Wellsâs satire on literature, âBoonâ was originally published under the pseudonym Reginald Bliss; a follow-up to the Fabian-savaging âThe New Machiavelliâ. It purports, however, to be by the fictional character Reginald Bliss, and for some time after publication Wells denied authorship. âBoonâ is best known for its part in Wellsâs debate on the nature of literature with Henry James, who is caricatured in the book. But in âBoonâ Wells also mocks himself, calling into question and ridiculing a notion he held dear â that of humanityâs collective consciousness. Among these pieces is the infamous parody of the late style of Henry James, all the more effective for being so distinctive a target. Describing James as the âculmination of the superficial typeâ, it is not surprising that the âindiscreet, ill-advisedâ content of Boon, as Wells describes it in his âIntroductionâ, put a serious strain on the relationship between the two authors.