Twelve Stories and a Dream

The man credited with conquering the skies has never flown. H. G. Wells introduces Filmer, a timid, overlooked inventor whose great idea may change almost everything—and whose greatest challenge may be getting anyone to believe him.

In the bustling, skeptical world of turn-of-the-century London, Filmer works quietly while the promise of flight belongs to balloons, dangerous machines and louder men. When he finally announces an invention that could unite their opposing strengths, the public barely listens; even success brings demands and expectations that make his shyness a liability. This collection gathers twelve stories and a dream, moving from scientific speculation to sharp comedy and the strange turns of ordinary lives. Can Filmer persuade the world to take his invention seriously—and face what happens when it does?

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