The Invisible Man

It feels odd to give this book three stars–it probably deserves 4 or 5 just for holding up so well in so many ways to more modern books, despite being over a century old. The structure of the book was the most pleasant surprise for me–starting in the middle, then showing the beginnings through story-in-a-story. I also quite enjoyed the horror aspects that I wasn't expecting, especially toward the end as we see how being but off from other humans can turn a person into a monster.

I didn't know what to expect at first. All I knew of The Invisible Man was that he was a horror movie icon from early Hollywood. As I began to read, I was transfixed by the story. I felt a whole range of emotions towards the invisible man and loved H.G. Wells pacing.

It's a mystery that turns into horror. After finishing the novel, I wanted to read it all over again. Indeed, this may be my favorite “classic” novel. The language isn't nearly as difficult as Dickens or Shakespeare. The length is short, and there is a nice pace set throughout.

I hate reviewing classics because about 16 billion people have already reviewed them but I promised myself I'd review everything I read this year so here we are.

Not gonna lie, I dread reading “classics.” And as I read classics, I often wonder who on God's green earth has decided to keep referring to these books as classics. WHY are they classics? Simply because they're old? Because many times, search as I may, I cannot find another reason why these stories would be so highly honored.

That being said, I was very pleasantly surprised by The Invisible Man. This is the first H.G. Wells I've read and I wasn't disappointed. Being originally written in 1897 (I believe), I was expecting some boring, difficult to read novel. Instead, I got a witty, funny, thought provoking, easy to read story. The writing flowed, wasn't halting or boring, and at times was even funny. I'm really impressed and I honestly look forward to reading another Wells novel.

Would I recommend this? Yes with no conditions. I deem this appropriate to be called a classic.

There were two things about this short novel that took me by surprise. First, I didn't realize how much humor there would be. Wells added a lot of slapstick and dry wit, revolving around the various citizens of a small town chasing and being terrorized by the title character. I always thought of Wells as deadly serious, so this book was more entertaining than I was expecting.

The second thing was my preconceived idea that this was going to be a book about a “misunderstood monster. I was thinking this would be an Incredible Hulk-type story where a scientist's experiments go horribly wrong and ruin his life. You felt bad for him because it was an accident and now he had to deal with the struggles of his humanity. He would travel from place to place and people would hate and fear him, while he tried desperately to restore himself to normal.

But instead of all that, this Invisible Man is a jerk. You can't feel bad for him. He made himself invisible on purpose, thinking how superior he would be to everyone else. He never considered the implications of his discovery for the future of science and certainly doesn't want to share it. He robs people without remorse and scares the hell out of them on purpose. He's also selfish, bad tempered, and violent.

His brilliance in figuring out how to render himself invisible is cancelled out by his lack of consideration of the consequences. His thoughts are, “great, I can rob people!” and “oh crap, I can't eat in restaurants.” Not to mention all the times he's nearly run down or crushed because people can't see him. It's not easy being invisible. Being a genius doesn't guarantee that you're very sharp.

The Invisible Man's obnoxious nature takes a more serious nature later on in the book, when he decides a “reign of terror” and revenge on his old friend are in the works. Then, the book gets less funny but more exciting. Fund and quick read for a rainy afternoon.

Malgré quelques longueurs au milieu du roman, ce grand classique signé H. G. Wells tient toutes ses promesses.

A partir de la possibilité pour un homme de devenir invisible, l'auteur nous propose un récit passionnant, sans héros apparent mais un protagoniste plutôt antipathique, voire carrément fou, et une petite galérie de personnages secondaires savoureux.

J'ai beaucoup aimé cette lecture, en particulier le premier puis le dernier tiers, le milieu étant un peu plus lent ou répétitif. Il m'a suffi de m'accrocher un peu pendant ce léger plat pour retrouver le plaisir de suivre les aventures de cet homme invisible.

Story : Well, the concept is really interesting, but I didn't liked the execution so much... it's short, but feels so dragged. It would have been better as a short story that included the important parts. The first half is whatever, but when Kemp shows up, it gets better.

Characters : Griffin was a douche, but he was written pretty well. Kemp was also a nice character, but I couldn't care more a about the rest of them. It was interesting to see what Griffin did when he was invisible... it's not so easy as it sounds.

Overall : A lot of stuff just to fill the pages, but if you read the core parts, it's pretty good! I think I'll like the film more (the one from 1933).

It's always fascinating to look at the early years of science fiction and see what the author was using the genre for. The War of the Worlds seemed to be a warning about the evils of imperialism, but I had a more difficult time deciphering this novel. It was a bit more humorous and equally implausible. The Invisible Man is tempted by the freedom of existing outside of the social contract, but almost immediately regrets his decision, and descends into madness trying to find a cure for his condition. This is the more enjoyable of the two Wells novels I've read.

Regardless of when this was written I found the random use of the n-slur repulsing. I know people argue that it's representative of the beliefs at the time and that people insist it can has a valid place in literature, but I found it entirely unnecessary to advance the plot or character development and it made me google more about any racism present in HG Wells' other works. Spoiler Alert: there are many anti-Semitic, pro eugenics and horrifying racists statements and ideas expounded upon in other stories.

It's interesting to read books that were labeled “horror” for the time it was written in, but now is really not actually scary.

Now I don't particularly care for the MC cuz he's got quite an unpleasant personality, so i was pretty amused by his thoughtlessness (and rashness) considering he's supposed to be some fancy scientist

the fact that cheese of all things was his downfall!

For the 1st classic read of Feb./19 I chose Invisible Man - I'm comparing this book to the 1933 movie classic. The 1st half of the movie follows the book very closely but the last half of the movie involves the Invisible Man's love interest whereas the book mainly describes the invisible man's attempt to stay alive. The author made many good points about the advantages of being invisible and also many
disadvantages of it also! If into classics this should be on your list! David N.

I thoroughly enjoyed “The Invisible Man” and found it to be a captivating story. The character of Griffin, with his albinism and red eyes, adds an extra layer of intrigue, as his appearance alone could startle people even before his transformation into an invisible man. Kind of leading to he was a monster either way.

I appreciated that the story was easier to read than “Frankenstein” and that Griffin’s character remained consistent from page to screen, unlike Frankenstein’s portrayal, which has varied widely in adaptations. Overall, “The Invisible Man” is a fun, classic novel that continues to fascinate readers with its unique blend of science fiction and horror.

Transparent embodiment of anger punches his way through Victorian England.

Not what I expected at all. Elaborate fight scenes aren't really what you would expect out of a science fiction classic about someone turning themselves invisible. Yet those are what I found most enjoyable about this book. The titular protagonist punches, shoves, kicks and strangles in all directions in multiple crowds and the ensuing chaos is described in a fun and enjoyable way.

The moral angle of someone being consumed by his work to the point of complete lunacy was also quite interesting but really the insane fighting was what made me like this book and it came completely out of left field.