8 h 18 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a dusty shop held a window to another world, and an ordinary man's wishes could change everything?
In Tales of Space and Time, H. G. Wells gives ordinary lives a startling turn. In The Crystal Egg, London curio dealer Mr. Cave discovers a distant world inside a strange object. In The Star, astronomers notice a new body approaching, and the whole Earth faces a threat from the sky.
A Story of the Days to Come follows Denton and Elizabeth as they struggle to build a life in a vast future London divided by wealth. The Man Who Could Work Miracles gives George McWhirter Fotheringay a power he never believes possible. Across these tales, wonder meets a sharp question: what can small human beings do when their world changes?
What you’ll discover
- A window beyond Earth Peer through Mr. Cave's crystal egg, where a shabby shop opens onto something vast.
- Danger in the sky Watch astronomers confront a discovery that makes everyday human concerns seem suddenly small.
- Love in a divided city Follow Denton and Elizabeth through a future where wealth shapes the city itself.
- Wishes with real power Meet a man who doubts miracles until he discovers that he can work them.
- Wonder with a sharp edge Explore bold scientific ideas alongside Wells's searching eye for English life and social divisions.
Who will love it
For readers who love early science fiction, short stories with one bold idea, and Wells's mix of wonder and social comment.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Wells turns one idea into one tale
- A crystal egg opens a window
- A new star threatens the whole Earth
- The far future is a city of classes
- An ordinary man gains a miraculous power
- What binds the tales and how Wells tells them
Who’s who
- Mr. CaveA London curio dealer who owns the crystal egg and finds that it shows a distant world.
- Mr. WaceA man of science who takes the crystal egg seriously and wants to study what it shows.
- DentonA young man in a far future London who loves Elizabeth and tries to make a life with her.
- ElizabethA young woman in the future city whose love for Denton meets resistance from her family.
- George McWhirter FotheringayAn ordinary man who does not believe in miracles until he finds he can work them.
- Mr. MaydigA local clergyman who learns of Fotheringay's power and has his own hopes for how it might be used.
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- Audiobook
- 8 h 18 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
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- Paperback
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Tales of Space and Time
by H. G. Wells · 1899
A crystal egg reveals another world, a star threatens Earth, and an ordinary man must decide how to use miracles.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Wells turns one idea into one tale
The collection is built from short stories, each resting on a single startling premise. That was Wells's method. He takes one thing that cannot happen, states it calmly, and then follows the results as a careful scientist would follow an experiment. He does not drown the reader in machinery or jargon.
The title promises two kinds of tale. Some stories reach across space, to the sky or to another world. Others reach across time, to a future where today's habits have hardened into something harsher. A few of the tales are comic and one or two are bleak. The mood changes from story to story, but the habit of mind stays the same.
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What is Tales of Space and Time about?
It is a collection of short science fiction stories by H. G. Wells. They include a crystal egg that shows another world, a new star approaching Earth, a far future city of classes, and a man who can work miracles.
When was Tales of Space and Time published?
It was published in 1899. Wells wrote it soon after his early novels such as The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, when he was already a leading writer of science fiction.
What is The Crystal Egg about?
It follows Mr. Cave, a London curio dealer whose crystal egg shows a view of a distant world. A man of science becomes interested, and the story contrasts owning a wonder with understanding it.
The author
H. G. Wells
1866–1946 · English science fiction novelist
H. G. Wells (1866–1946) was an English writer born in Bromley, Kent. He wrote novels, short stories and nonfiction. His novels included The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897) and The War of the Worlds (1898). He died in London.
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