The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth
Encyclopedia
The Food of the Gods and How it Came to Earth is a novel written by H. G. Wells
. Published in 1904, it is one of his lesser known scientific romances, aside from the various B-movie
adaptations (see below).
Unfortunately, the slovenly couple hired to feed and monitor the chicks allow other creatures to eat the food, and soon giant rats, wasps and worms are terrorizing the countryside. The chickens then escape and overrun a nearby town. Urged on by a civil engineer named Cossar, Bensington and Redwood take responsibility for the mayhem. Armed with buffalo rifles and explosives, the men hunt down the monstrous vermin and burn the experimental farm to the ground.
The rest of the book focuses on the humans that have been reared on the food. Redwood mixes the substance into his own son’s bottle, causing him to grow and making him wholly dependent on it. Other children are given the food, including Cossar’s three sons, a princess, and the grandson of the couple hired to look after the experimental farm, Albert Caddles. Unwilling to stop feeding it to them (doing so would prove fatal), Cossar and Redwood look after their massive offspring until they finally reach 40 feet in height.
The rest of the world doesn’t take so kindly towards the young giants. Fear and mistrust run rampant, goaded by an opportunistic politician, John 'The Giant Killer' Caterham, as well as the occasional outbreak of giant vermin (mosquitoes, spiders, etc.). Despite their attempts to prove useful to society, the giants are restricted and segregated at every turn, while Bensington is driven into hiding by an anti-giant mob.
The worst treatment is reserved for Caddles. Having been forced to spend most of his life working in a chalk pit, he one day sets out to see the world he has been isolated from. Walking right into London, surrounded by thousands of tiny people and confused by everything he sees, he demands to know what it's all for and where he fits in. Getting no answer and told to return to his chalk pit, Caddles wanders aimlessly until he is finally gunned down by the police.
The conflict is brought to an inevitable head. The book ends on the eve of all-out war between the 'Pygmies,' small in body and mind but vast in numbers, and the 'Children of the Food,' who claim to fight not just for themselves, but for growth itself in all its forms. Whether they succeed or not is left unanswered.
was released by American International Pictures
in 1976, written, produced, and directed by Bert I. Gordon
. Based on a portion of the book, it reduced the tale to an 'Ecology
Strikes Back' scenario, common in science fiction movies at the time. The movie was not very successful. However, it did receive a Golden Turkey Award for Worst Rodent Movie Of All Time, beating such competitors as The Killer Shrews
(1959), The Mole People
(1956), The Nasty Rabbit
(1965), and Night of the Lepus
(1972).
Interestingly, Bert I. Gordon had earlier written, produced, and directed (for Embassy Pictures
) Village of the Giants
(1965), also very loosely based on the book. The substance, called simply "Goo", is developed by an 11-year-old Ron Howard
. It’s consumed by a gang of teenage troublemakers (led by Beau Bridges
), who become giants and take over the town, turning the tables on the knee-high adults. They are eventually defeated by the good teens (led by Tommy Kirk
). With the substance scientifically created and the giants coming into conflict with the little people, it actually was closer to the book than the later effort - though not by much.
In 1989, Gnaw: Food of the Gods, Part 2
was released, written by Richard Bennett and directed by Damian Lee. Dealing with a pack of giant lab rats wreaking havoc on a college campus, it was even further removed from the book than Gordon's attempts.
No. 160, with a painted cover by Gerald McCann, script by Alfred Sundel, and interior artwork by Tony Tallarico. The giant wasps were shown in only two panels and the rats weren’t shown at all.
A more dynamic and dramatic version, "told in the mighty Marvel
manner," was found in Marvel Comics Classics #22. Writer Doug Moench
greatly improved on the Classics Illustrated script while Sonny Trinidad produced striking artwork without going over the top. The rats were allowed to be seen, along with several effective panels depicting warfare between the Pygmies and the Children of the Food.
"Deadly Muffins" in Secrets of Sinister House
#13 is an uncredited take-off on the story written by John Albano
and drawn by Alfredo Alcala
.
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
. Published in 1904, it is one of his lesser known scientific romances, aside from the various B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
adaptations (see below).
Plot summary
Two scientists, Bensington and Redwood, conduct research into the growth process of living things. The result is a chemical foodstuff (which they name Herakleophorbia IV) that accelerates and extends the process past its normal cycle. Setting up an experimental farm, the pair test the substance on chicks, causing them to grow into giants.Unfortunately, the slovenly couple hired to feed and monitor the chicks allow other creatures to eat the food, and soon giant rats, wasps and worms are terrorizing the countryside. The chickens then escape and overrun a nearby town. Urged on by a civil engineer named Cossar, Bensington and Redwood take responsibility for the mayhem. Armed with buffalo rifles and explosives, the men hunt down the monstrous vermin and burn the experimental farm to the ground.
The rest of the book focuses on the humans that have been reared on the food. Redwood mixes the substance into his own son’s bottle, causing him to grow and making him wholly dependent on it. Other children are given the food, including Cossar’s three sons, a princess, and the grandson of the couple hired to look after the experimental farm, Albert Caddles. Unwilling to stop feeding it to them (doing so would prove fatal), Cossar and Redwood look after their massive offspring until they finally reach 40 feet in height.
The rest of the world doesn’t take so kindly towards the young giants. Fear and mistrust run rampant, goaded by an opportunistic politician, John 'The Giant Killer' Caterham, as well as the occasional outbreak of giant vermin (mosquitoes, spiders, etc.). Despite their attempts to prove useful to society, the giants are restricted and segregated at every turn, while Bensington is driven into hiding by an anti-giant mob.
The worst treatment is reserved for Caddles. Having been forced to spend most of his life working in a chalk pit, he one day sets out to see the world he has been isolated from. Walking right into London, surrounded by thousands of tiny people and confused by everything he sees, he demands to know what it's all for and where he fits in. Getting no answer and told to return to his chalk pit, Caddles wanders aimlessly until he is finally gunned down by the police.
The conflict is brought to an inevitable head. The book ends on the eve of all-out war between the 'Pygmies,' small in body and mind but vast in numbers, and the 'Children of the Food,' who claim to fight not just for themselves, but for growth itself in all its forms. Whether they succeed or not is left unanswered.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
Perhaps inevitably, it is mostly through the movies that the story is remembered. The Food of the GodsThe Food of the Gods (film)
The Food of the Gods is a 1976 film released by American International Pictures and was written, produced, and directed by Bert I. Gordon....
was released by American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
in 1976, written, produced, and directed by Bert I. Gordon
Bert I. Gordon
Bert I. Gordon is an American film director most famous for such science fiction and horror B-movies as The Amazing Colossal Man and Village of the Giants....
. Based on a portion of the book, it reduced the tale to an 'Ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
Strikes Back' scenario, common in science fiction movies at the time. The movie was not very successful. However, it did receive a Golden Turkey Award for Worst Rodent Movie Of All Time, beating such competitors as The Killer Shrews
The Killer Shrews
The Killer Shrews is a 1959 science fiction film directed by Ray Kellogg. It has been released on DVD and is considered a cult classic. It was featured in the fourth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000, as well as the first season of the similar show This Movie Sucks!.-Plot:Thorne Sherman and...
(1959), The Mole People
The Mole People
-Plot:The film begins with a narration by Dr. Frank Baxter, an English professor at the University of Southern California, explaining the premise of the movie and its basis in reality...
(1956), The Nasty Rabbit
The Nasty Rabbit
- Cast :*Michael Terr as Mischa Lowzoff*Arch Hall Jr. as Britt Hunter*Liz Renay as Cecelia Solomon*Arch Hall Sr. as Marshall Malout / Malcolm McKinley*Hal Bizzy as Heinrich Krueger*Jack Little as Maxwell Stoppie*Ray Vegas as Pancho Gonzales*John Akana as Col...
(1965), and Night of the Lepus
Night of the Lepus
Night of the Lepus, also known as Rabbits, is a 1972 American science fiction horror film based on the 1964 science fiction novel The Year of the Angry Rabbit. Released theatrically on October 4, 1972, it focuses on members of a small Arizona town who battle thousands of mutated, carnivorous killer...
(1972).
Interestingly, Bert I. Gordon had earlier written, produced, and directed (for Embassy Pictures
Embassy Pictures
Embassy Pictures Corporation was an independent studio and distributor responsible for such films as The Graduate, The Lion in Winter, This Is Spinal Tap and Escape from New York.-Founding:The company was founded in 1942 by producer Joseph E...
) Village of the Giants
Village of the Giants
Village of the Giants is a 1965 science-fiction/comedy movie with many elements of the beach party film genre. It was produced, directed and written by Bert I. Gordon, and based loosely on H.G. Wells's book The Food of the Gods...
(1965), also very loosely based on the book. The substance, called simply "Goo", is developed by an 11-year-old Ron Howard
Ron Howard
Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
. It’s consumed by a gang of teenage troublemakers (led by Beau Bridges
Beau Bridges
Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III is an American actor and director.- Early life :Bridges was born in Los Angeles, the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and his college sweetheart, Dorothy Bridges . He was nicknamed "Beau" by his mother and father after Ashley Wilkes's son in Gone with the Wind, the book...
), who become giants and take over the town, turning the tables on the knee-high adults. They are eventually defeated by the good teens (led by Tommy Kirk
Tommy Kirk
Thomas Lee "Tommy" Kirk is a former American actor, and later a businessman.-Disney years:Kirk was discovered by talent agents at the age of thirteen in a production of Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California...
). With the substance scientifically created and the giants coming into conflict with the little people, it actually was closer to the book than the later effort - though not by much.
In 1989, Gnaw: Food of the Gods, Part 2
Food of the Gods II
Food of the Gods II, sometimes referred to as Gnaw: Food of the Gods II as well as Food of the Gods part 2, is a 1989 film that is a very loose sequel to the 1976 Bert I. Gordon film based on H.G. Wells' novel, The Food of the Gods. It is a sequel in name only, as its plot bears no relation to the...
was released, written by Richard Bennett and directed by Damian Lee. Dealing with a pack of giant lab rats wreaking havoc on a college campus, it was even further removed from the book than Gordon's attempts.
Comic Book Adaptions
The Food of the Gods was first adapted for the comics in January 1961, for Classics IllustratedClassics Illustrated
Classics Illustrated is a comic book series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as Moby Dick, Hamlet, and The Iliad. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in 1941 and finished its first run in 1971, producing 169 issues. Following the series' demise, various companies...
No. 160, with a painted cover by Gerald McCann, script by Alfred Sundel, and interior artwork by Tony Tallarico. The giant wasps were shown in only two panels and the rats weren’t shown at all.
A more dynamic and dramatic version, "told in the mighty Marvel
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
manner," was found in Marvel Comics Classics #22. Writer Doug Moench
Doug Moench
Douglas Moench , better known as Doug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok.-Biography:...
greatly improved on the Classics Illustrated script while Sonny Trinidad produced striking artwork without going over the top. The rats were allowed to be seen, along with several effective panels depicting warfare between the Pygmies and the Children of the Food.
"Deadly Muffins" in Secrets of Sinister House
Secrets of Sinister House
Secrets of Sinister House was a horror-suspense anthology comic book series published by DC Comics from 1972–1974, a companion to Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion.-Publication history:...
#13 is an uncredited take-off on the story written by John Albano
John Albano
John Albano was an American writer who worked in the comic book industry. He was recognized for his work with the Shazam Award for Best Writer in 1971, and the Shazam Award for Best Individual Short Story in 1972 for "The Demon Within", in House of Mystery #201 .Albano's most famous co-creation...
and drawn by Alfredo Alcala
Alfredo Alcala
Alfredo P. Alcala was a Filipino comic book artist, born in Talisay, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the Alcala Komix Magazine. His 1963 creation Voltar introduced him to an international audience, particularly in the United...
.
External links
- Online PDF and Epub at Google Books
- The Food of the Gods and How it Came to Earth, human-read audio version at Librivox