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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
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.)
As a huge fan of the Universal Movie, I was eager to step back and read the original story. You get a darker narrative from the book and I enjoyed some of the major differences. Usually I am a defender of originals—but having watched the movie and loved the movie before the book I must say I prefer the movie's ending.
One major difference being no true love interest or driving force for Griffin other than science and eventual madness is an interesting, more dark and disturbing take on His character development.
One major difference being no true love interest or driving force for Griffin other than science and eventual madness is an interesting, more dark and disturbing take on His character development.
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
emotional
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was fun to read! The audiobook was excellently performed. I enjoyed the characters and I found their reactions to an invisible man to be quite funny. I also appreciated the rollercoaster ride that is the story of The Invisible Man’s descent to madness, when he finally explained it. This was a short read that I recommend.
the beginning was unexpectedly funny, then it got unexpectedly violent. some parts of the novel were quite drawn out and i felt restless reading them, but overall i had a good time with this one.
HG Wells’ The Invisible Man, is one of those stories with a multiplicity of ideas and themes that I found both challenging and provocative. Essentially a reasonably easy read, we are drawn into the late 19th century England, where Griffin has cracked the scientific code to become invisible following months of obsessive pursuit. His relentless pursuit of this coveted quality is clearly reflected on p 117, “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.”
This begs the question that is in all of us - what is it they we obsessively long for, lust after, pursue above all else, anticipating that it is all we could hope for and more and that when we achieve it we will transcend into a magnificent vision that we have imagined will be our ultimate end. HG Wells explores this question in depth. This is hardly a book about what would I do if I could become invisible (who hasn’t wondered that?) - this is a book about what is my lust and desire at any cost and what happens when I achieve this? Does my new reality live up to my preconceived imagination? Imagination and fantasy are deceptive in their appearance.
And for a brief while, the achievement of his dream of invisibility has its rewards - again at least in Griffin’s head. He is dizzy with his new found freedom - “I was invisible and I was only just beginning to realise the extraordinary advantage my invisibility gave me. My head was already teeming with plans of all the wild and wonderful things I now had the impunity to do” p 130. But alas, this is short lived as Griffin soon becomes painfully aware of al the disadvantages of invisibility - he is cold, he has no means to find new lodging, no capacity to earn money and complete aloneness. This all then takes him down a path from whence he has no return, murdering, theft, hatred.
“That afternoon it seemed all disappointment. I went over the heads of the things a man reckons desirable. No doubt invisibility made it possible to get them, bu it made them impossible to enjoy them when they are got..... And for this I had become a wrapped up mystery, a swathed and bandaged caricature of a man” p 156.
HG Wells speaks to our core desires in The Invisible Man. He highlights the basest of our humanity and where our zeal for our deepest lusts might actually take us.
This begs the question that is in all of us - what is it they we obsessively long for, lust after, pursue above all else, anticipating that it is all we could hope for and more and that when we achieve it we will transcend into a magnificent vision that we have imagined will be our ultimate end. HG Wells explores this question in depth. This is hardly a book about what would I do if I could become invisible (who hasn’t wondered that?) - this is a book about what is my lust and desire at any cost and what happens when I achieve this? Does my new reality live up to my preconceived imagination? Imagination and fantasy are deceptive in their appearance.
And for a brief while, the achievement of his dream of invisibility has its rewards - again at least in Griffin’s head. He is dizzy with his new found freedom - “I was invisible and I was only just beginning to realise the extraordinary advantage my invisibility gave me. My head was already teeming with plans of all the wild and wonderful things I now had the impunity to do” p 130. But alas, this is short lived as Griffin soon becomes painfully aware of al the disadvantages of invisibility - he is cold, he has no means to find new lodging, no capacity to earn money and complete aloneness. This all then takes him down a path from whence he has no return, murdering, theft, hatred.
“That afternoon it seemed all disappointment. I went over the heads of the things a man reckons desirable. No doubt invisibility made it possible to get them, bu it made them impossible to enjoy them when they are got..... And for this I had become a wrapped up mystery, a swathed and bandaged caricature of a man” p 156.
HG Wells speaks to our core desires in The Invisible Man. He highlights the basest of our humanity and where our zeal for our deepest lusts might actually take us.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious