A Deal with Ostriches. Selected Stories

Herbert George Wells (1866–1946) was an English writer and publicist, author of the world-famous science fiction novels «The Time Machine», «The Invisible Man», «The War of the Worlds», and others. His work had a significant influence on the development of the science fiction genre. A considerable part of Wells’s legacy consists of short stories. In them, as in his novels, his concern for the fate of humanity in a world being changed too quickly by scientific discoveries and new technologies is reflected. The organic combination of bold imagination, gentle humor, and the breadth of social observation made Wells’s work interesting and important for readers of several generations.

Presented here are audio versions of the writer’s most captivating stories. The collection takes its title from a tale with an unpredictable adventure plot. A shipment of ostriches is being organized for an auction. Before being loaded onto a huge ocean liner, one of the birds swallows a large and very expensive diamond. Which ostrich did it, nobody knows…