STAR-BEGOTTEN

by H. G. Wells ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 11, 1937

Wells seems obsessed with a presentiment of imminent change in the human race. First, in The Croquet Player he intimates that we are driven by the subconscious survival of our primitive past, which will eventually dominate the veneer of our present. Now in Star-Begotten he suggests that the deviation from the normal is caused by the concerted attack of the Martians, an older and stronger race, to subdue the normal man and create a race of truly sane thinkers who will abolish war and the contest for material gain. Beyond this analogy, the resemblance between the books ceases. Star-Begotten is distinctly less good reading. The story is told almost wholly through dialogue, and not particularly stimulating or interesting dialogue at that. The story-- an ephemeral one -- carries little conviction. Even his own theory more or less evaporates as he goes to the end, where two people solve their mutual distrust by deciding that they are both ""star-begotten"" and superior beings... The Wells' name, given new impetus by the audience intrigued by The Croquet Player's subtle creation of atmosphere of horror, is good for a substantial sale. Beyond that, one questions the holding power of this book.

Pub Date: June 11, 1937

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1937

Categories: NONFICTION