I came across this story on a YouTube channel that narrates many different shorter books, most of which are not that well known. “The Star” by H. G. Wells was one of them. Wells is a true master of sci-fi, and I really liked this story. The writing style is easy to follow and feels very scientific. It’s fascinating that it came out in 1897 but still manages to be so accurate and thoughtful in its scientific descriptions.

„The people of Earth awaken to the news that a strange luminous object has erupted, into the Solar System, after disturbing the normal orbit of the planet Neptune. Although initially it is only of interest to astronomers, eventually the world media announces that it is a whole star, heading in a collision course toward the center of our star system. The star has already consumed Neptune.“

Blurb

The initial reaction of the so-called normal people was surprising and a bit unsettling. I’m not sure if we would react the same way today. Then again, with all the information we have and the constant stream of news from around the world, maybe we would. We all have to filter the noise and decide for ourselves what really matters.

I also found it shocking to see what such an event could mean for humanity and how many lives would be lost, while the planet itself just keeps spinning. That hit hard. It really shows how small and fragile we are in the grand scheme of the universe.

The story could have been a bit longer, but it still delivered its message effectively. Solid 4 stars from me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️