Two First SF Novels

Poul Anderson's Brain Wave:

had an original premise;
fully developed every implication of its premise;
initiated a long, prolific, creative writing career.

HG Wells' The Time Machine:

had an original premise;
hinted at implications that were developed by Wells' successors, notably by Anderson;
was followed by some good sf but also by a lot of repetitive propaganda.

This is unfair to Wells. His contributions are greater than is suggested by this comparison. He:

wrote two major interplanetary novels;
pioneered future history;
accurately, almost prophetically, predicted and warned against the consequences of air warfare, the result of twentieth century technology in the hands of nineteenth century nation-states.