Series ✦ Penny’s Take
H. G. Wells Classic Collection II
H. G. Wells · 2011
65/100
👎 Skip It
A handsome Gollancz collector's edition of four Wells novels showing his utopian ambition — interesting if you're already a devotee. But these are secondary Wells compared to the big titles, the utopian ideas feel dated, and Men Like Gods carries eugenics-adjacent thinking that needs context. Collectors will appreciate it; general readers should start elsewhere.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
⚠ Parent note — our reviewers flagged: Eugenics-adjacent ideology in Men Like Gods reflects early 20th-century views · War and societal violence themes in The War in the Air and The Sleeper Awakes. We still scored it 65; these are context for your family, not an automatic skip.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety72
Substance / usefulness65
Craft & writing74
Originality52
Evidence & accuracy77
Hype vs delivers71
Age-fit76
👁 Human-eye gut-check64
Penny’s verdict65
Cross-pollinate