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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
overly descriptive and a pretentious protagonist two of the worst traits ever and they were combined in this book
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
I listened to this via Scribd. There were several versions to choose from and I chose the one narrated by Toby Scott McLellah.
I can definitely understand why in 1897 this book would have been a big deal, and at its core, the concept is a good one. Unfortunately, it was a very dry listen, although I'm glad I listened instead of read it, as I'm pretty sure even though it's less than 200 pages, I would have quit. Because of the time it was written, there's a lot of fluff in the narration and dialogue. A lot of "forthwiths" and "notwithstanding" - it takes a while for H.G. Wells to get to his point in some spots and I kept drifting off, thinking about other things, then having to rewind and re-listen. I also think my experience was a bit hindered due in part to the narrator I chose to listen to. He was also very dry, and chose odd speech patterns and accents for different characters (of which, I think, there are way too many for this simple of a story). One character he voiced as if they were Igor from Dracula and it was super distracting. Also, while the actual quality of the audio was fine, it felt very sloppy. There are several parts where he trips up while reading, and just corrects himself and keeps going- no hiccups edited out, and that became something I was listening for as opposed to paying attention to the story.
I found it really difficult to sympathize with The Invisible Man. You do get a little back story, and I found myself understanding why he would want to become invisible, and Wells even did a pretty good job of explaining how he becomes invisible (lots of science/physics in that section - a little over my head but I got the gist of it) but the majority of the book is The Invisible Man beating people up. It became very repetitive and difficult to get behind him as a character.
This book has been on my list for a long time (even before I started listing want-to-reads on Goodreads) and the upcoming movie starring Elizabeth Moss is what put a fire under me to finally take a listen. I'm curious to see what they pull from the original, and while I don't imagine the 2020 film will become a classic, I do think, for me, it'll be the rare case of the moving being better than the book that inspired it.
I can definitely understand why in 1897 this book would have been a big deal, and at its core, the concept is a good one. Unfortunately, it was a very dry listen, although I'm glad I listened instead of read it, as I'm pretty sure even though it's less than 200 pages, I would have quit. Because of the time it was written, there's a lot of fluff in the narration and dialogue. A lot of "forthwiths" and "notwithstanding" - it takes a while for H.G. Wells to get to his point in some spots and I kept drifting off, thinking about other things, then having to rewind and re-listen. I also think my experience was a bit hindered due in part to the narrator I chose to listen to. He was also very dry, and chose odd speech patterns and accents for different characters (of which, I think, there are way too many for this simple of a story). One character he voiced as if they were Igor from Dracula and it was super distracting. Also, while the actual quality of the audio was fine, it felt very sloppy. There are several parts where he trips up while reading, and just corrects himself and keeps going- no hiccups edited out, and that became something I was listening for as opposed to paying attention to the story.
I found it really difficult to sympathize with The Invisible Man. You do get a little back story, and I found myself understanding why he would want to become invisible, and Wells even did a pretty good job of explaining how he becomes invisible (lots of science/physics in that section - a little over my head but I got the gist of it) but the majority of the book is The Invisible Man beating people up. It became very repetitive and difficult to get behind him as a character.
This book has been on my list for a long time (even before I started listing want-to-reads on Goodreads) and the upcoming movie starring Elizabeth Moss is what put a fire under me to finally take a listen. I'm curious to see what they pull from the original, and while I don't imagine the 2020 film will become a classic, I do think, for me, it'll be the rare case of the moving being better than the book that inspired it.
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
¡Vaya velocidad tiene esta historia! El ritmo que tiene es una locura. No me lo esperaba para ser del siglo XIX. Demasiada acción para mí.
Es la historia de un científico que averigua la forma de volverse invisible. El resultado le salió, sin duda, perfecto, salvo por la particularidad que ahora no sabe cómo revertir el efecto. Su nuevo estado le brindará mil y un disgustos y situaciones comprometidas, a la par que sembrará el caos de aquellos con los que se va encontrando en el camino.
Esta es una novela hilarante, cómica, con mucha acción. Es muy efectista, quizás demasiado. Está bien narrada y se cierra correctamente. Publicada en 1897, es una de las novelas precursoras de la ciencia ficción, y en ella, el autor nos muestra la cara no tan progresista de la invención, los peligros que entraña. Es curioso saber lo que implicaría tener un super poder como este, sus ventajas y desventajas. Algunos de sus personajes, aparte del protagonista, resultan bastante carismáticos y los diálogos son muy cómicos.
Creo que es una novela ideal para leerla a cualquier edad, eso sí, sólo si te gusta que vayan describiendo cada detalle de lo que va ocurriendo, como si se tratara de la retransmisión por radio de un partido de fútbol.
Es la historia de un científico que averigua la forma de volverse invisible. El resultado le salió, sin duda, perfecto, salvo por la particularidad que ahora no sabe cómo revertir el efecto. Su nuevo estado le brindará mil y un disgustos y situaciones comprometidas, a la par que sembrará el caos de aquellos con los que se va encontrando en el camino.
Esta es una novela hilarante, cómica, con mucha acción. Es muy efectista, quizás demasiado. Está bien narrada y se cierra correctamente. Publicada en 1897, es una de las novelas precursoras de la ciencia ficción, y en ella, el autor nos muestra la cara no tan progresista de la invención, los peligros que entraña. Es curioso saber lo que implicaría tener un super poder como este, sus ventajas y desventajas. Algunos de sus personajes, aparte del protagonista, resultan bastante carismáticos y los diálogos son muy cómicos.
Creo que es una novela ideal para leerla a cualquier edad, eso sí, sólo si te gusta que vayan describiendo cada detalle de lo que va ocurriendo, como si se tratara de la retransmisión por radio de un partido de fútbol.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was my 199th book finished in 2025.
Weak, very weak. For such an interesting idea, it doesn't do an awful lot to explore the premise. The invisible man is a bit of a prick, that's obvious from the very start. We're not given any opportunities to like him, so I ended up finding him petty and annoying by the end. Interesting that the protagonist becomes the antagonist.
I found the plot pretty boring to be honest, and it was a thin plot at that. Ahh, anything could have happened, but it was just a constant cycle of the invisible man intimidating people, and then people chasing him. Again and again.
It started off quite strong, but it kind of descended into a pantomime. Not helped by the narrator doing silly voices...
Also, it frustrated me that the story is subtitled "a grotesque romance". Where's the romance? Did I miss something?
Weak, very weak. For such an interesting idea, it doesn't do an awful lot to explore the premise. The invisible man is a bit of a prick, that's obvious from the very start. We're not given any opportunities to like him, so I ended up finding him petty and annoying by the end. Interesting that the protagonist becomes the antagonist.
I found the plot pretty boring to be honest, and it was a thin plot at that. Ahh, anything could have happened, but it was just a constant cycle of the invisible man intimidating people, and then people chasing him. Again and again.
It started off quite strong, but it kind of descended into a pantomime. Not helped by the narrator doing silly voices...
Also, it frustrated me that the story is subtitled "a grotesque romance". Where's the romance? Did I miss something?
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It does have good things to take away, but it’s not one of those books I think I will want to read again for a long time.
reflective