Overview
A strange atmospheric event becomes the trigger for a transformed society. Wells uses the speculative premise to imagine changes in politics, conflict, relationships and everyday life.
This title is catalogued in Science Fiction & Speculative. Its reading profile is Medium and Moderate, with themes including technology, society, class, future, war.
One-Page Summary
In the Days of the Comet, Wells imagines a future in which humanity is transformed by a strange atmospheric event caused by a comet. William Leadford, a working-class young man, lives in a society defined by poverty, class conflict, bad relationships, and political tension. He becomes involved in a personal and social crisis just as the comet’s gases spread through the atmosphere. When the event passes, humanity experiences an abrupt change in consciousness. People become calmer, more empathetic, less obsessed with violence and possessiveness, and more capable of imagining a cooperative social order.
Wells uses the transformation as a thought experiment. Instead of asking how to force people to build a better society, what would happen if the psychological conditions that sustain greed, hatred, and fear simply disappeared? The novel then compares the old world with the reconstructed one, allowing Wells to explore politics, economics, sexuality, education, work, and relationships. The solution is deliberately extraordinary because Wells wants to expose the assumptions embedded in ordinary society. If people were less driven by rivalry, what institutions would still be necessary?
If jealousy and possessiveness weakened, how would love change? The book is both speculative romance and social philosophy. Its radical premise can feel idealistic, but that is the point: the comet gives Wells permission to imagine what humans might become if a basic part of their emotional machinery suddenly changed.
Key Themes
Technology: This title is tagged with technology as one of its main themes.
Society: This title is tagged with society as one of its main themes.
Class: This title is tagged with class as one of its main themes.
Future: This title is tagged with future as one of its main themes.
War: This title is tagged with war as one of its main themes.
Evolution: This title is tagged with evolution as one of its main themes.