Thank you for that link. I have to admit H.G. Wells was my introduction to science fiction in "The First Men in The Moon" and I quickly read his entire catalog of short stories as well as the classics like "The Time Machine", "The Island of Dr. Moreau", "War of the Worlds", "The Invisible Man". However, as a 12 year old kid, I didn't read the socialism between the lines, I was just attracted by the rich language and imaginative stories. By the time I was 13 I was done with H.G. Wells though and moved on to Rand, Bradbury, and Orwell. I don't regret reading his stories because I think there is some value there, certainly there is an entertainment factor, but I certainly appreciate the research into his political views that undoubtedly influenced his fiction. The discussion with Stalin puts a whole new spin on "The Time Machine".

Nice article Overman and nice to meet you. Wells and Shaw were both good writers but horrible socialists. I wrote about this phenomenon of popular writers of that era pushing socialism in my book "A Defense Of American Ideals." Another one that I cover is Jack London and his book "The Iron Heel." Although I admire London greatly he couldn't have been more wrong in his predictions in "The Iron Heel." He predicted Capitalism would end in totalitarianism... and of course it played out just as he predicted, but with one little difference: it was the rise of Socialism and Fascism that delivered his dystopian vision. There's a lot of evidence he became disillusioned with socialism in his later years and he resigned from the socialist party in his late 30's (he was only 40 when he died).

Excellent piece overman.

Very interesting. Thank you.

The idealists believe that an "intellectual elite" should rule the new aristocracy (which is nothing more than a return to feudalism). The pragmatists cynically view socialism simply as a path to power. The reason Socialism is attractive reveals the kind of thinking that caused the people to drag the Trojan horse into their city.

I had heard some of this before. "The Time Machine" was probably the most overtly political of his work. But did you notice how incredibly dystopian his vision was?