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The Shape of Things to Come
The Shape of Things to Come
Feb 26, 2026 2:14 AM

Author:H G Wells,John Clute,John Partington

The Shape of Things to Come

When Dr Philip Raven, an intellectual working for the League of Nations, dies in 1930 he leaves behind a powerful legacy - an unpublished 'dream book'. Inspired by visions he has experienced for many years, it appears to be a book written far into the future: a history of humanity from the date of his death up to 2105. The Shape of Things to Come provides this 'history of the future', an account that was in some ways remarkably prescient - predicting climatic disaster and sweeping cultural changes, including a Second World War, the rise of chemical warfare, and political instabilities in the Middle East.

Reviews

An unmissable writer

—— GQ

Barry has an extraordinary talent for creating historical characters who inhabit a convincing past

—— Independent

Both a history lesson about a hushed-up episode of British imperialism and a dramatic read

—— Daily Mail

An epic adventure across dangerous mountains and towards the remote kingdom of Bhutan... A convincing read

—— Big Issue

Passages of lyrical descriptive writing create a vivid sense of place, conjuring the light, colour, wildlife and weather of Bhutan. A rich seam of the picturesque animates the novel

—— Times Literary Supplement
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