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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Madness gone unseen
To rectify an error
The science was right
To rectify an error
The science was right
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
H. G. Wells’ work contains a sense of foresight that I struggle to comprehend.
This is a masterpiece of science fiction and sets the tone for the evolving genre Wells is surely a cornerstone of. Our protagonist (or rather antagonist) is wholly three-dimensional and recounts his gripping transformation, after propelling an awkward narrative capturing the essence of morality. Inspired by Plato’s myth, Wells ponders justice and society through the lens of perception, and just how deeply rooted our sense of community consciousness is within life. This epitomises science fiction as a vehicle for addressing societal issues and a masterclass in excellent writing.
Horrific, shocking description of scientific explorations only further engage with the idea that progress must require personal sacrifice, and in this case, sanity.
Outdated and disgusting racial comments read like a slap in the face and only emphasise the longevity of Wells’ work - this was written one hundred and thirty years ago.
This is a masterpiece of science fiction and sets the tone for the evolving genre Wells is surely a cornerstone of. Our protagonist (or rather antagonist) is wholly three-dimensional and recounts his gripping transformation, after propelling an awkward narrative capturing the essence of morality. Inspired by Plato’s myth, Wells ponders justice and society through the lens of perception, and just how deeply rooted our sense of community consciousness is within life. This epitomises science fiction as a vehicle for addressing societal issues and a masterclass in excellent writing.
Horrific, shocking description of scientific explorations only further engage with the idea that progress must require personal sacrifice, and in this case, sanity.
Outdated and disgusting racial comments read like a slap in the face and only emphasise the longevity of Wells’ work - this was written one hundred and thirty years ago.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The invisible man is a big, fat jerk. He is the villain you love to hate. As I was reading this book I started out sympathizing with him and his impossible situation only to become more and more horrified and disgusted. Despite my abhorrence of the main character I found myself fascinated by his story. He is both practical and fanatic, a genius with enough character flaws to add real depth to his character. I highly recommend this book.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was spectacular. As much as the idea of being invisible sounds catchy and exciting, after seeing the reality of it, it was quite shocking. This is not what I expected or thought of whenever I think about being invisible. The idea excits you and will bring your demons up, but after a while, you'll realize that you'll be deprived from the very basic human needs and feelings. You'll be left in nothing but a very lonely and dark space where no one will feel you , care about you or even acknowledge your existence. It's almost as If you got out casted from the humans' world . And now you're living in your own world, where you can't trust anyone, you're suffering on your own and when you die no one will feel you cause simple no one knows about your miserable existence. This was so tense.
Gifts can be indeed courses , so careful from what you wish for.
The ending was quite devastating, I kinda felt bad for him, he was so passionate about his work until his passion destroyed him.
Gifts can be indeed courses , so careful from what you wish for.
The ending was quite devastating, I kinda felt bad for him, he was so passionate about his work until his passion destroyed him.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When The Invisible Man started referring to himself as The Terror I knew it couldn’t peak anymore. And it wasn’t much of a peak to begin with.
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the small English village of Iping, a man arrives in the middle of the night. He walks through the blinding snow to an inn and books a room, seldom speaking, and holes himself up there in the dark and quiet. It is hot with the fire at full blaze, and yet he doesn't remove his coat and hat. He is peculiar, no doubt, but even more than the curious villagers suspect; for underneath his bandaged face, his hat, his coat, his gloves, and his tinted spectacles, he is entirely transparent.
And from him and everyone who crosses his path we come to learn the strange and remarkable story of...
The Invisible Man!
"Facial bandages are sooo out of style!"
Okay, dramatic 1940s-radio drama-esque introduction aside, this was quite an interesting little tale. And it is little, 100 pages at the most. There's not much I can tell you in the way of a summary- after all, if you've read the title, you practically know what it's about already.
The most intriguing thing about this story is, in my opinion, how real it seems. Logically, we all know that turning yourself invisible is impossible, but this book will have that tiny voice in the back of your head wondering, "But what if it wasn't...?" Wells obviously pondered quite a bit about what it would be like to become suddenly invisible- how somebody would feel, what they'd do. You can see this in the words of the Invisible Man (real name, Griffin) himself:
It's also remarkable just how much thought Wells put into the actual logic of invisibility: the drawbacks, the details. Griffin recalls how he stumbled onto the street after turning himself transparent, struggling to walk as he couldn't see his feet or legs. How his blood becomes visible as it congeals. Dr. Kemp describes the strangeness of seeing the invisible man smoke- the swirling of the vapour contained in his lungs and throat.
But the one thing that really blew my mind was how Griffin mentions in passing how he has to sleep in the dark with sheets over his face to keep out the light. Because his eyelids are transparent! So he can close his eyes, but he can never actually stop seeing the way a normal person does when they shut their eyes. I'd never thought about that.
So why only two stars? Well, in short, not a lot happens. Most of the time it's just villagers freaking out and fights breaking out randomly. The most interesting part, to me, was when Griffin first speaks with Kemp about the process of becoming invisible and what it was like immediately afterward. But other than that, I didn't feel his character to be super developed; he was pretty much an angry, volatile, short-tempered recluse, just an invisible one. So while this was interesting solely in the conceptual sense, it fell a bit short on execution.
(NOTE: I read this as part of a collection of H.G. Wells' science fiction novellas. This is the link to the collection I read, which in turn contains all my reviews for Wells' other stories.)
And from him and everyone who crosses his path we come to learn the strange and remarkable story of...
The Invisible Man!
"Facial bandages are sooo out of style!"
Okay, dramatic 1940s-radio drama-esque introduction aside, this was quite an interesting little tale. And it is little, 100 pages at the most. There's not much I can tell you in the way of a summary- after all, if you've read the title, you practically know what it's about already.
The most intriguing thing about this story is, in my opinion, how real it seems. Logically, we all know that turning yourself invisible is impossible, but this book will have that tiny voice in the back of your head wondering, "But what if it wasn't...?" Wells obviously pondered quite a bit about what it would be like to become suddenly invisible- how somebody would feel, what they'd do. You can see this in the words of the Invisible Man (real name, Griffin) himself:
"'My mood, I say, was one of exaltation. I felt as a seeing man might do, with padded feet and noiseless clothes, in a city of the blind, I experienced a wild impulse to jest, to startle people, to clap men on the back, to fling people's hats astray, and generally revel in my extraordinary advantage.'"
It's also remarkable just how much thought Wells put into the actual logic of invisibility: the drawbacks, the details. Griffin recalls how he stumbled onto the street after turning himself transparent, struggling to walk as he couldn't see his feet or legs. How his blood becomes visible as it congeals. Dr. Kemp describes the strangeness of seeing the invisible man smoke- the swirling of the vapour contained in his lungs and throat.
But the one thing that really blew my mind was how Griffin mentions in passing how he has to sleep in the dark with sheets over his face to keep out the light. Because his eyelids are transparent! So he can close his eyes, but he can never actually stop seeing the way a normal person does when they shut their eyes. I'd never thought about that.
"'To do such a thing would be to transcend magic. And I beheld, unclouded by doubt, a magnificent vision of all that invisibility might mean to a man- the mystery, the power, the freedom. Drawbacks I saw none. You have only to think! And I, a shabby, poverty-struck, hemmed-in demonstrator, teaching fools in a provincial college, might suddenly become-
this.'"
So why only two stars? Well, in short, not a lot happens. Most of the time it's just villagers freaking out and fights breaking out randomly. The most interesting part, to me, was when Griffin first speaks with Kemp about the process of becoming invisible and what it was like immediately afterward. But other than that, I didn't feel his character to be super developed; he was pretty much an angry, volatile, short-tempered recluse, just an invisible one. So while this was interesting solely in the conceptual sense, it fell a bit short on execution.
(NOTE: I read this as part of a collection of H.G. Wells' science fiction novellas. This is the link to the collection I read, which in turn contains all my reviews for Wells' other stories.)