The Crystal Egg is a science fiction short story written by H. G. Wells in 1897. The story tells of a shop owner, named Mr. Cave, who finds a strange crystal egg that serves as a window into the planet Mars. Because of the vaguely similar descriptions of the Martians and their machines, The Crystal Egg is often considered a prequel to The War of the Worlds.

Herbert George (21 September 1866—13 August 1946) was a British 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. Together with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback, Wells has been referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction". Time Machine established his reputation. Later he came out with other science fictions: The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds , etc.