New-York tribune., 1904-10-08
AUTUMN FICTION.
Books By II. G. Wells, AnthOry
Hope and Some Others.

FHE APOLOGY OF AYLIFFE. By Elen Stie'
MANASSAS A Novel of the War, BY TpIonc nc5n1 an
clair octave. pp- a. Tie MACMILLAN o0--
MORE CHEERFUL. AMERICANS BY Charles cha-ies
Bariell LOOMS. Win nusfrat.oHs ov @ u. -
scovel shinn Fairy 7. Cory, J. r. Gruger anu
Nav wI,son watkins l2lao. pp. 2Si- Henry
saipheT l2ao. pp sos Harper & B7cS
oLP HENDRIK TA5 5Ls IS ,,ussr.SisBBs Rg GisBtai57 5v
ssephsTd. I2mo, pp. "a Longmans' Green &
Co
What VIII Mr. Wells co next? The question
has been asked before and probably II VIII oe
asked again. for this novelist has an engaging
,zav Of sp-fnzing a new surprise upon the reader
in every book he writes. Some time ago ne
made an invisible man his hero. That prepared
Ms fo- much. but hardly for the mermaid whom
a due course he chose for a heroine Now IN
.aThe Food OF the Gods" he has hit upon stin
another fantastic idea. and II is. perhaps. more
startling than either Of the two Just mentioned
Imagine a couple OF rather stoogy British SCI
sntists pottering over their accustomed prop
lens and suddenly confronted by the notion
thar II they follow 2 certain formula they can
produce q form og nourishnent fostering the
principle OF growth in organism with such
power as 10 turn q young chicken into fowl
the size Of al emu. with next 10 no delay.
Imagine this food being turned loose. so 70
SPEAK, upon world Unprepared for anything n
the nature Of magic. This is the sort OF tnihg
with which we have TO reckon in Mr.. weiss
new book Absurd" says the reader. and. OF
course in q measure he is right; but on the
other hand II must not be forgotten that M
Wells is one Of the most plausible Of modern
writers and can lend verisimiIitude 20 what
would certainly prove, in almost any other
hands, a decidedly bald and unconvinclng mar
ratve.
'Ihe Food OF the Gods" when once the author
has got into his stride. is not in the least absurd
On the contrary. the fabrication OF the potentiaI
substance round which the tale revolves is MADE
20 seem something well within the bounds Of
chemistry. and the phenomena arising from us
action are also made 70 seem as naturaI as
breathing We baIk al none Of Mr. Weiss
anocalypric inventions neither his rats. Dig
enough 10 bring down horse as tiger might
bring down a bullock nor his giant chlldFeh' IN
crsasing in stature until they loom ike monsters
out Of the Arabian Nights" among the oroi-
nary men and women Of earth. The book Is IN
short, q remarkably diverting fantasy 70 ule
spell OF which il is as easy as II is pleasant 70
yield The conclusion IS weak. from an arusuC
point Of view AS though he were AFRAID OF the
consequences Of indulging in literary lark for
SIS own sake. M Wells drags in al the end some
remarks which hint at symbolism, al more or
less didactic purpose. But We can forgive THIS
lapse for the sake Of the unique entertainment
provided ia the bulk Of the book
Anthony Hope also gives Us q surprise
Double Harness is = story OF modern hre II
xondon which, il comparable in some respects
with other books OF his. treating OF people OF
the same place and epoch. is in its general Tone
totally different from anything he has done De-
fors We wonder If il is not the fruit Of new
ambition. Of a desire on Anthony Hopes part
70 prove that he is capable Of something more
than what foolish critics call mere romance
II might be said that he had shown his inoe-
pendence Of the Zenda tradition In "ouisante
for example OF in '"Tristram Of BenL' but the
effort IL. Double Harness" to get away from rose
leaves and lutes is so very striking that. we re-
peat il leaves the impression Of new ideal.
Anthony Hope is now bent on being uaooeFh
with a vengeance. which is 20 say he is bent
Upon making nearly everybody IN ms oooA q
6isagreeahe as possible and. II he cannot make
them obnoxious themselves. he puts griny
touch upon their circumstances.
His heroine falls so thoroughly out OF love
with her husband at one stage OF the narrative
that she takes fight with another man, and not
even e threat against the life OF the child she
has left behind moves her In her course. II
you persist. ] shall XIII Frank and myself to-
night" says Grantley Inaason to his sibylla-
She knows that he viii carry out the atrocious
plan, but Il is only when her lover weakens
back 70 Imasons roof Among the friends of
this pair are two married couples The wife In
one case has the temper OF a iend and her hus-
band seeks comfort in distinctly uneoifying
ways. In the other case the wife has wavered
n her allegiance 20 her lord and is sent by the
latter to borrow money for him from the very
man with whom she has carried her luckless
Irritation. This not being enough. Anthony
HOPE provides his heroine with a servant VINO
e. - v,rfcn far
twenty years for knihng man in "a cold sort Of
passion" Never before. that We can recall, has
Anthony Hope dealt in such altogether depress-
ing material If he had made a really strong
book out Of il We could praise Double Harness"
But, as a matter CT fact. he has simply filed
four hundred pages with atmosphere OF NOR
bid futility The moral that love straightens
out ali tangles is duly indicated but this Of itself
g not enough 70 rationalize the odds and ends
Of melodrama out OF which the book has been
made.
Mrs. Kinks stories always distinguished
By refinement ease Of style and a certain gentle
irony a dealing with character and society.
They have humoT which is Wholesome and
genuine. and If TOT any more original thRa good
bread ana butter. they share the desirabiity OF
that comfortable commodity. The pretty love
story Of Ayiss1e Grant. told n The Apology OF
Aylife'' shows 10 falling OF In the authors
power 10 interest The heroine Is a nice girl,
Bseet bright and true hearted. and the readers
synpathss warmly hers IN eli the unneces-
BarY ToGganesses OF the paTh that leads her 20
the arms og the right man. The minor characters
are elegeriy drawn. even to the dog the two
cats and the cockatoc-creatures so thoroughly
inciviSualized and so amusing IA their ways
that they are almost as interesting as the
hurlalls with whom they dwell