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misskitty14's review against another edition
It felt sexist. Its world-building was poor. Not exciting.
danbydame's review against another edition
5.0
I'm actually reading the 1934 edition (first US printing) of this collection, set in a rather unusual two-column format. I don't know that I will read all seven stories, but classic Sci-fi just felt right for the first read of the summer. And it has been whispering to me from the shelf by the pool table triangle for so long now. Every evening when Chris and I play our usual cocktail hour best of three, it beckons me with its heft, its rough faded green binding and smoooooth tissue thin pages, its promise of "old book" smell. I could no longer resist its siren call.
(sorry, could not figure out how to work in sense of taste without going really overboard).
First up, The Time Machine. 5 stars.
I have a vague sense of the plot of this story from a movie I must have seen years ago. And of course, the movie must have been quite different, so a corner of my mind was always struggling with these half formed contradictions. But that is not the fault of the original, so full 5 stars!
Actually, I found the plot of the story to be the secondary element. More interesting was the Time Traveller's evolving hypotheses on the world that greeted him in the year 802,701. His 1890s understanding of humanity had to be dismantled element by element before he could accurately grasp this future world. As a true scientist, he embraced each new understanding as it came, and would chastise himself each time a bias would slip into his theories. The Time Traveller was likeable and believable.
HG Wells' future vision was handled with a light touch. Although descriptive passages were needed to set the scene, this did not feel like a lecture or dissertation like many utopian / dystopian stories can. Wells created enough surprises and interesting but believable twists to make it feel like a truly new world, without getting carried away. The Time Traveller remained the focus of the story, as he should. Good Sci Fi isn't about the the science. Like all good fiction, it's still about the person.
I'm up for another ... The Island of Dr Moreau, perhaps?
The Island of Dr. Moreau. 5 stars
Started a little slow, but then it picked up nicely. If you rewrote Dr. Moreau as a gene-splicer rather than a vivisectionist, you would have a current day plot with current event topicality.
The theme, again, is really about humanity. The line between human and beast is a little blurrier and a lot thinner than we may think ...
So, was Dr. Moreau the original mad scientist living on a deserted island with a volcano at its center, and with an odd, lisping assistant? It's funny when something is SUCH a cliche that even the (possibly) original upon which all others are based makes you roll your eyes. Someone had to be the first...
I am skipping The Invisible Man. 3 stars. I read it awhile ago. I recall the main character did entirely too much yelling and crashing about.
But, War of the Worlds? can't pass up that one ...
Wow. War of the Worlds Can I give 6 stars? That was so interesting to read from the perspective of a jumping-off point in literature. It seems all alien invasion stories are in some fashion derivative of this story. So well thought out, so believable in every phase of people's reaction to the invasion, so many interesting tidbits (like the incidental invasive red weed). And then on top of it, it was simply a really great story! A really great story. He even had his narrator suffer from PTSD. The only downside was that I might have understood a little better if I had a better understanding of the geography of the greater London area.
I think that's enough HG Wells for now. I fear I will be disappointed by any other story.
(sorry, could not figure out how to work in sense of taste without going really overboard).
First up, The Time Machine. 5 stars.
I have a vague sense of the plot of this story from a movie I must have seen years ago. And of course, the movie must have been quite different, so a corner of my mind was always struggling with these half formed contradictions. But that is not the fault of the original, so full 5 stars!
Actually, I found the plot of the story to be the secondary element. More interesting was the Time Traveller's evolving hypotheses on the world that greeted him in the year 802,701. His 1890s understanding of humanity had to be dismantled element by element before he could accurately grasp this future world. As a true scientist, he embraced each new understanding as it came, and would chastise himself each time a bias would slip into his theories. The Time Traveller was likeable and believable.
HG Wells' future vision was handled with a light touch. Although descriptive passages were needed to set the scene, this did not feel like a lecture or dissertation like many utopian / dystopian stories can. Wells created enough surprises and interesting but believable twists to make it feel like a truly new world, without getting carried away. The Time Traveller remained the focus of the story, as he should. Good Sci Fi isn't about the the science. Like all good fiction, it's still about the person.
I'm up for another ... The Island of Dr Moreau, perhaps?
The Island of Dr. Moreau. 5 stars
Started a little slow, but then it picked up nicely. If you rewrote Dr. Moreau as a gene-splicer rather than a vivisectionist, you would have a current day plot with current event topicality.
The theme, again, is really about humanity. The line between human and beast is a little blurrier and a lot thinner than we may think ...
So, was Dr. Moreau the original mad scientist living on a deserted island with a volcano at its center, and with an odd, lisping assistant? It's funny when something is SUCH a cliche that even the (possibly) original upon which all others are based makes you roll your eyes. Someone had to be the first...
I am skipping The Invisible Man. 3 stars. I read it awhile ago. I recall the main character did entirely too much yelling and crashing about.
But, War of the Worlds? can't pass up that one ...
Wow. War of the Worlds Can I give 6 stars? That was so interesting to read from the perspective of a jumping-off point in literature. It seems all alien invasion stories are in some fashion derivative of this story. So well thought out, so believable in every phase of people's reaction to the invasion, so many interesting tidbits (like the incidental invasive red weed). And then on top of it, it was simply a really great story! A really great story. He even had his narrator suffer from PTSD. The only downside was that I might have understood a little better if I had a better understanding of the geography of the greater London area.
I think that's enough HG Wells for now. I fear I will be disappointed by any other story.
clockless's review against another edition
4.0
The Time Machine 4*
The Island of Doctor Moreau 4*
The Invisible Man 4*
The War of the Worlds 2*
The First Men in the Moon 4*
The Food of the Gods 2*
In the Days of the Comet 1*
Very uneven overall. I reviewed them all separately, but in simple terms when he's good he's great, but his misses are similarly large.
The Island of Doctor Moreau 4*
The Invisible Man 4*
The War of the Worlds 2*
The First Men in the Moon 4*
The Food of the Gods 2*
In the Days of the Comet 1*
Very uneven overall. I reviewed them all separately, but in simple terms when he's good he's great, but his misses are similarly large.
penguininabluebox's review against another edition
4.0
The Time Machine: 4*
The Invisible Man: 4*
The Island of Dr Moreau: 4*
The War of the Worlds: 4.5*
The First Men in the Moon: 4.5*
The Food of the Gods: 4*
In the Days of the Comet: 4*
The Invisible Man: 4*
The Island of Dr Moreau: 4*
The War of the Worlds: 4.5*
The First Men in the Moon: 4.5*
The Food of the Gods: 4*
In the Days of the Comet: 4*
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