Science Fiction Short Story Review: "The Chronic Argonauts" by H. G. Wells

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“Like a thunderbolt falling during the daytime,” the philosopher came and took up residence in the rundown house known among the locals in this Welsh border town as the Manse. The philosopher kept to himself, making the townspeople all the more curious. They noted the crates that kept arriving at the Manse and the odd hours the new tenant seemed to keep. From these crates they learn his name: Dr. Moses Nebogipfel. When they see fireless light—some might call it electric light—pouring out from his house, the talk of sorcery begins. One day as he’s walking by the property of the Manse, the hunchback Hughes suddenly collapses and dies. Never mind that the poor man was subject to fits of epilepsy. Never mind that the doctor says his death, regrettable as it was, was entirely natural. Never mind that the Rev. Elijah Ulysses Cook has said there’s no such thing as sorcery. It’s time for some mob justice. Just exactly what the angry mob sees as it breaks into the Manse no one is ever quite agreed upon when asked later. They saw a machine of sorts, but no one can quite describe the machine. They saw one or perhaps two men. Some say the second man is the Rev. Cook. The machine and the men disappear. This reads much like an early version of Wells’s 1895 novel, The Time Machine. The theory of time travel (that is, that time is a fourth dimension humans can learn to travel in) is the same here as in the later book. It also deals with fantastically long stretches of time. The story structure is jarring. The section dealing with Dr. Nebogipfel and the growing distrust of his neighbors is told in the third person. The next section is taken up by an narrator who refers to himself as “the author“ who then hears a narrative from Rev. Cook told again in the third person. And it ends in the middle of the story. The writing itself is florid with many extended passages and roundabout ways of saying things. At times, it can take a while to get through passages: “The zenith sky was an ineffable deep lucent blue, and the evening star hung golden in the liquid darkness of the west. In the north-north-west, a faint phosphorescence marked the sunken day. The moon was just rising, pallid and gibbous over the huge haze-dimmed shoulder of Pen-y-pwll. Against the wan eastern sky, from the vague outline of the mountain slope, the Manse stood out black, clear and solitary.” After all I’ve said, this is not a bad story. Especially because of the structure, I wouldn’t put it in the top ten, either. If you like time travel stories and don’t mind slowing down for 19th century purple passages, you will like this story. H.G. Wells (1866-1946) was an incredibly prolific British writer, now known for such works as The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, and The Invisible Man. He also led an interesting personal life. “The Chronic Argonauts” is available from Project Gutenberg Australia. _____ Title: “The Chronic Argonauts” Author: H.G. (Herbert George) Wells (1866-1946) First published: The Science Schools Journal May 1888 Source: ISFDB *An earlier version of this review appeared on another site. It has been expanded an updated for its inclusion at myLot. *