A key figure in the development of science-fiction literature, Herbert George Wells was a prolific British writer. After a stint as a schoolteacher, Wells crafted a series of inventive novels during the 1890s, including The Time Machine and The Invisible Man, depicting technological advancements and their dramatic ramifications. Shortly after his dark, dystopian 1898 novel, The War of the Worlds, Wells shifted to less fantastical fare, but his sci-fi tales represent his ongoing legacy.