The First Men in the Moon
Ratings19
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings19
Average rating3.5
When penniless businessman Mr Bedford retreats to the Kent coast to write a play, he meets by chance the brilliant Dr Cavor, an absent-minded scientist on the brink of developing a material that blocks gravity. Cavor soon succeeds in his experiments, only to tell a stunned Bedford the invention makes possible one of the oldest dreams of humanity: a journey to the moon. With Bedford motivated by money, and Cavor by the desire for knowledge, the two embark on the expedition. But neither are prepared for what they find - a world of freezing nights, boiling days and sinister alien life, on which they may be trapped forever.
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Contains spoilers
It's wild to experience what a writer living in Edwardian times — nearly 60 years before space travel — thought going to the moon might one day look like. I give Wells massive props for his imagination in getting his characters to the moon and his rich descriptions of the environment once they arrive.
Chapters 6-10 are exhilarating. When the characters board the sphere, I thought to myself: "I've never watched or read anything like this." I would recommend this section at least if you can't commit to the whole book.
Unfortunately, for me, the story drags on in the later chapters. I thought the narrator's final actions were dishonorable and sort of irredeemable — which is a choice, for sure, but it's not the one I wanted. The appendix section was also a slog to get through.
Elements that took me out of the story were the scientific explanations hand-waved by the narrator. Wells clearly knew a great deal about science, but I got the impression he used the narrator's lack of understanding as a crutch. I also caught myself questioning more than once: would a character in this scenario really be able to recall these details months later? Would they really be able to communicate such discoveries using morse code?
3.5 stars for an INCREDIBLE setup of a story decades ahead of its time, but with what felt like a disappointing follow-through. I still regard the opening act fondly, and I love how Wells gets his characters to the moon quickly and gives them a sandbox to play in. I also thoroughly enjoyed the discoveries made once on the moon — I had no idea what to expect! It was a fun ride, but the last half would probably keep me from reading it again.
Interesting idea but it seems to get a bit lost as the story dissipates.
“So utterly at variance is Destiny with all the little plans of men.”
What a fun trip this was! Reading the book at the dawn of the 20th century must have been even more exciting I guess. The book also served as inspiration for C. S. Lewis' science fiction books. And of course Cavorite, the name of the antigravity material used in the story, will later be borrowed for a myriad of works. ⠀
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This is the journey of two men, a scientist and a businessman, to the moon. They will discover that the moon is inhabited by an extraterrestrial civilisation, the “selenites”, whose society is based in specialisation. These insect-like beings come in different sizes and shapes and together they form an entomological nightmare that will haunt me until I kick the bucket. They live in an enormous system of caverns and, guess what, gold is the most common mineral.
To me, it's a criticism of the society of that time and the inescapable greed and violence of human nature. A satire, if you will. Even though it's dated and it's full of nonsense from a scientific point of view, it was a very enjoyable read for me. Sometimes I can't believe it was written 120 years ago.
