First Published: 1913

Rating: Excellent

"It was on the first day of the New Year that the announcement was made, almost simultaneously from three observatories, that the motion of the planet Neptune, the outermost of all the planets that wheel about the sun, had become very erratic."

These days, H. G. Wells is known for his novels, particularly War of the Worlds and The Time Machine. But I was first introduced to the science fiction novelist through an old textbook, England in Literature, wherein there is a short story by Wells titled "The Star".

It's a simple story. In the early 1900's, back when there were only eight planets around the sun, a star barrels into the solar system from deep space. It collides with Neptune and spirals down towards the sun, swinging around Jupiter in a course that sends it towards Earth.

One character in particular has stayed with me since the first time I read the story years ago--that of the master mathematician who struggles to work through the calculations that will tell him how close the star will come to Earth. The way his section of the story is told is particularly beautiful, though all of Wells prose in this case is wonderfully haunting. There are essays upon essays that could be written about the mathematician and his impact on the story--the human element he brings to a situation that humans are powerless to stop, and his calm assertions that "man has lived in vain."

Even the pacing is perfect. It starts out relatively slow, then quickens as it progresses, much like the star itself, before coming to a halt and very thoughtful ending. While some complain about the conclusion--and it does seem a bit out of place with the rest of the story--it's the perfect ending for the tale with the scope and brilliance of "The Star." It is, on the whole, a gorgeous story--sadly overlooked these day, but well worth seeking out.

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