H.G. Wells and the Shape of Things to Come Heat rays destroying London, time machines sending people far ahead into the future, and men who can't even be seen: these are all things that H.G. Wells uses in his science-fiction novels. His imagination allows the reader to immerse themselves in the book and do, in their mind, what the characters are doing. Wells' books were, in part, based on real-life happenings. War of the Worlds was conjured up in his mind because of the close position of Mars to Earth in 1894. Life on Mars was suspected and he ....