9,550 words (40–50 minutes)
Genres: Speculative Fiction, Philosophical Allegory
First publication: The Strand Magazine, April 1904

⸻

High in the Andes, a secluded valley has evolved without sight—its people blind for generations. Into this hidden world stumbles Nunez, a mountaineer who believes his vision will make him a god among men. But the "Country of the Blind" holds its own logic, and Nunez soon finds that sight may be a curse rather than a gift. H.G. Wells weaves a haunting tale of perception, power, and the collision between civilization and isolation in this masterwork of speculative fiction.