The Food of the Gods

The groundbreaking science fiction classic by H.G. Wells Imagine a food…that could change the course of human history. In The Food of The Gods and How it Came to Earth, legendary science fiction author H.G. Wells provocatively chronicles this very idea: a food so powerful it transforms society as we know it. Two young scientists, Mr. Bensington and Professor Redwood, begin their study of “growth” on a whim, then proceed to develop Herakleophorbia IV, a growth serum quickly named “The Food of the Gods.” The serum is tested on chickens, who quickly grow to six times their size. It’s deemed a success, but after the serum makes its way into the local food chain, the gigantism spreads—giant plants, earwigs, wasps, and even rats. English villages are terrorized and ransacked. But the scientists have yet to learn their lesson, administering the serum to numerous young children. “Boomfood” has now taken the entire country by storm, forcing all of England to reckon with the recklessness of the scientists. Will the giants find peace among the common citizens, or will they be forced to shed blood to ensure their own survival? “If any writer could overcome the hurdles inherent in humanizing giants, that writer would be H. G. Wells, the fellow who practically pioneered all the major tropes of science fiction.”—Paul Di Filippo, Hugo-nominated author of The Steampunk Trilogy