قرأته زمااان :) و تقريبا اكتر من مرة كمان ، لكن لما أتيحت لي الفرصة لقرائته بالانجليزية (خصوصا و انه كتاب خفيف و بقالي فترة كبيرة ماقرأتش كتاب بالانجليزية) أعدت قراءته من كام يوم
امم .. مبدئيا دايما لما بتيجي تقيم كتاب ، او عمل كلاسيكي (ادبي او علمي بالذات) بتراعي فروق التوقيت :))) ، يعني بتراعي فرق الزمن مابين وقت كتابة العمل و اعداده و مابين وقت قراءتك له واطلاعك عليه ! ، و بتراعي التطور العلمي و النقدي اللي حصل من وقتها ليومك هذا ،
في (الرجل الخفي) الفكرة العلمية اللي قامت عليها الرواية نفسها ، ما اختلفتش كتير عن فكرة العلم حاليا عن كيفية اخفاء مادة او جسد ، بمحاولة التحكم في نفاذية المادة او الجسد للضوء ، فيه طروح جديدة للفكرة العلمية (فكرة الإخفاء) عن طريق تقنية كسر الضوء ، لكن فكرة التحكم في مدى نفاذية المادة نفسها للضوء مازالت مطروحة و محل بحث عموما
فالفكرة العلمية اللي اوردها الكتاب موش فانتازيا اوي و مازال لها اساس علمي على أي حال (حتى وقتنا هذا) ، لكن المشكلة كانت في المعالجة ، اللي كانت ساذجة الى حد ما ، خصوصا مع مقارنتها بتجربة (آلة الزمن) مثلا لنفس الكاتب
(H.G. Wells)
******
من الطريف كمان اني اثناء قراءتي للرواية اتعرض فيلم عربي قديم و نادر للمطرب محمد فوزي مقتبس عن قصة (الرجل الخفي) فكان لطيف جدا اني اشوف لها محاكاة فنية اثناء قراءتي لها ، و ان كانت (المحاكاة الفنية) لا تقل سذاجة عن الرواية نفسها طبعا :)) لكن الكلاسيكيات عموما لها دايما سحر خاص بالنسبة لي
:) !

H. G. Wells comes up with these amazing concepts but then makes them unbearably tedious.

The Dark Side of Science-Fiction
2 March 2016

tI was going to open by saying that this was a lot darker than some of Wells' other books that I have read, but when I consider The Time Machine and War of the Worlds I somehow feel that it was a part of his style. Despite that, I do actually consider that this book is somewhat darker and in a way feels more like a sci-fi/horror story as opposed some of the others that I have read (though I probably wouldn't go as far as suggesting that H.G. Wells would fall into the category of hard science-fiction, especially since most of his work tends to be quite speculative).

tThe introduction to version I read (which is actually a really old version that my Aunty had when she was a little girl) was written, I suspect, by Wells' son, and in it he decries how much science-fiction had changed since the days that his dad was writing. In particular he was lashing out at a new phenomena that was rapidly gaining momentum – the superhero comic. However, it is interesting to consider the two authors who were considered the founders of science-fiction: Jules Verne and H.G Wells.

tIt seems that both authors developed the genre from two different directions. Verne seemed to take the travelogue and the adventure story and add in some fantastic elements, though many of his books were much more grounded in reality (even Journey to the Centre of the Earth was based on a theory that was floating around at the time). However Wells, while being influenced by Verne, seems to have approached it from a different direction - that of the more speculative approach. In fact his son mentions that science-fiction in a way evolved from the idea of magic, however the magic in science-fiction had some scientific rational behind it. As such, I could almost see an influence from books such as Frankenstein and Dracula in this story.

tIt is interesting how much horror and science-fiction actually complement each other. Sure, you have the good old space adventures such as Star Wars, or the hard science-fiction of Isaac Asimov, however consider how Doctor Who is effectively a weekly television show which simply has the Doctor and his companion running around fighting a different monster. In fact the last season that I watched (which was last year's season by the way) seemed to be akin to the horror genre with the fantastic element of the Tardis rocking up. Mind you, when you consider movies like Alien and The Terminator, (though Event Horizon is probably a better, if less known, example) then it is clear that horror and science-fiction do tend to go hand in hand.



tThe reason that I raise that aspect is that I found The Invisible Man to have a lot of horror elements in it. In fact the plot could have almost come straight out of a Stephen King book. Here we have this man who experiments on turning things invisible, and then experiments on himself with reasonable success (though only his body is invisible, anything on his body is quite visible). When he appears at the inn people are suspicious of him, and this gets even more so as the book progresses until he reaches a point where he snaps and decides to terrorise the town. Sure, he is the main character in the story, but as the story progresses you really don't find yourself rooting for him.

tAs for the book, I have to admit that it certainly wasn't one of Wells' best works, but it is still one of the classic books that probably should be read sooner or later (and for me it did end up being later). In any event I do enjoy his works, especially since he does explore the darker side to scientific advancement.

Interesting story! Its a short read about a long journey. well authored .. depicts a whole new perspective with humor and a great learning experience. Loved it.

L'uomo invisibile - ***1/2
La storia qui narrata parte con la venuta, in un paesino sperduto nella contea del Sussex, nel profondo Sud dell'Inghilterra, di uno strano personaggio tutto imbacuccato. Chiede alloggio, cibo e una riservatezza estrema. La proprietaria della casa che lo ospita, ne rimane sospetta subito, ma gli affari sono affari e questo strano uomo ne ha di soldi, quindi ci passa sopra. Passano dei giorni e iniziano a girare strane dicerie nel paese, quello strano e misterioso uomo, chi sarà? Quale mistero nasconde?

Secondo libro di Wells letto e seppur meno coinvolgente del precedente: "La macchina del tempo", comunque continua a rivelarsi uno scrittore precursore di molti generi ed intuizioni narrative. Uno scrittore che fa della suspense, del mistero, ma anche delle potenzialità delle scienze, un monito per il futuro, perchè seppur affascinanti, le scienze potrebbero rivelarsi pericolose, molto pericolose e fatali. Anche se da sole le scienze sono solo eteree idee, ma è poi l'avidità, l'egoismo e la sete di potere dell'essere umano a rendere ciò, un "Mostro" che tutta annienta!

Fioritura di una strana orchidea - ****1/2
Un uomo qualunque con una vita piatta e monotona, cerca finalmente l'avventura o comunque un po' di brivido che lo faccia sentire vivo. Così un bel giorno compra delle piantine e tra queste vi è un'orchidea molto particolare. Sarà l'occasione che attendeva da una vita?

Il fu signor Elvesham - *****
Uno strano e decrepito vecchio appare un giorno di fronte alla portone della casa di un giovane ragazzo, pieno di vita e con il volto al futuro. Il vecchio farà una proposta che il giovane non potrà rifiutare, accettare o meno questa proposta? Cosa accadrà?

L'uomo che poteva compiere miracoli - ****1/2
Cosa succederebbe se un essere umano avesse la possibilità di fare qualsiasi azione, cioè compiere miracoli? Azioni che vadano al di là dell'umana concezione? Tipo: girare una candela, accesa, a testa in giù e non bruciarsi le dita, perchè la fiamma si volgerebbe verso il basso. Ma questo è un esempio banale, anche se cruciale per capire il concetto che sta nel nocciolo della questione. Ad esempio, se uno ci prendesse la mano e... Pare la storia delle civiltà umane!

Il signor Skelmersdale nel paese delle fate - *****
Chi non ha mai sognato di perdersi nel paese delle fate? Il signor Skelmersdale pagherà a caro prezzo una sua scelta, oppure no?

This is the second and probably the last book by H.G. Wells I'll ever be reading.

Why should I pretend to wonder about the reason for the strange behavior of our mysterious stranger for the first 20% of the book, when it is PLAINLY STATED IN THE TITLE OF THE BOOK?! I mean, if you want it to be a mystery, don't put it in the title. If it's in the title, don't expect me to pretend I don't know it's happening.

My impression (or rather lack of thereof) is exactly the same as the one I had after reading The Time Machine. The book felt very straightforward and primitive.

Of course, at the time it was written the mere idea of invisibility was inconceivable. The Invisible Man was revolutionary, brilliant, groundbreaking for its time, etc. etc. But as a modern reader, I needed something more to keep me interested. Something more than the first stuff that pops into your head when you consider the idea of an invisible man.

I'm not a particular lover of sci-fi, so the appreciation of the historical context of the book wasn't enough for me to like it. And without that context, the book, well written as it was, felt pretty boring and flat, with underdeveloped and unmemorable characters.

That said, I did enjoy the "scientific" explanations Wells invented for invisibility and the time machine. Those are pretty awesome!

+4

Este libro ha sido una grata sorpresa. "El hombre invisible" es la segunda novela que leo del señor H.G Wells. La primera fue "La maquina del tiempo" y me he dejó un poco descolocada, como dije en su día yo creo que me esperaba otra cosa. Sin embargo, como acabo de recalcar hace un momento, todo lo contrario con esta segunda novela.

La trama es así de simple: Imagínate que en el pequeño pueblo en el que vives o en tu pequeña ciudad, aparece un extranjero que roza lo peculiar: un hombre lleno de vendas por todo su cuerpo, unas gafas oscuras, lo que parece ser una nariz postiza y vestido como si hiciese el día más frío del año.

Claramente quien vea a este tipo de persona pasar delante suyo o mantener una pequeña conversación con él, no podrán dejar de preguntarse qué le ha sucedido para ocultarse así. Lo primero que le vendrá a la mente es que ha sufrido quemaduras bastante graves, o que sufre una malformación, o incluso que sufre una extraña enfermedad. La respuesta está claramente muy lejos de la realidad. ¡El hombre es invisible! Y tal como dice la canción del grupo Queen “I’m the invisible man, incredible how you can…see right through me!

La historia es narrada desde el punto de vista externo, a través de los testimonios de aquellos que se cruzaron o se enfrentaron al este “ser”. Para los testigos ya no era humano pues constataban que era una abominación. No entendían que una persona pudiese hacerse invisible pues lo consideraban algo inimaginable y desde un punto de vista científico lo parecía; sin embargo, el hombre consiguió hacerse con una fórmula y lograrlo.

Ahora en cuanto al “protagonista” en sí, H.G Wells nos lo muestra también como un “monstruo”, pero no como los testigos insinuaban, sino como una persona que se creía superior al resto por ser invisible y que solo buscaba su propio beneficio a la vez una cura para su condición, sin importar lo que el precio. Si para ello tenía que matar a gente, lo haría sin ni siquiera pestañear.

Si nos ponemos a reflexionar, la situación del protagonista es una verdadera faena. Ser invisible trae consigo muchas ventajas, pero también muchas desventajas. Sería mejor poder hacerse invisible a consciencia.

Desde mi punto de vista yo creo que lo que pretende el autor en esta obra es mostrar lo peligroso que puede llegar a ser un hombre que no podemos ver y más si tiene una forma de ser tan egoísta y narcisista como el protagonista. Además, de esto si que estoy completamente segura: si el protagonista hubiese tenido otra serie de comportamientos hacia el resto de personajes desde el primer momento, no hubiera surgido tantos problemas... o como diríamos en español...otro gallo le hubiera cantado.

Por último, pero no menos importante, me gustaría destacar un poco la trascendencia que tuvo este libro para la literatura. Al igual que la maquina del tiempo, no son pocas las versiones que se hacen sobre “el hombre invisible”. Como toque final me gustaría decir como dije antes que este libro me gustó mucho en comparación con la maquina del tiempo. H.G Wells ha conseguido tener mis bendiciones. El hombre invisible como personaje en sí me parece un “monstruo”la mar de interesante.

"Alone....it is wonderful how little a man can do alone! To rob a little, to hurt a little, and there is the end."

This book covers fairly familiar science fiction ground, namely that the lust for power, immortality, and in this case invisibility, is a dangerous thing. Griffin, aka the Invisible Man, is a scientist obsessed with taking science a step further. He figures out how to make light refract differently off the body, thus rendering the person invisible to the average person’s eyes. The story revolves around him befriending a man and telling him the story of how he became invisible.

This book has comedy, tragedy, action and of course science fiction but it is also about alienation. Griffin is a sociopath with no meaningful friends. He steals money from his father to fund his obsession for scientific success not realising that that money was in fact borrowed and the loss would lead directly to his father's suicide. He has isolated himself from his contemporaries and comes unstuck when he reaches out to an old classmate.

Truthfully, there isn’t that much to this story here, what there is fairly simplistic and there are some serious holes in the 'science.' On the surface, it is a pretty simple thriller, but it is still interesting and I loved the moral questions that it prompted. Most of us have probably wanted to be invisible at some point in our life but here Wells asks the question, what would we do if we were truly invisible. Would we do good or evil with our new power? Would we all be tempted to do bad things knowing no one could see us do it?

Given that the fact that Wells wrote his books well over a century ago I still find it remarkable how he is still asking us to look at the world in new ways. The issues in this book strike at how we deal with sudden scientific advances, whilst there are obvious benefits there are also inherent risks. Wells foresaw that societies would change under the impact of new innovations.

There is a sweet little story behind me posting my review of this book for Goodreads now.

Last night I had the wonderful opportunity of attending the Classics and More Zoom Book Group. It was an invitation that was presented to me by GR friend, Christopher Cox who is a Librarian at the Mobile Public Library, and also leads this monthly group. Because I had reviewed A Painted House, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... he thought I might enjoy attending the group, and he was right. It was a wonderful discussion, and I am grateful for the experience.

Next month they will be discussing The Invisible Man.

As it so happens, I read this long ago, and yesterday, the very day of the discussion for A Painted House, the unabridged copy of The Invisible Man was donated to My Little Free Library Shed.

Serendipitous? Or just a nudge for me to post my review to Goodreads?

Now for anyone who has been reading my reviews, you know I am not a fan of science fiction. It is not my genre.

However…

This is H.G. Wells.

He was a classic, prolific writer. He was a fascinating man by nature.

Consider the books he has written – The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The War of the Worlds. He has always been a man before his time. His perception of being able to see things before it happened made him a visionary per se. So, in that sense, I couldn’t help but be interested in his futuristic approach to writing.

This novel was first published in 1897. It was considered one of the most famous scientific fantasies ever written. It was part of a series of pseudoscientific romances written by H.G. Wells early in his career, and it helped to establish him in the field of science fiction.

Our character is Griffin. A scientist who has discovered the means to make himself invisible. At first his “invisible” adventures are comedic and fun in his small village but then they turn rather terrorizing and cumbersome.

What will the villagers do?

When you consider Wells approach to the science of invisibility, it was interesting – he based his idea on our world as an illusion of light. That is a fascinating way of looking at the world. So perhaps, in this way, we can find a way to appreciate where his character is going with the idea of being “invisible.”

But…

It soon became kind of sinister, and there were some darker messages. So, were we supposed to like our main character Griffin – feel sorry for him – find him an anti-hero? Do we care what happens to him in the end?

And what is the true message of invisibility?

Can we find good for it? Or is it something that can be used for evil? What did Wells say it was only good for – murder?

Is there a moral message here?

This was a slow-moving story. Probably has a lot to do with the writing, itself. Not that the story wasn’t compelling, but that the style of writing was written in a different era – and storytelling styles were told differently then.

Still…

It is a classic. And H.G. Wells had a way of telling a story, and even though I don’t think it was his best story, it still was a fascinating read.

I was eager to read The Invisible Man (1897) by H. G. Wells after enjoying my recent reread of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). Both are science fiction novels that speculate about chemistry.

Dr. Jekyll’s chemical potion transforms him into Mr. Hyde so he can indulge in his debaucheries undetected and unhampered by moral conscience. Griffin’s potion bleaches his blood so that his technological device can render him invisible and he can do whatever he wants. But this is where the similarity ends. Jekyll’s desire to split one side of his personality off from the rest is not completely incomprehensible. Moreover, Jekyll remains a sympathetic character. In contrast, Griffin’s desire to be invisible stretches credulity too far. And he is not even slightly sympathetic.

I don’t mind Wells creating a character with no redeeming traits. I don’t need to like a book’s protagonist to like the book. I don’t need to like any character to like a book. So I’m fine with the fact that every character in this book is cold and heartless. But I do need the protagonist not to be as unbelievably stupid as Griffin is.

Now I admit, my first thought about invisibility was that it could be a lot of fun. I could dance backstage at every Dead & Company show. I could travel the world by boarding any flight I choose. I wouldn’t even have to take off my shoes to get through security. But this is where I start to see problems.

I wouldn’t have to take off my shoes, not just because the security guards couldn’t see me, but because I wouldn’t be wearing shoes. I wouldn’t be wearing anything. I’m Sue Budd, not Sue Storm. My invisibility wouldn’t be extended to my clothes. So my free vacations would be limited to warm climates. That is, if I could get past the idea of walking through an airport, or any other place in New York City, in my bare feet. Eww.

So how is it that Griffin works on his project for three years without once considering the problems that might be posed by invisibility? He invisibilizes himself in January for Pete’s sake. Then, after running around the streets of London naked in the winter and avoiding food because undigested food is visible in his body (eww again) he still thinks invisibility is a good idea!

Griffin says to Kemp: “Before I made this mad experiment I had dreamt of a thousand advantages” (138). There are indeed advantages to being invisible if invisibility can be turned on and off at will à la Sue Storm, but Griffin didn’t bother to think about how he would become uninvisible. At least Jekyll had a potion to reverse his transformation. True, Jekyll didn’t anticipate developing a tolerance, but at least he had enough sense to have an antidote in the first place.

When I started reading The Invisible Man, I was prepared to sympathize with Griffin. He was arrogant from the first, but I imagined he had been through a lot and his rude and imperious attitude was the defense mechanism of a man who had been unjustly persecuted.

I excused a lot of bad behavior as I patiently awaited his origin story. It was difficult, but the country people among whom he lodged were not exactly paragons of kindness themselves, so I was able to give the invisible man the benefit of a doubt.

By the time he reached Kemp’s house, I was sorely in need of a backstory that would enable me to feel some sympathy for this cruel and violent man. But the more Griffin revealed of himself, the more I grew to despise him. When I had finally written him off as unworthy of my pity, it was his own narrative that condemned him.

If this novel has any meaning at all, it can only be as a study in ugliness. Not physical ugliness of course, but moral ugliness. Griffin explains his bandages by claiming his face is disfigured. But his face is not disfigured. It is his soul that is disfigured. As is the soul of everyone else in the story.

The clock mender makes a nuisance of himself in the hope of glimpsing Griffin’s supposed facial disfigurement. What an ugly thing to do! To make a disfigured man the object of one’s morbid curiosity. Kemp betrays Griffin before hearing his tale. Once the tale is told, Kemp’s deception seems justified, but Kemp commits his deception before hearing Griffin’s tale. He did not even give Griffin a chance.

The villagers are ugly. The landlord and landlady are ugly. The proprietor of the Oxford Street house is ugly. Griffin’s mentor is ugly. The only person in this book who isn’t ugly is the cat.

If the purpose of The Invisible Man is to showcase human ugliness, all I can say is that Wells does it better in The War of the Worlds. If the purpose is to speculate on how invisibility might be scientifically achieved, the story would have been better as a short story. If the purpose is to explore the consequences of invisibility, it’s a disappointment because it doesn’t take much imagination to see the problems of being naked, barefoot, and hungry.

Perhaps the only takeaway from this book is that invisible women are smarter than invisible men.

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.

Quizás no ha sido la mejor opción para empezar con Wells. No quiero decir que no me haya gustado, simplemente que no ha llegado a cumplir mis expectativas.

La premisa es muy interesante y el libro comienza ya de lleno en la vida del hombre invisible. Lo vamos siguiendo en sus andanzas por los pueblos, hasta que encuentra a una persona que quizá le ayude a cumplir con sus objetivos.

No he empatizado nada con el prota. Es un hombre violento y egoísta, que se deja llevar por su ira solo porque la invisibilidad no ha resultado ser lo que él esperaba.

En cuanto a la narrativa es muy ligera, nada densa. Pero me he aburrido un poco al comienzo de la historia, ha tardado como 60 páginas en estallar la acción, y también me ha resultado un poco tediosa la historia de cómo se volvió invisible y todo lo que le sucedió hasta el inicio del libro.

Volveré a probar con H. G. Wells con otras de sus famosas novelas. No tiro la toalla.