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The Stolen Bacillus And Other Incidents by H. G. Wells
From a hijacked test tube to uncanny scientific mishaps, these sharp, playful tales peer at the future with wit and wonder. The Stolen Bacillus And Other Incidents showcases H. G. Wells experimenting with the possibilities—and perils—of modern discovery.
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In The Stolen Bacillus And Other Incidents, did you enjoy ...
... concise, idea-driven SF vignettes that turn mundane scenes uncanny?
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
If what hooked you was how stories like "The Stolen Bacillus" and "The Remarkable Case of Davidson’s Eyes" sprint from everyday London into the bizarre and are over before you can catch your breath, you’ll love the mosaic of short tales in The Illustrated Man. Each tattoo births a stand-alone story with a bold premise and quick, striking payoff—much like the sudden orchid menace in "The Flowering of the Strange Orchid"—giving you that same hit of wonder in tightly crafted doses.
... witty, satirical thought experiments that lampoon science and society?
The Cyberiad by Stanislaw Lem
Enjoyed the sly send-ups in pieces like "A Deal in Ostriches" and the academic pomposity skewered around the bacteriologist in "The Stolen Bacillus"? The Cyberiad delivers a cascade of clever fables about hyper-competent constructors who use invention to expose human (and robot) absurdities. Its playful logic puzzles and social jabs echo the same impish spirit that fuels Wells’s comic contraptions and hoaxes.
... macabre, comic twists on scientific mishaps and human folly?
Untouched by Human Hands by Robert Sheckley
If the grim chuckle you got from the anarchist’s would-be plague in "The Stolen Bacillus" or the lethal curiosities of "The Flowering of the Strange Orchid" is your sweet spot, Sheckley’s stories are a treasure trove. In Untouched by Human Hands, doomed schemes, malfunctioning ideas, and ironic reversals pile up with a wicked grin, delivering the same darkly comic sting that Wells uses to puncture vanity and hubris.
... imaginative riffs on scientific concepts told with human warmth over technical detail?
Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino
If what you loved was how tales like "The Diamond Maker" and "The Remarkable Case of Davidson’s Eyes" spin big ideas from science without drowning you in equations, Cosmicomics is a delight. Calvino turns cosmology into whimsical, human-scale adventures—otherworldly yet intimate—capturing the same curiosity-forward vibe that animates Wells’s speculative what-ifs.
... tales that end on a sharp, ironic twist after a straight-faced scientific setup?
Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke
If the sudden left turns in "Aepyornis Island" or the final wink in "The Stolen Bacillus" made you grin, Clarke’s pub yarns will scratch that itch. Tales from the White Hart serves up raconteurs who spin plausible-sounding experiments into escalating absurdity before snapping shut with a clever payoff—very much in the spirit of Wells’s precise setups and mischievous endings.
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