With more than a whiff of ‘Jurassic Park’ about it, ‘Aepyornis Island’ is a short story that follows the adventures of a biologist, Butcher. Butcher has been tasked to explore the Madagascan islands. The water on one of the islands seems to have a preservative quality, leading Butcher to discover four gigantic eggs that appear freshly laid despite being at least 400 years old. Butcher’s mission is to get these eggs back to the mainland, but a series of strange events put his precious find at risk. A tense and gripping adventure story, Wells shows his background as a biologist and his fascination with pre-history.
H.G. Wells (1866 – 1946) was a prolific writer and the author of more than 50 novels. Additionally, he wrote more than 60 short stories, alongside various scientific papers. Many of his most famous works have been adapted for film and television, including ‘The Time Machine,’ starring Guy Pearce, ‘War of the Worlds,’ starring Tom Cruise, and ‘The Invisible Man,’ starring Elizabeth Moss. Because of his various works exploring futuristic themes, Wells is regarded as one of the ‘Fathers of Science Fiction.’