The Star
Written by Herbert George Wells
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“The Star” is a post apocalyptic, sci-fi story by one of the fathers of the sci-fi genre Mr. H. G. Wells himself. It was published in 1897 but like a true classic it has not aged. It is not as well known as the authors works but it is a masterpiece nonetheless.

The Star Gutenberg Project webpage

The Star Goodreads webpage

“The Star” is the story of our Earth, our Big Blue Marble in the heavens, having a very close call with annihilation. On New Year’s day in the year 1900, which is around the time of the story was published, astronomers announce that the planet Neptune’s orbit is behaving unpredictably. A large mass has entered its gravitational sphere of influence and so causes it to wobble. That large mass collides with Neptune knocks it out of its orbit and headed toward Earth. (Keep in mind that this story was published in 1897. It could easily have been written yesterday or next year. And that is why Mr. H. G. Wells is a true visionary). This bright mass during the course of the story is an extinction level event.

The descriptions of events going on around the world are amazing. The way that the bright object grows larger as it heads toward Earth is a frightening thought. Also, the environmental changes that happen as a result of the “bright star” are so convincing and disturbing. There are definite environmental themes in this story. The way larger forces than we can conceive can change our world or even destroy is a humbling thought. As environmental changes occur and people have to deal with them it’s clear that our environment is a very important thing to consider in all our industries and policies. But in this story the environmental culprit is not industry or any tycoon, it’s the Universe itself.

So, what can be done? What can the people of the world do when facing such a serious threat? Well, back then, just like today they can only watch, maybe pray or hope for the best. Back then, just like today the seriousness of the problem of planetary annihilation is beyond the capabilities of our technologies. If such a problem faced us today we would have to set down our penchant for war and use all our brain power and resourcefulness to solve the problem. That might be the bigger obstacle to overcome.

Also, as a side note, when the author references the marriage in South Africa some say that he is taking a jab at the wealthy English mining tycoon of the day Cecil John Rhodes. So the event apparently happens during the time that the tycoon gets married.

This is a short story with a fantastic ending. H. G. Wells has a knack for good endings to his stories and this is no exception. So, enjoy this read. It’s short but it’s fantastic. And the digital copy is free online.

John Ink2Quill

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