If Herbert George Wells was still alive he'd be 145 years young today. Born in Bromley, in Kent, in 1866, he was a prolific writer in many genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary. But he is now best known for his science fiction works, so much so that he is regularly referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction".
Of course it could be argued that he lives on today, through his work and the influence it has had. H G Wells' stories have certainly been an inspiration for my own work within the Pax Britannia universe - specifically The First Men in the Moon, in the case of Dark Side.
His seminal works must surely be The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, the latter having inspired composer Jeff Wayne, comic creators Ian Edginton and D'Israeli, master storyteller Alan Moore and - judging by the cover to his forthcoming The Great Game - Lavie Tidhar.
So I'd like to take a moment to raise a glass to "The Father of Science Fiction", wish him a Happy Birthday and say thank you. Science fiction and steampunk in particular wouldn't be what it is today without you.
And Steven Spielberg's take on H G's classic is on BBC 3 now. Coincidence? I'd like to think not.
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