The War in the Air, H. G. Wells
The War in the Air, H. G. Wells
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The War in the Air

Author: H. G. Wells

Narrator: Gregory Dwyer

Unabridged: 11 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Gregory Dwyer

Published: 09/03/2024

Synopsis

Bert Smallways, a “kind of bicycle engineer,” is creatively trying to avoid bankruptcy when he meets by chance a certain Mr. Butteridge—the inventor of a new form of aircraft. Butteridge, Bert discovers, has plans to sell his invention either to British Government—or to the Germans, if the British won’t have it.When one of Butteridge’s aircrafts is shot down whilst Bert is aboard, Bert stumbles across a secret German plot to destroy the United States.As the story unfolds, Bert finds himself in an unexpected position, called upon to perform tasks he never could have foreseen.H. G. Wells’ prophetic ideas, images and concepts are featured in this novel. His military science fiction anticipates World War I and the use of aircraft. As ever, H. G. Wells writes with both humor and a well described dystopia. The story was written in 1907 and was serialized in 1908 issues of The Pall Mall Magazine. At that time, the existence of the airplane was “merely a rumor” for many. Whilst Wells’ predictions can now be corrected at various points, his central message is that if humankind goes on with war, “the smash-up of civilization is inevitable. This remains essentially right.” (Excerpt from Preface to the reprint edition).

About H. G. Wells

Herbert George Wells (1866–1946) was born in Bromley, England, in 1866 to a working class family. His first novel, The Time Machine, was an instant success and Wells produced a series of science fiction novels which pioneered ideas about the future. His later work focused on satire and social criticism. Wells forecasted the rise of major cities and suburbs, economic globalization, and aspects of future military conflicts, though he did not predict the rise of women in the workplace.

About Gregory Dwyer

Gregory Dwyer is a New Zealand–born Australian voice actor. He spent twenty-four years working internationally in theatre, film, television, and radio before a hiatus of twenty-two years, eighteen of which was spent as a Forensic Crime Scene Examiner. Now, he has returned to performing as a voice actor specializing in audiobooks.

Reviews

Goodreads review by J.G. Keely on April 06, 2015

A remarkably progressive book, but then Wells did like his politics. His constant observation that Europeans are no more civilized than the other races of man, and no less prone to violent, dominant, cruel behavior is refreshing amongst the variety of Victorian sci fi and adventure stories I've been......more

Goodreads review by Sandy on August 22, 2011

"The War of the Worlds" wasn't the only masterpiece that H.G. Wells wrote with the words "The War" in the title. "The War in the Air," which came out 10 years later, in 1908, is surely a lesser-known title by this great author, but most certainly, in my humble opinion, a masterpiece nonetheless. In......more

Goodreads review by Jon on December 09, 2021

So reading this book is a tentative start at going through some of Wells' vast catalog beyond the "Big Three" that pretty much everybody has read: The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, and The War of the Worlds. I selected this one more or less at random. It is a work of speculative fiction involving......more

Goodreads review by B. on September 06, 2016

In many ways this is quite prescient, aircraft did radically change war. My only real complaint is the prediction of the fall of the modern scientific society, so many things he thinks would have been lost (weaving fabrics, good farming practices, stuff like that) would not have been lost - Hades man......more

Goodreads review by Johanna on November 14, 2024

Characters were a bit flat and it was hard to relate to them. I also think that made some parts a bit dry. This was pretty slow and eventless. Some parts felt like lists of things that was happening more than an enthralling scenes. Some parts were really fun! I loved the message of the book and the......more

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