When the Sleeper Wakes
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Graham, an 1890s radical pamphleteer, was a young man when he finally resorted to medication for his insomnia and fell into a deep sleep. He wakes two hundred years later, still youthful, to an age of great marvels and scientific achievementβand a world whose strange underlying economy is that it is all his private property. By inheritance and the compounding of interest, Graham the Sleeper has become the sole, final owner of everything and is revered as a leader, with a council that dictates to the world in his name.
This science fiction classic was called by Wells himself βone of the most ambitious of my books.β A stirringly prophetic novel, it envisioned flying, advertising, television, banking, labor organization, and totalitarianism, all within the framework of an exciting personal adventure story.
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H. G. Wells (1866β1946), born in Bromley, Kent, England, was apprenticed to a drygoodsman and a druggist before he made his way to the Royal College of Science where he studied biology. Known as the father of science fiction, he was also a prolific writer in other genres, including contemporary novels, history, and social commentary. As a spokesman for progress and peace, his middle period novels (1900β1920) were more realistic and covered lower-middle-class life, suffrage, and the emergence of feminist ideals that pushed against the limits set by male-dominated society.
Frederick Davidson (1932β2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFileβs Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.
