H.G. Wells: Prophet and Sci Fi Master

Some called him a prophet, some a seer, but most knew H.G. Wells as an accomplished writer of science fiction. Not only did he publish over 100 books, but in them he also predicted several technological advances–the development of rockets, the increased use of tanks and planes in warfare, the creation of the Atomic bomb–that would soon come to pass. Whatever else Wells was, he remains the prolific maker of several sci fi classics, as well as the mastermind behind a radio program that threw the entire nation into a panic about alien invaders. For all of these reasons, H.G. Wells won’t soon be forgotten.

Herbert George Wells was born on September 21, 1866, in Bromley, Kent, England. His father, Joseph Wells, played cricket professionally until an injury forced him out of the sport. Later, he scraped by working as a shopkeeper and a gardener. Mrs. Wells worked off and on as a housekeeper at a nearby estate, a position that proved opportune for young H.G. When the boy accompanied his mother to work, he would sneak into the home’s massive library and study the many books inside. He never lost his love for literature.

Soon after H.G. became a teenager, his father’s business failed; the young man was apprenticed to both a draper and a chemist. He spent his adolescent years learning the trade and living in Windsor and Southsea. Later, he recorded these early experiences in Kipps(1905), a book about a draper’s apprentice who inherits a large fortune.

In 1883, H.G. became a teacher and a pupil at Midhurst Grammar School. He later obtained a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in London, where he studied science under famous biologist T.H. Huxley. H.G. soon became bored with his classes, and left the institute in 1887 without a degree. Afterward, he taught in private schools for four years. He finally earned his B.S. degree in 1890. By 1893, H.G. Wells was working as a writer full-time.

H.G. Wells began his writing career by publishing four books that quickly became popular, and later became classics. In 1895, he published The Time Machine, a year later came The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man followed in 1897, and The War of the Worlds appeared in 1898. Wells concerned himself with the future of technology, creating books like The First Men on the Moon(1901) and The War In the Air(1908). He was also involved in politics, and employed his pen to pamphlets and essays on the state of government and society.

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