Men Like Gods

This novel, set in 1921 and published in 1923 is in a subgenre you don’t see much now -- utopian science fiction. Yes, I did say ‘utopian.’ You may be more familiar with this subgenre’s ugly brother, dystopian science fiction. The latter has more shock value so it gets more attention, but I prefer the older, wiser sibling.<br /><br />The essential difference between utopian and dystopian fiction that I see is their different perceptions of humanity. Although both begin with the premise that the human race has problems, utopian fiction posits that, in the course of time, mankind will solve them. Dystopian fiction, on the other hand, posits that humanity, if it is lucky, might survive.<br /><br />I don’t read fiction to be shocked. I can get that from the news. I read fiction to be entertained. Occasionally I come across novels that also present a new thought or uncommon perspective, and I consider these welcome bonuses. ‘Men Like Gods’ provides all of these.<br /><br />The protagonist, Mr. Barnstaple (no first name) is stressed and in desperate need of a holiday. The way he contrives to get away unaccompanied by wife of children, is humorous and charming, in an understated British way, as are his musings on the events of the time. He succeeds in escaping by himself in his little yellow car with no specific destination in mind but ends up much farther away than he could have imagined. A scientific experiment in an alternate dimension goes awry, and Barnstaple and a few others on the road that day find themselves in a strange land with clean air, tame animals, and beautiful people who enjoy unparalleled personal freedom. He’s obviously not in England anymore. The rest of the novel explores how he and his fellow Earthlings react to this strange utopia and how the Utopians react to them.<br /><br />Considering this book was written almost a century ago, and making certain allowances for that, one thing that struck me was how relevant it remains. There are passages about droughts, famines, and fighting going on around the world that sound almost as if they could be referring to today. This description of economic concerns especially caught my attention:<br /><br />‘... The great masses of population that had been blundered into existence, swayed by damaged and decaying traditions and amenable to the crudest suggestions, were the natural prey and support of every adventurer with a mind blatant enough and a conception of success coarse enough to appeal to them. The economic system, clumsily and convulsively reconstructed to meet the new conditions of mechanical production and distribution, became more and more a cruel and impudent exploitation of the multitudinous congestion of the common man by the predatory acquisitive few. That all too common common man was hustled through misery and subjection from his cradle to his grave; he was cajoled and lied to, he was bought, sold and dominated by an impudent minority, bolder and no doubt more energetic, but in all other respects no more intelligent than himself.’<br /><br />The economic system he speaks of is, essentially, the one we still have; one in which common people simply trying to survive can be economically used and abused by those with wealth, power, and low morals. Although, on the bright side, we do have laws and regulations in place now to mitigate the worst examples of such things.<br /><br />Then there was this about the media of the time:<br /><br />‘...newspapers had ceased to be impartial vehicles of news; they omitted, they mutilated, they misstated. They were no better than propaganda rags.’<br /><br />This claim especially seems appropriate to some of today’s media outlets.<br /><br />What you won’t see in this novel is a detailed description of how the civilization in this alternate universe got from something like early Twentieth Century Earth to a free and peaceful utopia, although the process is said to have taken three thousand years. The point is that people not unlike us were able to overcome things like superstition, prejudice, selfish ambition, and violence. They were able to work together to build a better society in which each individual is free to think, act, and explore the mysteries of the world as they wish.<br /><br />I won’t say the utopia presented here is exactly one that I would imagine or hope for, but it does seem attractive and maybe even possible. The ideas the novel presents are certainly worth thinking about, in any case, and the story is enjoyable in its own right. I highly recommend it.<br />

Another Wells utopia. This is Wells at the crossroads between weary misanthrope and passionate idealist. Fortunately in this utopia, there are no mass exterminations or weird caste systems, merely super-intelligent superhumans in the nuddy traversing infinitely serene sites of astonishing natural beauty.

The problem with utopian litterature is that even though Wells do his best to write a stories it turns out as a series of lectures on how awsome everything is.

It has been a while since I have read something this enlightening. The book should be required reading for everyone on this planet. <br /><br />I can understand how someone can be put off my the socialist rhetoric of the book but one must delve deeper into the mans thought process. Socialist movement did not work because there are finite resources. Once the conundrum of abundant clean renewable energy is resolved, resources will not be a problem and hence competition for the sake of resource hording/gathering will be irrelevant. Capitalism age will die off just like the stone or bronze age. It is only inevitable.<br /> <br />Now back to men like gods. The book reads like a prophecy for the future. HG Wells take on religion, politics, and just the general fabric of society is so spot on, it is as if the man saw through a window into the future. It is shocking to know this book was written in 1922.<br /> <br />There are so may parts of the book i underlined to go back and contemplate over again. Pick this book up not only because it is a wonderful read but also because it will open your mind to new possibilities. How one day we will be free from bondage of labor to sustain ourselves, free from religious dogmas who's very foundation is shame and guilt for doing what is only natural, free from societies pressure to conform so the machine of capitalism can run smoothly.<br />One day we will be men like gods<br />

My friend Nerissa knows I give away a lot of the books I read to friends, and as soon as I told her about my Radium Age SF summer reading project, she politely asked me if I would be willing to pass along to her any early Science Fiction I enjoyed. I said "that's fine", but I had to tell her that it was very unlikely that I would hit on the type of SF/Fantasy she loves most: parallel universe stuff. She loves the TV show Fringe (as do I), and she liked The Midnight Library when I told her all about it, and often, all I hear about from Nerissa is parallel worlds chat, parallel worlds fanaticism - The Butterfly Effect, Sliding Doors, all of that is her thing. And I've been saving 1904-1933 SF for her, as I knock them off, but I did say "There's not going to be any parallel worlds stuff, it seems too early in the genre...I mean, quantum theory, uh, eleven dimensions, super-string theory - I'm lucky if I hit a Radium Age SF novel that doesn't put the aliens on Mars or Venus, never mind parallel versions of Earth.". Heartbreaker, me.<br /><br />Men Like Gods is a parallel universe story, from 1922-23. Of course the first Radium Age SF book I read right after talking to Nerissa features parallel universes, mentions Einstein, and amidst another socialist utopia tale, intermittently theorizes about densely-packed (depending on how similar they are) multiple universes. Can't wait to talk to my friend...<br /><br />Although - Nerissa may be a little disappointed, because H. G. Wells merely uses parallel universe theory as a plot device to peddle another socialist paradise; an experiment goes wrong on an alternate Earth that is about 3000 years ahead of us in all the ways that count - including being civilized in, y'know, a civilization - and a small but colourful group of people from our 1920s world are transported to what seems like perfect society. Naturally, they make trouble - a few even want to take over - although our lead visitor is all "we need to learn from them, not make them learn from us!".<br /><br />I actually love that the parallel universes angle is sort of a quick gimmick used by one of the fathers of SF to put another socialist utopia on the Radium Age SF Socialist Utopia Assembly Line. Of course that's what he does, was there ever any doubt. Nerissa may not be so amused by this, but she should get enough multiverse chatter - dotted throughout here and there - to light up her brain with the revelation that this book comes from the 1920s. Meanwhile, as for the main plot dealing with a utopia getting somewhat messed up and how tolerable this is to its inhabitants, I thought Wells was pretty inventive.<br /><br />So, it turns out Radium Age SF does detour from apocalypse tales, aliens on Mars stories, and socialist utopia yarns/polemics. Well...sort of.

«إن اليوتوبيا لم تقض على نظام الأسرة، بل جعلت الأسرة هي العالم بأسره».<br /><br />مجموعة من الأرضيين على كوكب جديد، كوكب يوتوبي وصل سكانه إلى ذروة التقدم.. لا توجد حروب، لا توجد أمراض. كل شيء في مكانه الصحيح.. التعليم مثالي، الصحة مثالية، النظام الاقتصادي (الاشتراكي) مثالي. الوضع الاجتماعي مثالي.<br />وبشكل تلقائي يضع الأرضيون مقارنات بين عالمهم الأرضي وعالم اليوتوبيا. ومن هنا يبدأ ويلز ما أراد أن يقوله حقًا.<br />في خلال أحداث الرواية يضع ويلز نصائحه التي يرى أن العالم سيكون أكثر مثالية لو طُبقت، نصائح للتعليم، والاقتصاد مثلا. فهو يرى أن الملكية الفردية هي سبب كثير من المشاكل على الأرض ولابد أن تُلغى. وغير ذلك من آراء.<br />ينتقد كذلك المسيحية بشكل جميل جدًا ستعرفه خلال الرواية، وحضر خلال الانتقاد العلاقة الأزلية بين العلم والدين. أو لنكون أدق، بين العلم وممثلي الدين.<br />«ولو كان الله يريد لنا أن نحصل على هذه الأمصال والخمائر في أجسامنا، فقد كان بمقدوره أن يجعلها تتكون داخلنا طبيعيًا بدلا من حقننا بها».<br /><br />ويضع ويلز المبادئ الخمسة للحرية والتي بدونها يستحيل قيام أي حضارة، وهي باختصار:<br />١- حفظ خصوصية الأفراد التي يأتمن عليها المؤسسات.<br />٢- حرية الحركة والتنقل.<br />٣- مبدأ المعرفة الشاملة غير المحدودة.<br />٤- الكذب يعتبر الجريمة العظمى.<br />٥- حرية المناقشة والنقد.<br /><br />استخدم ويلز كذلك بعض المصطلحات العلمية لخدمة أحداث الرواية، مثل الأبعاد الأربعة والنسبية العامة، والعوالم المتوازية.<br />بل توقع شكلا من أشكال البريد الصوتي، أو البريد الإلكتروني.<br />ونذكر بأن الرواية كُتبت في عام ١٩٢٣. بعد الحرب العالمية الأولى بأعوام قليلة، وربما كانت هذه الحرب دافعًا لكتابة الرواية، إذ ربما ظن ويلز أن العالم سيعي درس الحرب المدمرة، ويسير في اتجاه معاكس، فأدلى بنصائحه لذلك الاتجاه السلمي.<br />ولم تكن أحداث تلك الرواية لتمر قبل أن تسأل نفسك: هل ممكن تحقيق مثل ذلك المجتمع؟ ولو تحقق ما مصير الروحية والدين فيه؟ وهل سيرتاح البشر في ذلك العالم فعلا؟ أم أن الشقاء والتنافس هما صفات تلازم الحياة البشرية؟<br /><br />«نعم أنا أعترف بأنه يبدو لكم أنكم تحققون نجاحًا في كل المجالات.. إنه مجد الخريف!.. ازدهار الغروب».<br /><br />وربما كان اهتمام ويلز الأكبر هو طرح هذه الأسئلة خلال أحداث الرواية إضافة لتقديم رؤيته للوصول للمدينة الفاضلة.

This 1923 H.G. Wells novel is as much a tract in defense of socialist ideals as it is a work of science fiction. This is not his only work in which socialism is posited as a path to utopia, but if Wells seems overly zealous, unabashed, and, from our perspective, naive, we should probably cut him some slack. Even ignoring Wells' humanistic motives, when this novel was written, the cautionary example of the Soviets was still inconclusive; the "good guys" had won The War; and the ascendency of a Hitler, while vaguely feared as an outside possibility, was blithely dismissed.<br /><br />To be fair, Wells does not seem to lay out a manifesto so much as a set of ideals. He uses the device of parallel universes to transport a group of people from Earth, circa 1923, to a similar, but not identical, planet in a parallel universe, which they refer to as Utopia. Wells is very careful to stress that the Utopians have taken thousands of years of concerted effort to shed their self-destructive social and cultural institutions; thus, the Utopians are meant to provide a glimpse into our own social evolution some several thousand years in the future. The Utopians' progression from Earth-like chaos to their present state is depicted as inevitable, which may serve to anticipate a certain amount of criticism. What saves this novel, however, is not its dated philosophy, but Wells' remarkable ability to craft compelling, multi-dimensional protagonists and ingenious plot twists. Never less than entertaining, if very much of its place and time.

For some reason, this book is particularly difficult to locate. But it's definitely worth the effort. It's a marvelous treatment of the Utopian world. Now, I love Wells, and if you're on this page, I imagine you do also. Advice: Get the book! It will make you happier! All of your dreams will come true! Well, at least the first two will happen.

هذه ليست في شهرة أول رجال علي سطح القمر و حرب العوالم .. و لكن عند قرائتها تكتشف انها واحد من أفضل ما كتب ويلز إن لم يكن من أفضل الروايات في تاريخ الأدب ككل..<br />مجموعة من البشر بسبب حادثة ما نجدهم ينتقلون إلي عالم آخر.. عالم يوتوبي فيه البشر قد وصلوا لقمة التقدم.. حيث لا مرض ولا فقر و لا حرب.. ببساطة هي رؤية ويلز لما يجب أن يكون عليه العالم<br />الرواية لا تعتمد علي الإسلوب السردي و الحبكة الدرامية للروايات التقليدية.. و لكنها تعتمد أكثر علي المونولوج الدائر في عقل بطل الرواية الأرضي الذي ينبهر بهذا العالم.. أو تعتمد علي الديالوج بين هذا البطل و أحد أعضاء عالم اليوتوبيا حيث نجد مقارنة بين ما عليه الأرض و ما يجب أن تكون عليه.. فهي في مجملها سرد لأفكار الكاتب عن العالم المثالي أكثر منها سرد لأحداث قصصية<br />نجد في الرواية ميل واضح من الكاتب للاشتراكية.. فالمجتمع اليوتوبي مجتمع اشتراكي من جهة أنه لا ملكية فيه.. ولكنه كذلك مجتمع أناركي حيث لا حكومة ولا سلطة.. في هذا المجتمع فقد الانسان كل احتياج لسلطة أو لحكومة أو قانون.. فهو علي حد تعبير أحد ابطاله مجتمع يؤمن أن تعليمه هو حكومته.. فالانسان يتعلم كيف يكون عضوا صالحا و ينمو عنده ضمير و حس إنساني يجعله هو الحارس و القاضي علي نفسه و أفعاله بلا حاجة إلى قوى خارجية وهي نظرة تؤمن بالانسان رغم عدم وجود أي دليل مادي أن الانسان قد يتحول إلى هذا في يوم ما<br />رواية تستحق القراءة

От травмы современной русской литературы лучше лечиться столетней английской фантастикой. Роман я тоже читал, конечно, в детстве, только нихера не помню, как водится. Скорее всего - перевод Гуровой и Чернявского в собрании сочинений цвета испуганной сирени.<br /><br />А ведь в начале он очень смешной: м-р Барнстейпл - либеральный журналист, которому не терпится изменить мир к лучшему и он поэтому ко всякой бочке затычка (но всем на него, в общем-то, насрать), а также белое пальто, отягощенное троими детьми. И вопрос стоит - как уехать пробздеться не только от Великой войны, выевшей ему весь мозг, но и от начальства, которое его не ценит. Очень знакомый сюжет последних лет, правда?<br /><br />Уэллз вообще смешно писал, один "middle-aged young man" дорогого стоит, что уж говорить о "an older woman of thirty". И это с поправкой на то, что роману ровно сто лет. Меж тем впечатления того, что он смешной писатель, раньше у меня не складывалось. Дело тут либо во мне и в детстве он мне смешным просто не казался, либо в советских переводах, которые, как известно, "очень выигрывают" etc.<br /><br />Пинчоноидная же тема, смыкающаяся с темами "романа в работе" - это Посягатели, вторженцы из иных измерений и/или альт-вселенных. Как и у Пинчона, тут они - люди из "нашего мира/измерения". Между этим же текстом и "романом в работе" вроде бы должна лежать "Ада" Набокова, но эту гипотезу мы еще будем перепроверять.<br /><br />Уэллз применяет здесь наивный и в то же время наглый трюк экспликации: когда утопяне объясняют нашим вторженцам, как они оказались в их параллельной, сиречь альтернативной вселенной, наши герои необъяснимо г��охнут. И вообще слышат очень выборочно, когда им объясняют про что-то тоньше атома. Глупо и устарело это выглядит лишь на первый взгляд. Уэллз уже 100 лет назад прозревал суть человечества. Конечно, погодя, это оказывается побочкой телепатии, но уже не суть: земляне отвечают утопянам потоком такого пустословия, что уши вянут и глохнешь поневоле, ибо словеса эти лишены всякого смысла.<br /><br />Утопия (ну да, это самоназвание, хаха) при этом, что характерно, оказывается прото-постоянной автономной зоной, основанной, в первую очередь, на способность разумных людей договариваться. Хотя "Век Смятения" в истории этой альтернативной Земли начался с перенаселенности, связанной с проблемой... ну да, беженцев из непривилегированных областей в привилегированные. Ничего не напоминает? Погодите, дальше еще интереснее:<br /><br />An overwhelming flood of newcomers poured into the world and swamped every effort the intelligent minority could make to educate a sufficient proportion of them to meet the demands of the new and still rapidly changing conditions of life. And the intelligent minority was not itself in any position to control the racial destiny. These great masses of population that had been blundered into existence, swayed by damaged and decaying traditions and amenable to the crudest suggestions, were the natural prey and support of every adventurer with a mind blatant enough and a conception of success coarse enough to appeal to them.<br /><br />И так далее. Войны, неурожаи и т.д. И только после этого они начали менять мышление. Надо ли говорить, что на Земле это утопия до сих пор. Но не просто менять, а под воздействием Христообразной фигуры, правда, не распятой, а колесованной. На этом роман можно прекращать читать, дальше ничего интересного не будет.