New-York tribune., 1899-06-11
FIC7ION.
\ SCIENTIFIC ROMANCE OF THE FUTURE.

WHEN. THE SLEEPER WAKES BY II. G. Wells.
Win Illustrations. l2mo. pp a29 Harper
Bros.
THE GARDEN OF SWORDS by Max Pemberton.
Illustrated lZmo, ~. 30. Dodd. Mead 4 Co
THE SHORT LINE WAR. .By Merwn-w webster.
l-mo. pp. .2i The Macmillan Company.
MADAME IzAN \ Tourist story By Mrs Camp
b-Ii-Praed. l2mo Ip. 81. u. Appleton & Co.
There are two serious flaws in the fantasy Il
science. socialism and speculation wherein Mr..
H. G. Wells has sought to picture the cvilza-
tion Of the world as it might be two hundred
years hence. In the first place. when the
sleeper Wakes" tacitly suggests all through that
in two centuries men will look upon our world
of to-day as something remoter from themselves
than the troglodytes are from US This saps at
the credhility Of the story, for it lifts the
characters into airs not Of earth. The present
generation has no difficulty in entering into the
feelings of peoples even as far back as the
Middle Ages. The study Of history has done
that much for US. Mr.. Wells assumes in his
story that history will 60 nothing for the men
Of the future, even men separated from us by
so short a period as two hundred years. He
portrays them as looking back at u in ignorant
amazerrent. and by So doing he snaps the link
Of sympathy between his reader and his imagin-
AIRY personages. The other flaw is found at the
end of the book. where expect an interesting
climax but whore the Sleeper after engaging
in a combat that seems TO wind up the authors
argument dies leaving US bewildered and eager
to know how the crisis was passed and what
were its fruits We get hint where the laws
Of good tiction demand that the author shall
gather up the loose ends Of his narrative, clear
up all obscurties. and round out his conception
OF concrete world in concrete manner. II
20 80 dcd N
especially a story like this one
But We have found fault enough. and may
testify to the really valuable qualities in Mr..
WeUs's book His Sleeper wakes from his
trance Of two hundred years to find his world
transformed and himself the master Of IL
through the increase. at compound in crest, or
his wealth. Science has taken such tremendous
strides that life has been merged in mechanics;
flying machines enable one to circle the globe in
a day. the countryside is deserted, and the
great cities ruled by boss-power nominally IN
the interests Of the Sleeper, but really for the
benefit Of an oligarchy, gigantic hives in
which rich and poor circulate with the methods
Of automata The day OF democracy is past
saws Ostrog. the chief Boss 10 the Sleeper,
past forever. That day began with the bow
men OF Crecy: il ended when marching infan-
try when common men in masses ceased TO win
the battles or the WOrld, Nnen CoStly CdHh'Hf
great ronclads and strategic railways became
the means OF power. To-day is the day Of
wealth Wealth now is power as IT never was
power before-it commands earth and sea and
sky All power is for those who can handle
wealth" The Sleeper. waking to the possession
Of supreme wealth and supreme power hnd5
that those who have represented him in his long
stupor have used both to crush the people be
Meath a deyilish tyranny. A woman persuades
him 10 attempt TO redress the long tale OF greed
and oppression. He makes the effort, ana Tie
story comes to the dubious climax We have NEIL
toned. In between this climax and the Sieepers
wakening there have come experiences whioh
Mr. Wells has realized with astonishing III
genuity and aplomb. His invention never naes'
but gives to the reader an unhroken series or
almost uncanny and yet somehow very lifeLke
pictures The general tone Of the world he de
scribes Is preposterOuA The mechanical appI-