Men Like Gods

Description

Men Like Gods is a book by English author H. G. Wells, first published in 1923. Set in the summer of 1921, the story involves Mr. Barnstaple, a journalist who, becoming tired of his job, decides to take a holiday on his own. His plans for a quiet break are interrupted when his car is accidentally transported to another dimension called Utopia. An advanced earth that is around 3,000 years ahead of our own, Utopia is home to 200 million people and has no government, functioning instead as a successful anarchy. Barnstaple, along with two other 'earthlings' are quarantined for a while after they cause an epidemic in the new world. Whilst his unwitting companions hatch nefarious plans to conquer Utopia, Barnstaple longs to stay in the world. The Utopians however, tell him that right now, he can best serve them by returning to his own world, which he does with a new vigour and a determination to do his best to bring Utopia to our own earth. Although reviews at the time of publication were largely positive, Wells did receive criticism for neglecting the science-fiction aspect of the novel, using the book instead to discuss his own ideas on how to achieve a better society. BOOK THE FIRST. THE IRRUPTION OF THE EARTHLINGS 1. Mr. Barnstaple Takes a Holiday 2. The Wonderful Road 3. The Beautiful People 4. The Shadow of Einstein Falls Across the Story but Passes Lightly By 5. The Governance and History of Utopia 6. Some Earthly Criticisms 7. The Bringing in of Lord Barralonga's Party 8. Early Morning in Utopia BOOK THE SECOND. QUARANTINE CRAG 1. The Epidemic 2. The Castle on the Crag 3. Mr. Barnstaple as a Traitor to Mankind 4. The End of Quarantine Crag BOOK THE THIRD. A NEOPHYTE IN UTOPIA 1. The Peaceful Hills Beside the River 2. A Loiterer in a Living World 3. The Service of the Earthling 4. The Return of the Earthling