About the Book
Herbert George Wells was one of the most prolific and visionary British writers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. H. G. Wells, as he is universally known, is now best remembered for his science fiction novels, although he wrote across many genres, including nonfiction. His fiction embraces history, science fiction, horror, satire, fantasy, and social commentary. Wells was also a futurist, foreseeing air travel, tanks (as in "The Land Ironclads"--part of this anthology) space travel, nuclear weapons, and even satellite television. Amongst his writings are dozens of short stories; some are very well known, others less so.
When planning this collection, Raconteurs sought stories that we enjoyed ourselves and which embody the range of H. G. Wells's imagination and talent. This collection of thirteen short stories includes gothic horror, fantasy, ghost stories, science fiction, satire, and stories of domestic and social commentary. It is a collection that we hope will intrigue and entertain you--and leave you wanting to hear more.
H. G. Wells's Short Stories - Volume One is produced by Raconteurs in partnership with Spoken Realms and includes:
"The Magic Shop" - read by James Gillies"The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes" - read by Nigel Patterson"The Door in the Wall" - read by Greg Wagland"The Man Who Could Work Miracles" - read by Malk Williams"The Story of the Late Mr Elvesham" - read by Tim Bruce"The Diamond Maker" - read by Liam Gerrard"Miss Winchelsea's Heart" - read by Helen Lloyd"A Moonlight Fable" - read by James Gillies"The Red Room" - read by Nigel Patterson"The Star" - read by Greg Wagland"The Land Ironclads" - read by Malk Williams"The Jilting of Jane" - read by Tim Bruce"The Cone" - read by Liam Gerrard
About the Author :
H. G. Wells (1866-1946) was born Herbert George Wells in Bromley, England. Wells came from a working-class background. His father played professional cricket and ran a hardware store for a time. Wells's parents were often worried about his poor health. At the age of seven, he had an accident that left him bedridden for several months. His first novel, The Time Machine, was an instant success and Wells produced a series of science fiction novels which pioneered our ideas of the future. His later work focused on satire and social criticism. Wells laid out his socialist views of human history in his Outline of History. He forecasted the rise of major cities and suburbs, economic globalization, and aspects of future military conflicts. Remarkably, considering his support for women and women's rights, Wells did not predict the rise of women in the workplace.
James A. Gillies has been a familiar voice across BBC television and radio for nearly a quarter of a century. Trained at the Royal Scottish Conservatoire, he has worked as an actor, continuity announcer, program narrator, and newsreader. He lives with his wife and two Norwegian Forest cats in Kilbarchan, Scotland.
Nigel Patterson, British audiobook narrator and AudioFile Earphones Award winner, has many credits as a stage, screen, and voiceover actor that influence his powerful characterization across a broad range of genres. A graduate of the University of Oxford, he is fluent in French and Spanish.
Greg Wagland is an actor, audiobook narrator, and voice artist. His audiobook credits include classics, fiction, history, poetry, biography, nonfiction, science fiction, as well as young adult and children's fiction.
Malk Williams is a voice talent and Earphones Awardâ "winning audiobook narrator.
Tim Bruce has a warm, friendly, characterful voice and works extensively in voice-over, cartoons, and audiobooks. A regular on the BBC, Tim was the voice of Channel 996 for over three years. A long list of audiobook recordings includes the award-winning Blade series, Mark Billingham's DI Tom Thorne series, Doctor Who, the Oxford Book of War Poetry, and the poetry of William Blake. Tim has also created a whole host of cartoon character voices for CBBC, Nickelodeon, Disney, and Cartoon Network.
Liam Gerrard is an award-winning voice artist with over fifteen years of experience working in every field of the voice industry, as well as a highly acclaimed stage and screen actor. A 2017 Audie Award nominee, he has narrated numerous audiobooks in a wide range of genres and styles.
Helen Lloyd is a British actor and voice artist who recorded her first voice-over at the age of fourteen. Since then, she has spent much of her life interpreting other people's words and bringing characters to life. A classically trained actor, she has performed with many of Britain's leading repertory theaters, as well as at the Edinburgh Festival, the Roundhouse, and on the West End.
Review :
"Raconteurs Audio LLP in conjunction with publisher Spoken Realms has produced three volumes of H.G. Wells' short stories--hours upon hours--and I'm happy to report all with excellent result. The pacing is excellent throughout, as is the choice of stories. While many of these titles have been widely available for a long time by various other voices, this is a particularly welcome constellation. The individual performances throughout are nuanced and suitably dramatic but with no overacting. The talent pool includes BAFTA nominees, award-winning narrators, established voice-over artists and actors, as well as ITV and BBC personalities and documentarians...Definitely worth your time."
-- "Charles Keller of the H. G. Wells Society"
"This audiobook is a pleasure to listen to. An ensemble of English narrators escorts the listener into the marvelous imaginings of Wells. Among the many auditory delights, James Gillies's nuanced performance of 'The Magic Shop, ' Greg Wagland's almost incantatory treatment of 'The Door in the Wall, ' and Nigel Patterson's heart-stopping yet subtle rendition of the science fiction gem 'The Star' excel. This audiobook collects a fine blend of Wells as fantasist ('The Man Who Could Work Miracles'), satirist ('Mrs. Winchelsea's Heart'), and futurist ('The Land Ironclads'). The narrators capture his fine ear for language and eye for detail throughout this collection of short fiction written from the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries."
-- "AudioFile"
