Under the stress of World War I Wells went through an extended period of what he called in his autobiography "deistic phrasing," without, however, making "any concessions to doctrinal Christianity." But "[a]fter The Undying Fire, God as a character disappears from my work, except for a brief undignified appearance, a regrettable appearance, dressed in moonshine and armed with Cupid's bow and arrows in The Secret Places of the Heart (1922).
Under the pressure of World War I, Wells employed an elaborate writing style, which he described as "deistic phrasing," without making any concessions to traditional Christianity. Nevertheless, "[after The Undying Fire], God disappears from my literary work, except for a brief and somewhat awkward appearance in The Secret Places of the Heart (1922)."