Tales of Space and Time

Tales of Space and Time gathers five short stories by H.G. Wells, each one a leap to a different corner of time and space.

A London shopkeeper finds a strange crystal egg that opens onto scenes from another world. A rogue star drifts too close to Earth and throws the whole planet into chaos. A prehistoric couple fights to survive in a world before fire was tamed and before anyone had words for what they feared. A future city of glass towers and moving stairways forces two young lovers to choose between comfort and freedom. And a quiet, unremarkable clerk discovers he can work real miracles, with results far stranger and more troubling than he expected.

Written at the end of the nineteenth century, these are among Wells's earliest experiments in what would later be called science fiction — scientific romance, prehistoric adventure, and moral fable all in one collection. Each story stands alone, so listeners can drift through one at a time without needing to remember what came before. Together they show the same restless imagination that gave the world The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, turned loose on the far past, the near future, and the space between the stars.

This collection suits listeners who love early speculative fiction, Jules Verne-style adventure, or the strange, thoughtful "what if" stories that made Wells's reputation. There's wonder here, and unease too, but nothing that shouts - the tone stays measured and curious throughout, which makes it easy company at bedtime.

Andrew Bond reads gently, each story unwinding at an easy pace. His calm, even voice suits the last stretch of the evening — not to grip you, but to loosen your mind, one quiet tale at a time.