This is the fourth short work of science fiction or fantasy published by H.G. Wells, and although it is superior to the fantasy you have probably never heard of (The Wonderful Visit), it is inferior to the two “scientific romances” which you almost certainly know (The Time Machine and The Island of Dr. Moreau). Still, it shares important characteristics with the others, and together they make up an effective introduction to Well’s work.

The Wonderful Visit (1895) treats—among other things—with the reactions of the inhabitants of an average English village when they encounter a real, honest-to-god corporeal angel. When they try to see him for what he is, they are filled with amazement, suspicion and unease, often reacting in a chaotic fashion, but later, when they see him as a problem to be solved, they can band together to do so. The angel is benign and the Invisible Man malevolent, but the reactions of the villagers to their individual strangeness is much the same. Wells uses the people primarily for comic relief, but treats them with respect.

One of the fine things about The Time Machine is the Time Traveller’s lecture to his dinner companions about the fourth dimension, what it is and how it can be manipulated. Griffin,The Invisible Man, is equally eloquent about the problems of invisibility and the way he overcomes—among other things—the effects of light and problems of pigment. (The fact that Griffin is an albino turns out to be a bonus.) Whenever The Invisible Man (1897) concentrates on invisibility, it is diverting and surprisingly credible.

My favorite of these four books is The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896). It explores the morbid psychology of a “mad” scientist Moreau, but it is even more concerned with his blasphemous and disturbing resemblance to a divine creator, a being who strives to make real men out of the animals he acquires, finding them to be barely educable and—except for his dogman servant—intractable. Although in The Invisible Man Wells concentrates on the morbid psychology of the power-mad sociopath Griffin, consumed by class envy and the lonely lure of invisibility, Dr. Moreau (1895), he can’t resist a divine allusion or two. (I particular like the passage where the invisible Griffin singles out the tramp Thomas Marvel as an accomplice in his thefts. “I have chosen you,” his apparently disembodied voice intones.)

Although it’s no Dr. Moreau, and the comic relief goes on a bit too long at times, it is still a solid piece of entertainment, an interesting psychological study with exciting chase at the end.

Here is a glimpse into the mind of the lonely—and now invisible Griffin, adjunct faculty member of an obscure college, as he speaks to Dr. Kemp, his old school fellow.

n  It came suddenly, splendid and complete in my mind. I was alone; the laboratory was still, with the tall lights burning brightly and silently. In all my great moments I have been alone. ‘One could make an animal — a tissue — transparent! One could make it invisible! All except the pigments — I could be invisible!’ I said, suddenly realising what it meant to be an albino with such knowledge. It was overwhelming. I left the filtering I was doing, and went and stared out of the great window at the stars. ‘I could be invisible!’ I repeated.

“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.n

Biographical Note
Introduction
Further Reading
Note on the Text

--The Invisible Man

Notes

Read as part of the BIG BUDDY READ, 2015 EDITION!

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 years while living in London, the scientist, “Mr. Griffin”, sees invisibility as a means to escape from poverty and obscurity, being motivated by is a desire for power and a wish “to transcend magic.” Griffin relates, “I beheld, unclouded by doubt, a magnificent vision of all that invisibility might mean to a man: the mystery, the power, the freedom. The drawbacks I saw none.” Of course, H.G. Wells dwells on the drawbacks of invisibility and scientific investigation that completely discounts consequences.

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.

1.75
i love every interesting and weird books
and the title of this book was enough to make me read it and I read it but wasn't
interested at all

În Omul invizibil, H.G. Wells a intenționat trei lucruri: să ne povestească o dramă, să ne facă să rîdem (locuitorii din Iping sau vagabondul Thomas Marvel sînt cel puțin caraghioși) și să ne relateze ceva plin de tensiune, care să ne țină cu sufletul la gură. Romanul lui e scris pentru adolescenți. În prezentul rostirii, nu mai simt tensiunea...

Memoria mea păstra o impresie mai bună, dar a trecut un veac de la prima lectură, cînd am vizionat și un serial TV american. De data asta, povestea mi s-a părut previzibilă: ghicim din capul locului că nefericitul Griffin va fi pedepsit. „Omul nevăzut” face aproape totul ca să devină antipatic nu numai doamnei Hall, nu numai bravilor cetățeni din Iping, ci și cititorilor de pretutindeni. Mă gîndesc că n-ar fi trebuit să fie așa. Mi l-am închipuit ca pe un „ucenic vrăjitor”, care nu mai poate stăpîni consecințele invenției sale și e strivit de ele. Aș fi vrut să fie un inocent, prins în temnița invizibilității sale. De fapt, Griffin e un scelerat.

Nu poți să nu te gîndești la romanul lui Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Întîlnim și acolo un monstru, un Golem suferind, creația neizbutită a lui Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein a greșit, va plăti cu vîrf și îndesat. În schimb, omul invizibil e propria lui creație. Un monstru creează un monstru. Dacă a greșit experimentul e pentru că era din capul locului un individ malign.

Uneori, H.G. Wells pare a sugera că Griffin s-a smintit. Suferința de a fi altfel decît ceilalți și încercările eșuate de a-și repara greșeala l-au făcut să-și piardă mințile. Din păcate, nu e așa. Sfîrșitul poveștii se află chiar în originea ei. A fi înduioșat de soarta tînărului medic și chimist Griffin e o reacție fără temei. Griffin nu merită generozitatea noastră...

3.5

I am just a human being—solid, needing food and drink, needing covering too—But I’m invisible. You see? Invisible. Simple idea. Invisible.

A perfect specimen of a mad scientist, Dr. Griffin finally succeeds after doing research and experiments, in making himself invisible; with a tiny hitch: he can’t reverse the procedure.

Imagine being invisible, insane and prone to violence…

He is mad...inhuman. He is pure selfishness...

خستگی این دوازده روز کتاب خوب نخوندن رو از تنم به در کرد! :))
این کتاب عالیه، با روح و روان آدم بازی میکنه پنج ستاره ی کامل حلالش :)

It is widely suggested that this third novel (along with The Time Machine and The Island of Dr. Moreau) is the reason why Wells is considered (by some) the Father of Science Fiction. I can see their argument. The tale is memorable, and I know this because I remember that I read this a long time ago during my middle school years.

Jack Griffin arrived at the town of Iping during a snowstorm hidden behind a wide-brimmed hat, the up-turned collar of a thick winter coat, scarf, gloves, his face further concealed by bandages and a pink, prosthetic nose. Add to that a caustic attitude and suspicious behavior and you will realize that the man has good reason to be annoyed by the owners of the inn.

He clearly states he wants to be left alone to perform his experimentations and scientific endeavors. However, Mrs. Hall is a busybody that demonstrates concern that the experimentations are causing damage to the lodgings, which they are. Griffin offers to pay for the destruction, but when Mrs. Hall asks him to leave, Grifin becomes so irate that he reveals his invisible self to her. Villagers arrive to inquire about her screams and find that Griffin is attempting to harm one of their number. They attempt to capture to no avail.

The book then becomes an attempt to capture the invisible man. Although the novel is very action oriented, there are plenty of opportunities for exposition. He communicates that one of the chemicals that he has been ingesting is strychnine, which seems to explain his uncooperative temper and behavior.

I loved this book and am very excited to include this novel as my first of twenty horror books for my All Hallows Month goal.

His nuts should have froze...

The actual rating is 2*...the extra * is for me for actually reading 3/4 of the book before finally losing my patience and fast forwarding to the end. This was a dull book with uninteresting characters and if, according to the anti hero Griffin, the list of interesting and wild things that an invisible person can do includes only beating up and terrorizing random people and getting beaten up in return, then sorry not interested at all because the same things can be done just fine being visible! :P Plus, I did not understand why Griffin was so angry all the time?! He would lose his cool at anyone who encountered him in his invisible form and got scared as a result which, in this scenario, is a perfectly normal human reaction! If only Griffin stopped to consider it.... Meh!

3.5 Stars

The Invisible Man is character orientated in its own way, but by taking a distant tone to illustrate the isolation of genius from society, the corruption of power. HG Wells makes sure the man isn’t even that likeable, although of course my silly heart felt compassion sometimes anyway.

If you’re familiar with the Universal classic movie, the first chapters – that is his time at the Inn – is pretty identical in sequence and outcome in the film. Thankfully the shrew innkeeper woman wasn’t as madly annoying – worked in the movie but with the book it would have felt out of place. After he leaves in the inn, the story becomes a tale all of its own, leaving out most of the film events.

There is no redeeming romantic interest, no well-respected friends or colleagues waiting by his side in support. Apparently the point of the story is that his isolation has made him seek out further isolation. In the book he’s an albino and generally despised before invisibility. By the time he has taken his potions and transformed, he cares not for society; his drive to succeed with his advances is not spurred on by needing acceptance.

The theme and beginning are well imagined. The ending was tragic and excellent. Dialogue – I loved it when the Invisible man conversed with others, his intelligence shows through with his madness. I do think HG Wells could have done more with the story material, especially during the middle, which lagged a bit at times.

I enjoyed HG Well’s writing style – looking forward to trying more of his stuff.

per me la grande letteratura fantastica non è mai stata irreale. tutto quello che ho vissuto, i miei stati d'animo, le mie paure, le mie insicurezze, i miei slanci, le mie passioni, hanno trovato un corrispettivo, un correlato oggettivo nelle fantasie di certi autori. le difficoltà de l'uomo invisibile sono state le mie difficoltà. la vulnerabilità di un uomo che si credeva al sicuro è in qualche modo la mia, quante volte la sperimentiamo nella vita. ci sono libri "realisti" che sono stati per me molto irreali, e libri fantastici, come i libri di Wells, la cui realtà è evidente e taglia il cuore come una lama.