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One night a stranger wrapped in bandages and eccentric clothing arrives in an English village. That stranger, Griffin, is a brilliant and obsessed scientist who has discovered how to turn his entire body invisible. Although he initially feels joy at his newfound freedom and abilities, that joy quickly turns to despair when he struggles to discover a way to reverse the process. As Griffin gradually loses his sanity, his initial, almost-comedic adventures as an invisible man become overshadowed by a streak of more terrifying acts...First published in 1897, The Invisible Man ranks as one of the most famous scientific fantasies ever written. Part of a series of pseudoscientific romances written by Wells early in his career, the novel helped establish the British author as one of the first and best writers of science fiction, and it continues to enthrall science-fiction fans today as much as it did its first readers nearly one hundred years ago.… (more)
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I knew I was being facetious. Wells obviously couldn't help it that his creation has become a pop culture icon, or that I happened to be reading his book more than a hundred years too late. It was a little disappointing, though. Wells was clearly trying to build tension in those early chapters, but from my smug 2008 perspective, it just wasn't happening. ("Gee, I don't know. Maybe he's invisible or something...")
Fortunately, once the plot got away from the inn and the seemingly endless variations on "OMG BANDAGES!" things picked up considerably. Wells put a lot of thought into the day-to-day details of a completely new (at the time) physical condition. Once I managed to get my snark to shut up, I could appreciate exactly how ground-breaking this book really was. It's a truly original premise, and it's executed very well.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Wells presents invisibility and its physical and moral consequences from every possible angle. Even if you think you know the basic story, some aspect of Wells' version will surprise you.
In many ways it reminds me of Stevenson’s earlier masterpiece. Both combine horror and science fiction elements. Both feature the results of scientific experimentation gone awry and threatening to terrorize humankind (in this aspect it is similar to Frankenstein as well). And finally, both adopt a similar literary method of getting at their respective mysteries by starting with the peripheral accounts of side characters and leading up to the protagonist’s revelatory confession.
Of course, finding such similarities caused me to make comparisons between other aspects of the two novels, which is always dangerous when one of the pieces examined is an old favorite. Certainly Wells’ prose is not in the same league as Stevenson’s; when I recently goaded my father into reading Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one of the things that he raved to me about was the beauty of Stevenson’s writing. While reading The Invisible Man, very few descriptions or turns of phrase stuck out to me—and when they did, it was more often than not because of the very awkwardness of them. In passages of dialogue, the difficulty of the reading could be blamed on Wells’ use of local dialects, but obviously that does not prove a fitting excuse elsewhere. That said, I also suspect that my edition (1992, Dover Thrift) contained typos: there seemed to be verbs missing in odd places.
The characters, too, are often less than sympathetic. While most of the rabble the Invisible Man encounters during his stay in the town of Iping (I - XII) seem to be good people, we don’t get to know them very well, and when they are hurt or terrorized, one doesn’t quite know how to react. The Man himself evokes some pity owing to the misery of his condition and the onset of insanity, but he is so cruel that one can feel no more emotion towards him than towards a rabid animal; moreover, he is not as complex as one could wish—there is no visible struggle between good and ill in his soul. Dr. Kemp is virtually the only character worth cheering for but is, again, rather flat as a whole.
Finally, I do have to question Wells’ prerogative in titling the book The Invisible Man, given that the characters’ invisibility is supposed to remain a mystery up until Chapter VI! Ah well, it would make little difference nowadays.
A few passages of the book were genuinely impressive, and its quality as a narrative improved in the latter half, changing my evaluation of it from dislike to indifferent respect. The Invisible Man’s unveiling was truly thrilling, and his great narrative (XIX - XXIII) actually quite interesting, although a little bogged down by the details of the pseudo-science. (Again, Stevenson really had the right idea in keeping the nitty-gritty of his scientist’s experimentations obscure.) I was also pleasantly surprised by the amount of humor present in the first half of the book, especially relating to the person of Mr. Thomas Marvel.
Given the cultural impact of the idea (I still want to see the Claude Raines movie), I think it’s worth reading once, but I for one found it hard to love.
and why is that? he's afraid to show to the other world who really is he, cause they will get scared of him .. and he was acting like a strange man .. he made
later on when he show the people who is he they became like crazy .. everyone was running around and falling ..
well.. i learned something from the story .. don't judge about the people without knowing them .. give everyone a chance to show you whats their personality and whats there story
From the opening lines-'The stranger came early in February,one wintery day,through a biting wind and a driving snow,the last snowfall of the year,over the down,walking from Bramblehurst Railway Station,and carrying a little
4 stars.
H.G. Wells’ “The Invisible Man” (1897) is the account of a scientist condemned to invisibility because of an ill-advised decision to consume a concoction that hadn’t been fully tested. After conducting secret experiments for four
Ironically, Griffin is already “invisible” to society by the time he literally becomes invisible. Wells buttresses this idea, with Griffin’s backstory emerging later. With a reckless desire for “his magnificent vision,” Griffin profoundly alienates himself from society, with his poverty becoming repugnant to himself; this is what he is striving to abandon through his scientific labors. His words at his father’s funeral bring attention to this broad material and emotional disconnect: “I remember the funeral, the cheap hearse, the scant ceremony, the windy frost-bitten hillside, and the old college friend of his who read the service over him--a shabby, black, bent old man with a sniveling cold.” His literal invisibility leads to further alienation, which precipitates violence. Wells reveals a very astute picture of the pathology of violence.
Wells’ construction of the book reveals his own fascination with science, as well as a suspicion of its applications. His explanations of scientific experiments are ingenious and terrifying. Griffin develops a process to discolor his blood vessels and remove his pigmentation, but this pursuit lacks any fundamental merit, suggesting that when science exceeds the limits of nature, danger and insanity always follow.
Well’s accounts of Griffin’s predicament are a strength of the book. Practical challenges that Griffin faces are described vividly. For example, to be fully invisible Griffin must be completely naked, since only his body is invisible. This is especially entertaining because Wells withholds describing Griffin’s physical attributes from the reader. The reader, like the characters, must imagine the antagonist in order to know (and understand) who he is.
In the final chapters, Mr. Griffin assumes the role of the most feared agents in contemporary times: a terrorist, unseen in the midst of civil society, he strikes with a vengeance, using his invisibility as a weapon. Griffin makes his presence felt and feared: “That invisible man must now establish a reign of terror... He must issue orders. He can do that in a thousand ways...” Written almost 120 years ago, The Invisible Man is surprisingly relevant in discussions of social invisibility, science, and violence.
Highly recommended simply for the fact that it changed the face of science fiction for decades, impacting many of the grand masters.
This famous book is really more of a cautionary tale than a scary story. The
The narrative itself is a bit stiff, but that’s to be expected in most Victorian literature. We see the outside world’s view of Griffin long before we learn how this happened to him. By the time he lets his side unfold it’s difficult to connect with his character.
It was much more tragic than I expected. It reminded me of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The author blends science with morality to highlight the importance of considering both elements in your life. What is the power to make yourself invisible worth if you lose your soul by doing it?
We first meet Griffin as a mysterious character seeking a place of refuge in a seaside town somewhere in the South of England. He rents a room in a small boarding house where he can lock himself away and work. His curious landlady and fellow guests soon interfere with his plans and he uses his invisibility first to frighten them and then to make his escape. This first section of the book has the feel of a slapstick movie as Wells has great fun describing the antics of those trying to apprehend an invisible man. There are fights, chases, robberies, near murders, until finally the invisible man becomes notorious and must now live on his wits to hide from a nation bent on tracking him down.
A wounded Griffin manages to escape and blunders into the house of Mr Kemp an old friend from university days and initially tricks him into giving him some aid. He slowly starts to tell Kemp his story and this is where the novel moves up a gear. Griffin has used himself as a guinea pig to test a chemical that he has invented that can neutralise the colour in skin pigmentation. His aim was to turn himself invisible, so that he could profit from the advantages that this would give him. He had not thought of the problems of being invisible and his first venture out into the streets of London naked in January soon made him feel that he was in a hostile world. Finding shelter and food were soon problematical and Wells description of Griffin in this altogether different environment is both imaginative and exciting. Griffin’s story is told in the first person, which contrasts nicely with the first section of the book which tells of Griffin’s exploits largely in the third person where we see the sometimes comical effects on other people of an aggressive invisible man.
Dr Kemp soon realises that his old friend is now nothing more than a brutally selfish individual, whose only thought is how he can use his invisibility for his own gain and his obvious delight in his ability to hurt other people convinces Kemp he is mad and dangerous. The remainder of the book takes on the appearance of a thriller as Griffin is hunted down
Wells’s novel has plenty of thrills and spills and there is the excitement of the chase, which rounds out the novel nicely. There is also the fantasy of being invisible and Wells brings out this aspect of his story to fire the imagination making it another early entry into the ranks of science fiction. When Wells switches the emphasis from being a mystery adventure story into something more fantastical then the novel started to work for me. Published in 1897; the novel cannot escape it’s British Victorian flavour and so we are not surprised when Doctor Kemp wonders about putting powdered glass on the road to impede the invisible man “It’s cruel I know, it’s unsportsmanlike” For me this adds to the charm and a busy street in London full of Hansom cabs and other horse drawn carriages would be just as dangerous to an invisible person as motor car traffic would be today. A 3.5 star read.
There is very little to like about Griffin who appeared to be a selfish, self-centered individual. He is described as a man of random temper given to bouts of heedless violence. His altered condition was extremely difficult to live with and this only made him more angry, more violent and a threat to all that he met.
I quite enjoyed this story. Although it was a little dated, I liked the angle the author took, showing how terrible and isolating this condition could be. This dark tale didn’t hesitate to show the mental instability of the main character whose revenge driven cruelty and fury toward others made it very difficult to feel any sympathy towards him. The Invisible Man is a classic sci-fi morality tale that holds up well.
It's about... well, an Invisible Man. Except when
What really surprised me, at least earlier on in the book, is how funny it is. The small-town characters are so amusing - Mr Marvel, the tramp, has some particularly good one-liners that made me chuckle - and some of their brilliantly observed little foibles are ones we all recognise even if we'd rather not admit to them! Nearer the end of the book the humour gives way largely to the Invisible Man's eloquently-told story and the melodramatic thrill of the chase, which was interesting but for me, not as enjoyable as the quick wit of the first half. Nevertheless, I'm very glad to have finally read this classic of science fiction writing - and I'm still looking forward to The War of the Worlds!
I read half of this book aloud to Stirling but this book doesn't translate well out loud. The "Hero," Griffin is anything but. The problem of being invisible are tremendous but most of the problems he brings on himself. The reader wants to like him and to help him but his is
The story is readable and has its moments, but it isn't quite as compelling as I had hoped. Seriously, what's the REAL point here? Nothing very meaningful seems to
This novel surprised me in its level of violence and perspective. It does not show a man made insane by his condition. The condition unhinges him instead. To me, Griffin was a tightly wound man, hemmed in by social convention and his lowly position as a student. Once he has power, he quickly abuses it and that is his downfall. Friendships and trust are destroyed by the fact that he let his baser nature rule him.
There is a definite dark humour running throughout this novel and I surprised myself by bursting into laughter (rather embarrassingly) on the train at one point!
I
The aspirations of Griffin's character are similar to those of Victor Frankenstein's as both tirelessly and desperately work to further science and their own glory, only to create chaos, regret and sometimes death. Such is the legacy of man and human nature and H.G Wells, very much ahead of his time, knew it.
One of my favorite authors is C.S. Lewis, and though Lewis admired Wells’ writing, he disagreed with him philosophically on many points. I just read that Lewis based one of the characters in That Hideous Strength on Wells himself. I’m planning on reading that book and the first two in the Space Trilogy by Lewis in 2008, so I’m really looking forward to seeing Lewis’ take on Wells’ character and ideology.
Mrs. Hall appeared after an interval, a little short of breath, but all the fiercer for that. Hall was still out.
"Why wasn't my breakfast laid? Why haven't you prepared my meals and answered my bell? Do you think I live without eating?"
"Why isn't my bill paid?" said Mrs. Hall. "That's what I want to know."
"I told you three days ago I was awaiting a remittance -- "
"I told you two days ago I wasn't going to await no remittances. You can't grumble if your breakfast waits a bit, if my bill's been waiting these five days, can you?"
The stranger swore briefly but vividly.
"Nar, nar!" from the bar.
"And I'd thank you kindly, sir, if you'd keep your swearing to yourself, sir," said Mrs. Hall.
The stranger stood looking more like an angry diving-helmet than ever. It was universally felt in the bar that Mrs. Hall had the better of him. His next words showed as much.
"Look here, my good woman -- " he began.
"Don't 'good woman' me," said Mrs. Hall.
"I've told you my remittance hasn't come -- "
"Remittance indeed!" said Mrs. Hall.
Still, I daresay in my pocket -- "
"You told me two days ago that you hadn't anything but a sovereign's worth of silver upon you."
"Well, I've found some more -- "
"Ul-lo!" from the bar.
"I wonder where you found it," said Mrs. Hall.
That seemed to annoy the stranger very much. He stamped his foot. "What do you mean?" he said.
The reader realises one of the disadvantages of invisibility well before Griffin spells it out, as he keeps sniffing, coughing and sneezing due to catching cold from going about naked in winter. Although Griffin thought that invisibility would make him invincible and invulnerable, it turns out to be more of a curse, but he is such a nasty piece of work that I felt no sympathy for him at all.
I really like the structure of the story, which begins when Griffin is already invisible, and gradually fills in the backstory as the book progresses.
But unfortunately,he was killed by policemen.
From the story I learned that we have to show our respect to
anyone around us although they are not easygoing.we should believe
that everyone is eager to get enough sunshine from us,no matter who he is.If we can stand on other people's angle to see the problem,the whole world would chang a lot.Griffin is not only killed by policeman but also killed by people's misunderstand. That's horrible!I feel sad for Griffin's death,but I feel disappoint to these villagers! But for they get away from Griffin,he can't be killed.what if they show their kindness to Griffin rather than play it cool?Maybe he own a happy life.
All in all,this book is worth being read and review it.