The Shape of Things to Come

[You]

Has anyone read The Shape of Things to Come by H.G. Wells, and what did you think of it? I bought it and plan to read it after finishing a novel I'm working on now. Is it worth reading?

[chelsea07]

I haven't read it, but I really want to. I'm just having trouble finding it around where I live. Anywho, I just wanted to bump this thread for you because I'm wondering if it's worth the read as well.

[Blost14]

Originally Posted by chelsea07

I haven't read it, but I really want to. I'm just having trouble finding it around where I live. Anywho, I just wanted to bump this thread for you because I'm wondering if it's worth the read as well.

I'm having the same problem. Everytime I go to the book stores, none of them have it, and I just haven't gotten around to purchasing it online yet. I've been wanting to get my hands on a copy of this for a long time now...

[Whisperer]

I borrowed a copy from my public library a few months ago. It was not what I was expecting. If your interested here is how I would describe the book without ruining it.

The background story to the book is interesting, this is explained in the forward. That story is basically that a friend of H. G. Wells had a dream, or series of dreams, about what the world would be like in the future. He wrote down what he dreamed in a journal. After he died H. G. Wells received the journal and used it to write The Shape of Things to Come.

The book itself reads like a history book. It begins in the late 19th century, or near there, and moves on to describe the history of the world for the next hundred years. H. G. Wells begins by describing actual: people, places, and events and then moves gradually into fiction. It's interesting to see what he, and his friend, believed would transpire as a result of the things going on in the world they lived in.

With that having been said I am sad to report that the interesting tidbits are awash in a sea of long-winded and boring text book like prose. I read quite a bit. I've read other books by H. G. Wells. I've read history books. I've enjoyed both. The Shape of Things to Come is not a book that I enjoyed. I never even bothered finishing it, but instead just read a synopsis (something I rarely do). I would not recommend buying it, sorry H. G., but it may be worth getting from your library just to see for yourself.

[an other]

[quote=Whisperer;1781776]
The book itself reads like a history book. It begins in the late 19th century, or near there, and moves on to describe the history of the world for the next hundred years. H. G. Wells begins by describing actual: people, places, and events and then moves gradually into fiction. It's interesting to see what he, and his friend, believed would transpire as a result of the things going on in the world they lived in.QUOTE]

Sounds a bit like Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward "2000-1887"