TSOTTC was in a completely different literary sphere and genre， and in no way a traditional Sci-Fi novel as such / per se。 I was aware of the basic premise of the novel， written almost （for the most part） as a text book， a polemical dream of future history – Wells in the novel refers to the core of TSOTTC as being a “clairvoyant vision of the future…of a real future text book， or an eruption of （his） subconscious mind…”。 This amounts to an intellectual meditation and rumination of what the future （post 1933） holds or could hold for the world – written as a history （from a 2106 standpoint）。 In some sense Wells provides us with a sociological， political and economic analysis of what the future could hold （written here as ‘has held’） in the context of 1933 and the preceding political and world events。Whilst the basic premise is an interesting one， what we are ultimately and unfortunately provided with by Wells is a long， slow and very laborious novel。 It is perhaps not necessarily the content of the novel but the style （text book） in which the majority of it is written that results in TSOTTC being so impenetrable。 The future history passages， whilst in theory based on an interesting concept， are overwhelmingly dull。There are however passage and sections， mainly those providing analysis of actual pre 1933 political and economic world events （e。g。 WWI， Russian Revolution etc） where Wells is his most coherent， perceptive and remarkably insightful。 There are sections which remain even now remarkably prescient – particularly where Wells discusses the business of war， the political power， influence and interests of the munitions companies and the Press and here the following passage stands out， almost from the rest of the book， as exemplifying this so well:“The voter， easily roused to panic and frantic action against novel， bold or radical measures， very amenable to patriotic claptrap， very easily scared and maddened into war and just as easily baffled to distrust and impotence by delays， side issues， and attacks on the personalities of decisive people he might otherwise have trusted。An entirely irresponsible Press， mercenary or partisan played upon his baser emotions – which were so easy to play upon and made no appeal whatever to his intelligence or his conscience。” In terms of Wells actually anticipating future events， to a greater or lesser degree he does anticipate WWII， the rise of fascism （although considering the climate in 1933 this was already on the horizon） global warming， WMDs， social engineering and genetic modification。The development of a world society described at length by Wells， striving for world peace / pax – seems to comprise of several stages encompassing （or necessitating） worldwide revolution， war， tyranny， fascism， social engineering （in the extreme） the obliteration and suppression of religion， political and personal preferences – ultimately leading to a very much ‘utopian’ world， albeit governed on the basis of a ‘benevolent tyranny’。 Whilst of course trying at all times to keep an open mind， this does seem to be an unrealistic， unachievable， highly unlikely， hugely improbable and to my mind decidedly unwanted end result。 If this really was Wells vision of the future， it does seem somewhat misguided， misbegotten and somewhat off the target to say the least。 I would speculate that perhaps this is Wells’ vision of a possible future， one of many possible futures， perhaps it was intended as a thought provoking warning of a future which should be averted？ Interesting though it may be as an intellectual concept and challenge in original thinking – trying to apply insightful analysis of past events to plot and anticipate future possibilities， sadly this has resulted in （as stated already） a laborious and dull read。 Whilst I’ve loved the HG Wells Sci-Fi and ‘Social’ novels that I have read thus far – sadly ‘The Shape of Things to Come’ has dampened my enthusiasm for reading Wells’ ‘A Short History of the World’ and ‘Tono Bungay’。However –I will not let my lack of enjoyment and appreciation of ‘The Shape of Things to Come’ mar my appreciation of Wells as a true literary giant and fascinating individual。In literary terms， ‘The Shape of Things to Come’ is undoubtedly a bold and brave literary and intellectual endeavour – and for its ambition alone Wells should be applauded （if for little else here） – unfortunately and ultimately however， this ambition was not successfully fulfilled。 This scraped a three star rating - on the basis of its ambition and on the strong passages which are in there （although hard to find） as well as my wider admiration and of HG Wells and appreciation of his literary works。 。。。more
Wilde Sky
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A man leaves behind a series of writings based upon his dreams / visions of the future。This is a really odd book and even though some of the writing was captivating I struggled with the mishmash of ideas / concepts / opinions。
Harrison Fowler
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