The Croquet Player - Softcover

Wells, H. G.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 090548889X ISBN 13: 9780905488899

Publisher: Trent Editions, 2001

Synopsis

This allegorical satire about a man fleeing from his evil dreams was written under the influence of the Spanish Civil War. The croquet player, comfortably sipping a vermouth, listens to the strange and terrible tale of the haunted countryside. Wells’ modern ghost story of a remote English Village, Cainsmarsh. Dark events are plaguing its people. A terrified farmer murders a scarecrow. Family pets are being bludgeoned to death. Loving couples are turning on each other in vicious rage. People are becoming suspicious of every move each other makes. Children are coming to school with marks on them. One observer thinks there’s evil underground scattered all over the marsh, invading villagers’ minds, and it’s spreading. A well bred, affable & somewhat effeminate croquet player is told the strange story of Cainsmarsh and it’s impending doom as if its plight was the beginning of the end of civilization.Herbert George Wells, better known as H. G. Wells, was an English writer best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds and The Invisible Man. He was a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and produced works in many different genres, including contemporary novels, history, and social commentary. Wells was an outspoken socialist and a pacifist, and his later works became increasingly political and didactic. His middle period novels (1900-1920) were more realistic; they covered lower middle class life and the ‘New Woman’ and the Suffragettes. Along with Jules Verne, Well is often referred to as “The Father of Science Fiction”.

About this title

Review:

" The Croquet Player is one of the most popular of Wells ' later novellas. It is considered a modern classic. . . . This edition features a thoughtful dissection of the novella by John Huntington. " -- The H.G. Wells Society, The Americas
""The Croquet Player" is one of the most popular of Wells' later novellas. It is considered a modern classic. . . . This edition features a thoughtful dissection of the novella by John Huntington."--"The H.G. Wells Society, The Americas"

"Without a doubt, the fine, readable edition recently issued from the University of Nebraska's Bison Frontiers of Imagination series (it has generous margins and a thoughtful, useful afterward by John Huntington of the University of Illinois) is surely the one to purchase and curl up with on a rainy night, as one prepares to encounter yet another fascinating production from the prodigious mind of the found of science fiction."--Jason Gleckman, Science Fiction Studies--Jason Gleckman "Science Fiction Studies "

About the Author:

Often called the father of science fiction, British author Herbert George (H. G.) Wells literary works are notable for being some of the first titles of the science fiction genre, and include such famed titles as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and The Invisible Man. Despite being fixedly associated with science fiction, Wells wrote extensively in other genres and on many subjects, including history, society and politics, and was heavily influenced by Darwinism. His first book, Anticipations of the Reaction of Mechanical and Scientific Progress Upon Human Life and Thought, offered predictions about what technology and society would look like in the year 2000, many of which have proven accurate. Wells went on to pen over fifty novels, numerous non-fiction books, and dozens of short stories. His legacy has had an overwhelming influence on science fiction, popular culture, and even on technological and scientific innovation. Wells died in 1946 at the age of 79.

About this edition

• Publisher: Trent Editions
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 090548889X
• ISBN 13: 9780905488899
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 51
• Editor: Hammond John