History: Literature / TheShapeOfThingsToCome

''The Shape of Things to Come'' is a 1933 SpeculativeFiction novel by Creator/HGWells, detailing mankind's struggles to survive and reach the future in the midst of global war and societal collapse.

The original novel prognosticates WorldWarII (though in the book the war lasts for a decade or more), which ends inconclusively but decimates all of civilization -- not helped by [[ThePlague a horrific plague]] which nearly effaces the human populace.

Wells then envisions a benevolent OneWorldOrder which comes in and, using its monopoly on the world's surviving transportation infrastructure, begins to rebuild society into a scientific {{utopia}}. After a century, the OneWorldOrder is peacefully overthrown, after which the utopia is apparently achieved.

The novel was [[FilmOfTheBook adapted to film]] as ''Film/ThingsToCome'' in 1936, and the title ([[InNameOnly and little else]]) was appropriated for another sci-fi film in 1979. The novel also provided the title for an episode of ''Series/{{Lost}}'' and the closing sequence of ''Series/{{Caprica}}'', amongst other {{Shout Out}}s in popular culture.

!!This novel provides examples of:
* AfterTheEnd
* BalkanizeMe: As an aftermath of the novel's version of WorldWarTwo, the effectiveness of many countries' governments to enforce their power faded in varying degrees, rendering many regions de facto autonomous.
** DividedStatesOfAmerica: For example Utah, where Mormonism was then declared the state religion.
* BlackShirt: Actual UsefulNotes/FascistItaly Black Shirts are still operating some time after the second Conference at Basra in 1978.
* ExtyYearsFromNow
* HistoryMarchesOn: Subverted when the book (more or less accurately) prognosticates the start of WorldWarII. Then double-subverted when the book's WWII goes on for over a decade and completely obliterates all of human society.
** TheGreatPoliticsMessUp
* NoBikesInTheApocalypse: Averted in chapter 11 ''Europe in 1960'' wherein the ''Diary of Titus Cobbett'' is mentioned, written during Cobbett's bicycle ride through the [[AfterTheEnd completely devastated Europe]] of [[{{Zeerust}} 1958]].
* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: The book claims to be adapted from the notes of one Dr. Philip Raven.
* ThePlague
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Wings Over The World.
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