The Invisible Man / The Food of the Gods

by H.G. Wells, Linda Dryden (Annotations)

With an Introduction and Notes by Linda Dryden, Professor of English Literature at Edinburgh Napier University and the author of Joseph Conrad and H. G. The Fin-de Siecle-Literary Scene. At the end of the nineteenth century a stranger arrives in the Sussex countryside and mayhem ensues; in the sleepy county of Kent a miracle food brings biological chaos that engulfs and threatens the entire planet. H. G. Wells's fertile and mercurial imagination never brought us more bizarre and unsettling stories than those revealed in The Invisible Man (1897) and The Food of the Gods, and How It Came to Earth (1904). These are stories of extraordinary physical transformations and are at once extremely funny and richly imaginative. At the same time, Wells poses some very probing questions about the ethical dimensions to science and the human capacity for both pity and cruelty. Brought together for the first time in this new Wordsworth edition, The Invisible Man and The Food of the Gods are two of Wells's most entertaining and thought-provoking works.

Genres: Classics, Science Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1897

About the author

Herbert George Wells was born to a working class family in Kent, England. Young Wells received a spotty education, interrupted by several illnesses and family difficulties, and became a draper's apprentice as a teenager. The headmaster of Midhurst Grammar School, where he had spent a year, arranged for him to return as an "usher," or student teacher. Wells earned a government scholarship in 1884, to study biology under Thomas Henry Huxley at the Normal School of Science. Wells earned his bachelor of science and doctor of science degrees at the University of London. After marrying his cousin, Isabel, Wells began to supplement his teaching salary with short stories and freelance articles, then books, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).

Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.

He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.

More: http://philosopedia.org/index.php/H._...

http://www.online-literature.com/well...

http://www.hgwellsusa.50megs.com/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells

Reviews

[Kostas · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it comes to H.G. Wells and his work in the genre of Science Fiction it is, I believe, easy to say that he was for his time one of the most talented writer with great ideas for the future, and with a particularly big passion for the unreal, the extraordinary - the fantastical. But sometimes, even though he didn’t show it often, he had also and a great sense of humor.
In this volume we see two novels in a mix of these ideas: ‘The Invisible Man’, one of his most well-known novels with Wells showing how something comical can very quickly become something much more; as also ‘The Food of the Gods’, a little more different novel from his usual style as he shows the conflicts between the human race with nature, and also of the consequences that can bring to the world.

The Invisible Man
The first novel follows Griffin, a scientist who has devoted his life to the discovery of the “invisibility”, as we see him through various situations to achieve this experiment and, eventually, becoming himself invisible.
Only, along the way, he will discover that this will, perhaps, create upon him even more problems than of what he had estimated in the beginning and when - after a few unsuccessful attempts - fails to reverse it, he will find himself in a great adventure that will bring him against difficult situations and also to a hard world that dislikes anything of the unusual.

In this novel Wells shows a more humorous side than usual, but also changing and his style, from what he had showed to his other, early, great novels, as the story follows the events this time in the third person.
The story focuses mostly on the “unfortunate” adventures of the protagonist of this experiment as we see him through different characters to try and pass, as much as possible, unnoticed by the others and to try and continue his life so as to find a way and reverse this incident. However, soon Wells changes this style, as he takes us from an “unfortunate” - but humorous situation, into something entirely much more serious and showing us how quickly humanity’s bad side can come.
It certainly has some places that, I could say, can become a little tiring, but what I believe makes it stronger are, as always, the philosophical themes that Wells tries to pass through his ideas, which, in the end, is one of his most unique characteristic that also made him so famous and loveable. 7/10

The Food of the Gods
The second novel focuses on two “scientists”, Redwood and Bensington, as we see them trying to create a formula that can accelerate the growth in the world. But when they decide, after some “successful” first experiments, to give this formula - the “Food of the Gods” as they call it, in their newborn children it will, perhaps, prove also and their biggest mistake as, on the way, they will discover that it had a much greater impact than they had originally expected, and it will bring to the world a new kind of humans; a kind of human-giants.
However, when these human-giants, as they grow, will want to begin their own way to the world their lives will change forever as they will found themselves against the stubbornness of the people, who will try to subordinate them to the rules of their society, and will be faced against a great war that may well bring them, and all the human race, to its destruction.

It is a particular story as Wells tries to recreate that mix of humor with the extraordinary that he had in ‘The Invisible Man’. Nevertheless though, the story unfortunately doesn’t manage to bring the same success, as it greatly lacks a certain strength to the characters, and especially to a main one that can lead it; as also and in its structure too.
This is because Wells doesn’t seem to be able to focus so much to the plot itself, but only to the events of this story which makes it a bit tiring after a while. The only thing that I would say that “saves” the story, is the third, and final part as Wells tries to fix that somewhat, but not so much as to make it as satisfying as he has proved before that he can do in his other works. 6/10

[Lucienne Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two very interesting novels from H G Wells which go together well in this edition. Both explore (amongst other things) themes around what scientists can do, and what scientists should do, raising questions about the purpose and ethics of scientific research. Both are also exciting and gripping adventure stories.

[Kent Lullo · Rating 2 out of 5]

there was like three pages near the end that were good, a few sentences that were funny, but otherwise a pretty hard story to enjoy when the title completely spoils it

[Nellija · Rating 3 out of 5]

The invisible man & the food of the gods. It’s obvious why these two stories were combined in one book. They both serve the same narrative of a scientific discovery challenging the mortality of man and questioning the line of what is two far in experiments concerning humans. In the first story we are told the story of Griffin - a man in his thirties (?) who finds a way to turn himself invisible. Now as a story it was intriguing, definitely more well thought out than the later, especially I enjoyed the switch up from just a man who’s invisible to a psychopath who’s invisible.

Now the second story - the food of the gods and how it came to earth - is rather lacking. I feel up until a certain part it’s intriguing and fun to read but then it reaches this point when the children of the boomfood have grown up and ends up losing its narrative. The story starts feeling like a mess. I feel like it definitely would have benefited if it had followed the story of the giants a lot earlier and shown more of the uprising and call for war rather then that happening in the last like 40 pages.

Overall it’s a nice read, if I had to chose one of these to reread - definitely the invisible man would be my choice. So for someone who’s not so sure on whether to read these tales of scientific fiction or not, I definitely recommend checking out the first story, but for the later only if you enjoyed the first.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hoot. Sadly I think The Food of The Gods wanted to say something deeper about the meaning of life, or man’s need to be God, in the second half and I just kind of wanted to read about befuddled and horrified people doing battle with giant rats so that was a bit of a crossroads. Cossar (during the first half anyway) was surely literature’s most capable man, and sent me a bit weak. Should give him a team up with Quincy Morris, they would be an efficient and unstoppable duo.
However, I have no such complaint about The Invisible Man. Wall to wall violence that escalated incredibly quickly, and I loved every moment of it.

[Chris Boulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked "The Invisible Man" ... really confused by "The Food of the Gods" not sure whether I liked it or not. Certainly had it's moments but.. dunno.

[audy ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 bintang untuk The Invisible Man
3 bintang untuk The Food of The Gods