H.G. Wells (1866–1946) is widely known as one of the creators of the science fiction genre, the author of popular, repeatedly filmed novels - “War of the Worlds”, “The Time Machine”, “The Invisible Man”, “The Island of Doctor Moreau”. However, Russian readers know almost nothing about other aspects of Wells' life - about his political activities and propaganda of socialism, about his trips to the USSR, where he met with Lenin and Stalin, about his relationships with women, the last and most beloved of whom was the famous adventuress Maria Budberg . Writer Maxim Chertanov talks about all this in the first Russian biography of Wells, based on a wide range of sources and supplemented with a large number of illustrations. The book is addressed not only to science fiction fans, but also to anyone interested in the history of the 20th century, in which Wells played a significant role.