"Although best known for his novels, it was in H. G. Wells's early short stories that he first explored the relationship between science and humankind. This collection brings together twenty-three of his short works. In 'The Star, ' a vast comet hurtles towards Earth while humankind looks awestruck to the skies. 'The Cone' is a story of adultery and revenge amid the blast furnaces of industrial England, while 'The Country of the Blind' tells the tale of a mountaineer who discovers a lost valley in the Andes - and a civilization chillingly different from his own. Here the fantastical meets the everyday, horror meets humour, man-eating squids invade the sleepy Devon coast, and strange kinks and portals in space and time lead to other worlds. " "This collection displays H. G. Wells's fascination with the wonders, but also the perils, of scientific progress. Part of a brand-new Penguin series of his works, this edition includes newly established texts, detailed notes, a full biographical essay on Wells and an introduction by Neil Gaiman discussing the lasting influence of Wells's short fiction, and how it differs from his novels. "--BOOK JACKET.