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Four Masterworks (1895‒1898) #1, 3, 4
The Time Machine / The Invisible Man / The War of the Worlds
Gathered together in one hardcover three timeless novels from the founding father of science fiction.
The first great novel to imagine time travel, The Time Machine (1895) follows its scientist narrator on an incredible journey that takes him finally to Earth’s last moments—and perhaps his own. The scientist who discovers how to transform himself in The Invisible Man (1897) will also discover, too late, that he has become unmoored from society and from his own sanity. The War of the Worlds (1898)—the seminal masterpiece of alien invasion adapted by Orson Welles for his notorious 1938 radio drama, and subsequently by several filmmakers—imagines a fierce race of Martians who devastate Earth and feed on their human victims while their voracious vegetation, the red weed, spreads over the ruined planet.
Here are three classic science fiction novels that, more than a century after their original publication, show no sign of losing their grip on readers’ imaginations.
The first great novel to imagine time travel, The Time Machine (1895) follows its scientist narrator on an incredible journey that takes him finally to Earth’s last moments—and perhaps his own. The scientist who discovers how to transform himself in The Invisible Man (1897) will also discover, too late, that he has become unmoored from society and from his own sanity. The War of the Worlds (1898)—the seminal masterpiece of alien invasion adapted by Orson Welles for his notorious 1938 radio drama, and subsequently by several filmmakers—imagines a fierce race of Martians who devastate Earth and feed on their human victims while their voracious vegetation, the red weed, spreads over the ruined planet.
Here are three classic science fiction novels that, more than a century after their original publication, show no sign of losing their grip on readers’ imaginations.
472 pages, Hardcover
Published August 3, 2010
86 people are currently reading
554 people want to read
About the author
H.G. Wells
5,037 books11k followersHerbert 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
November 27, 2019
I am wrestling with how to review omnibus editions of books. I want my list of books I've read in Goodreads to be the actual editions of the books I read, but this makes it difficult when it's an omnibus. Anyway, at least for now, this review is only for The Time Machine.
This is a fantastic story on its own, and even more impressive when considering its place in time. Wells' present day characters are very human and relatable; something I don't always get from authors from the past. The set up before the main story begins is great and strikes me as an example of his proficiency as an author. The main story is told well, and there are plenty of mysteries that kept me turning the pages. His ideas of what the future could hold, while a little far fetched (but who am I to say what is probable, and anyway, I think "far fetched" literally means thinking far into the future where no man can actually know!), are interesting and not without warrant. The story went on a little longer than I thought it should have. Don't get me wrong, it was a short book, but at a certain point I pretty much knew what to expect and felt like I was just getting through some pages to get to the conclusion. The proof of his adventure is perfectly balanced on the edge of empirical vs anecdotal evidence so as to leave you wondering.
Two more things without spoiling anything - actually I already spoiled #1 so whatever: 1) I am happy about the direction in time that was chosen for the story. Prior to reading, I really had no idea how the coin flip would turn out, 2) I am flabbergasted by the enormity of the distance which was travelled in that direction (for the main story). This may be due to another time travel story I read in my Book of Fantasy in which I believe a mere 100 years are travelled.
This is a fantastic story on its own, and even more impressive when considering its place in time. Wells' present day characters are very human and relatable; something I don't always get from authors from the past. The set up before the main story begins is great and strikes me as an example of his proficiency as an author. The main story is told well, and there are plenty of mysteries that kept me turning the pages. His ideas of what the future could hold, while a little far fetched (but who am I to say what is probable, and anyway, I think "far fetched" literally means thinking far into the future where no man can actually know!), are interesting and not without warrant. The story went on a little longer than I thought it should have. Don't get me wrong, it was a short book, but at a certain point I pretty much knew what to expect and felt like I was just getting through some pages to get to the conclusion. The proof of his adventure is perfectly balanced on the edge of empirical vs anecdotal evidence so as to leave you wondering.
Two more things without spoiling anything - actually I already spoiled #1 so whatever: 1) I am happy about the direction in time that was chosen for the story. Prior to reading, I really had no idea how the coin flip would turn out, 2) I am flabbergasted by the enormity of the distance which was travelled in that direction (for the main story). This may be due to another time travel story I read in my Book of Fantasy in which I believe a mere 100 years are travelled.
February 13, 2022
Unless you count Ladybird versions, I’d never read any of HG Wells’ science fiction until now. That may sound hard to believe. Wells is one of those writers everyone is supposed to pick up as a teenager.
I usually dislike lumping writers together, but Wells really does have a lot in common with Robert Louis Stevenson and Arthur Conan Doyle. Despite their appeals to science and reason, all three were writing fables for a machine age.
The Time Machine is the least satisfying of the three novellas collected here. It isn’t really a story, in truth, it’s an essay with characters - and this is the same problem Aldous Huxley always had.
I liked The Invisible Man best. The framing is better, the suspense is handled better, and the characters are more engaging. It also ends on a note of real pity for its villain.
I usually dislike lumping writers together, but Wells really does have a lot in common with Robert Louis Stevenson and Arthur Conan Doyle. Despite their appeals to science and reason, all three were writing fables for a machine age.
The Time Machine is the least satisfying of the three novellas collected here. It isn’t really a story, in truth, it’s an essay with characters - and this is the same problem Aldous Huxley always had.
I liked The Invisible Man best. The framing is better, the suspense is handled better, and the characters are more engaging. It also ends on a note of real pity for its villain.
November 12, 2017
War of the Worlds - 5
Invisible Man - 3
The Time Machine - 4
Invisible Man - 3
The Time Machine - 4
August 23, 2024
What can I say? The novels are all well-known, but it doesn't have Wells' 1931 introduction to The Time Machine which is what I was after.
May 26, 2025
The Time Machine isn't his best work - and I loved the preface to it which explains as much, from the author later in his life. But War of the Worlds remains among my favourite books, and The Invisible Man was unexpectedly hilarious.
December 23, 2022
DNF on The War of the Worlds. C. S. Lewis didn't like it and neither do I, and frankly I'm sick of seeing in on my "currently reading" shelf.
June 19, 2024
Time Machine and War of the Worlds are definitely better than The Invisible Man.
January 17, 2015
I had never read "The War of the Worlds" before, which given my love of sci-fi and apocalyptic literature was an oversight. Embarrassingly I didn't really know the time period of HG Wells - it's almost as if the Martians landed in the first season of Downton Abbey. I really enjoyed reading it and comparing it to the movie versions.
The other two tales, I'm glad to have read, but Margaret Drabble's introduction is correct when she talks about how implausible they are from a scientific point of view. The really scary part of The Invisible Man is the implication for the depravity of human nature - given the ability, it will ultimately be used for evil rather than "good"
The other two tales, I'm glad to have read, but Margaret Drabble's introduction is correct when she talks about how implausible they are from a scientific point of view. The really scary part of The Invisible Man is the implication for the depravity of human nature - given the ability, it will ultimately be used for evil rather than "good"
March 17, 2018
De Tijdmachine: **
Het minste van de 3 verhalen wat mij betreft. Het idee van tijdreizen is wel tof, maar de tijdreiziger is een irritant personage en de verre toekomst is verre van interessant.
De onzichtbare man: *****
Mijn favoriete verhaal van de 3. De onzichtbare man doet er alles aan om weer zichtbaar te worden, maar gaat tot steeds verdere extremen om zijn doel te bereiken. Er zit humor en spannende momenten in.
De oorlog der werelden: ****
De hele aanval van de aliens is goed beschreven en je voelt de machteloosheid van de mensen tegenover de grote marsmachines. Het einde was wel een beetje gehaast.
Het minste van de 3 verhalen wat mij betreft. Het idee van tijdreizen is wel tof, maar de tijdreiziger is een irritant personage en de verre toekomst is verre van interessant.
De onzichtbare man: *****
Mijn favoriete verhaal van de 3. De onzichtbare man doet er alles aan om weer zichtbaar te worden, maar gaat tot steeds verdere extremen om zijn doel te bereiken. Er zit humor en spannende momenten in.
De oorlog der werelden: ****
De hele aanval van de aliens is goed beschreven en je voelt de machteloosheid van de mensen tegenover de grote marsmachines. Het einde was wel een beetje gehaast.
January 29, 2025
Read War of the Worlds out of this. While the novel seriously shows its age. Dude, the world is much bigger then all these English towns your naming! It’s important to recognize the age of this novel and reading it in the time period would have been nothing short of mind blowing, especially when you realize science fiction wasn’t even a thing for most people! Love these editions too.
October 1, 2024
Me gustó mucho la historia de la maquina del tiempo. Fué bastante interesante ver esta versión
March 28, 2018
H.G. Wells is considered a pioneer of sci-fi. These three short novels comprise three of his first books.
Wells is a master of suspense. His dark themes and ominous stories are reminiscent of Poe. Unlike Verne, where the characters are meeting with one after another fantastical situations, Wells' books are less action-based. There is more introspection as the characters enter supernatural scenarios. The stories share more elements of monster stories than what today's reader thinks of as sci-fi. For example, "The Invisible Man" has more in common with "Frankenstein" than "Dune" or "The Martian Chronicles".
Wells grew up in England during the peak of British Imperialism. In many of his stories he alludes to the atrocities committed by the British on the indigenous people of their colonial holdings. In "The War of the Worlds", Englishmen get a taste of their own medicine as the superior Martians wreak destruction, death and domination over the earthlings.
"The Time Machine" is a classic stranger in a strange land story. Again, British Imperialism is an underlying theme as the time traveler befriends the friendly Eloi and battles the dark and cannibalistic Morlocks.
"The Invisible Man", like Shelley's Frankenstein, is a cautionary tale for humans using science to alter nature. The main character Griffin misjudges the problems of his invisibility discovery. He not only becomes physically monstrous, he also loses his mind and enters into monomaniacal fantasies.
Wells was concerned with the rapid industrialization and technology advancements of his time. He did not trust that human judgement could fully appreciate the dangers of modernization. He could visualize these unintended disasters all to clearly. Wells predicted fleets of airships raining bombs and destruction from above years before the airplane was ever used for such a purpose. Would Wells be amazed at today's technologically advanced world, or would he be even more concerned with potential catastrophic possibilities such as nuclear holocaust or cyber-warfare? Based on his tendency towards pessimism, it is likely he would be fearful of rouge AI machines and genetic engineering mutations. Wells knows how to write a frightening and entertaining distopic story. All sci-fi stories have aging problems. Predictions and scientific theories end up far off course. Wells books do not escape these problems. As much of the suspense is built on the psychological thoughts of the characters, the reader can suspend their disbelief of the faulty supernatural phenomena and still enjoy these novels.
Wells is a master of suspense. His dark themes and ominous stories are reminiscent of Poe. Unlike Verne, where the characters are meeting with one after another fantastical situations, Wells' books are less action-based. There is more introspection as the characters enter supernatural scenarios. The stories share more elements of monster stories than what today's reader thinks of as sci-fi. For example, "The Invisible Man" has more in common with "Frankenstein" than "Dune" or "The Martian Chronicles".
Wells grew up in England during the peak of British Imperialism. In many of his stories he alludes to the atrocities committed by the British on the indigenous people of their colonial holdings. In "The War of the Worlds", Englishmen get a taste of their own medicine as the superior Martians wreak destruction, death and domination over the earthlings.
"The Time Machine" is a classic stranger in a strange land story. Again, British Imperialism is an underlying theme as the time traveler befriends the friendly Eloi and battles the dark and cannibalistic Morlocks.
"The Invisible Man", like Shelley's Frankenstein, is a cautionary tale for humans using science to alter nature. The main character Griffin misjudges the problems of his invisibility discovery. He not only becomes physically monstrous, he also loses his mind and enters into monomaniacal fantasies.
Wells was concerned with the rapid industrialization and technology advancements of his time. He did not trust that human judgement could fully appreciate the dangers of modernization. He could visualize these unintended disasters all to clearly. Wells predicted fleets of airships raining bombs and destruction from above years before the airplane was ever used for such a purpose. Would Wells be amazed at today's technologically advanced world, or would he be even more concerned with potential catastrophic possibilities such as nuclear holocaust or cyber-warfare? Based on his tendency towards pessimism, it is likely he would be fearful of rouge AI machines and genetic engineering mutations. Wells knows how to write a frightening and entertaining distopic story. All sci-fi stories have aging problems. Predictions and scientific theories end up far off course. Wells books do not escape these problems. As much of the suspense is built on the psychological thoughts of the characters, the reader can suspend their disbelief of the faulty supernatural phenomena and still enjoy these novels.
August 31, 2024
"Now the risk was inevitable, I no longer saw it in the same cheerful light. The fact is that, insensibly, the absolute strangeness of everything, the sickly jarring and swaying of the machine, above all, the feeling of prolonged falling, had absolutely upset my nerve. I told myself that I could never stop, and with a gust of petulance I resolved to stop forthwith. Like an impatient fool, I lugged over the lever, and incontinently the thing went reeling over, and I was flung headlong through the air.
There was the sound of a clap of thunder in my ears. I may have been stunned for a moment. A pitiless hail was hissing round me, and I was sitting on soft turf in front of the overset machine. Everything still seemed grey, but presently I remarked that the confusion in my ears was gone. I looked round me. I was on what seemed to be a little lawn in a garden, surrounded by rhododendron bushes, and I noticed that their mauve and purple blossoms were dropping in a shower under the beating of the hailstones. The rebounding, dancing hall hung in a cloud over the machine, and drove along the ground like smoke. In a moment I was wet to the skin. "Fine hospitality," said I, "to a man who has travelled inumerable years to see you."
Presently I thought what a fool I was to get wet. I stood up and looked round me. A colossal figure, carved apparently in some white stone, loomed indistinctly beyond the rhododendrons through the hazy downpour. But all else of the world was invisible."
There was the sound of a clap of thunder in my ears. I may have been stunned for a moment. A pitiless hail was hissing round me, and I was sitting on soft turf in front of the overset machine. Everything still seemed grey, but presently I remarked that the confusion in my ears was gone. I looked round me. I was on what seemed to be a little lawn in a garden, surrounded by rhododendron bushes, and I noticed that their mauve and purple blossoms were dropping in a shower under the beating of the hailstones. The rebounding, dancing hall hung in a cloud over the machine, and drove along the ground like smoke. In a moment I was wet to the skin. "Fine hospitality," said I, "to a man who has travelled inumerable years to see you."
Presently I thought what a fool I was to get wet. I stood up and looked round me. A colossal figure, carved apparently in some white stone, loomed indistinctly beyond the rhododendrons through the hazy downpour. But all else of the world was invisible."
August 4, 2022
Written at the end of the nineteenth century, in a period of great turmoil and changes in society, Wells posed his doubts, and questioned the man with unknown fantasies: legitimate perplexities that laid the foundations for future science fiction.
It is enough to observe in popular culture, made up of comics, films, TV series, literature, how many times: time travel, invisibility and the conquest of the Earth by civilizations coming from space, are used as a model and reworked for adapt them to the present day.
From the volume emerges a pessimistic vision of tomorrow, a warning that in some ways we still ignore.
Scritti alla fine del XIX secolo, in un periodo di grande fermento e cambiamenti della societa', Wells poneva i suoi dubbi, e interrogava l'uomo con ignote fantasie: lecite perplessita' che gettavano le basi della futura fantascienza.
Basta osservare nella cultura popolare, fatta di fumetti, film, serie tv, letteratura, quante volte: i viaggi nel tempo, l'invisibilita' e la conquista della Terra da parte di civilta' venute dallo spazio, vengano utilizzati come modello e rielaborati per adattarli ai giorni nostri.
Dal volume emerge una visione pessimistica del domani, monito che per certi versi ancora ignoriamo.
It is enough to observe in popular culture, made up of comics, films, TV series, literature, how many times: time travel, invisibility and the conquest of the Earth by civilizations coming from space, are used as a model and reworked for adapt them to the present day.
From the volume emerges a pessimistic vision of tomorrow, a warning that in some ways we still ignore.
Scritti alla fine del XIX secolo, in un periodo di grande fermento e cambiamenti della societa', Wells poneva i suoi dubbi, e interrogava l'uomo con ignote fantasie: lecite perplessita' che gettavano le basi della futura fantascienza.
Basta osservare nella cultura popolare, fatta di fumetti, film, serie tv, letteratura, quante volte: i viaggi nel tempo, l'invisibilita' e la conquista della Terra da parte di civilta' venute dallo spazio, vengano utilizzati come modello e rielaborati per adattarli ai giorni nostri.
Dal volume emerge una visione pessimistica del domani, monito che per certi versi ancora ignoriamo.
October 28, 2024
“The game is only beginning. There is nothing for it, but to start The Terror. This announces the first day of The Terror. Port Burdock is no longer under the Queen, tell your Colonel of Police, and the rest of them, it is under me - The Terror! This is day one of year one of the new epoch - the Epoch of the Invisible Man.”
And with The War of the Worlds (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️), my latest collection comes to an end.
Again, I kinda wish this side of the list wasn’t so sci-fi heavy, but these were still a really fun time. War of the Worlds especially because I don’t think I’ve read that since like middle school. Time Machine and Invisible Man were totally new and technically I only needed to read Invisible Man, but y’all know I’m not gonna not read a whole collection when I have the chance.
This was no exception. And it felt a lot more cohesive and higher in quality than the first one. I’ll take it!
And with The War of the Worlds (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️), my latest collection comes to an end.
Again, I kinda wish this side of the list wasn’t so sci-fi heavy, but these were still a really fun time. War of the Worlds especially because I don’t think I’ve read that since like middle school. Time Machine and Invisible Man were totally new and technically I only needed to read Invisible Man, but y’all know I’m not gonna not read a whole collection when I have the chance.
This was no exception. And it felt a lot more cohesive and higher in quality than the first one. I’ll take it!
October 9, 2021
I have heard of Mr. Wells often, but never read any of his work. Of the three books contained in this volume I do favor War of Worlds, but thourghly enjoyed The Time Machine.
There's a youthfulness to the story that makes sure that I would have been a loyal and a constant fan of Wells. I see a collection for my library being born here
Not a crazy first edition collection, just books I would like to read and reread:)
There's a youthfulness to the story that makes sure that I would have been a loyal and a constant fan of Wells. I see a collection for my library being born here
Not a crazy first edition collection, just books I would like to read and reread:)
April 9, 2020
The Grandfather of sci fi, his books are as compelling now as they must have been when first released. Some of the language is slightly archaic but still makes for as thrilling read.
October 8, 2020
I liked The Invisible Man far more than The Time Machine
July 15, 2021
Time machine - 4 stars;
Invisible man - 3 stars;
War of the worlds - 4 stars
Invisible man - 3 stars;
War of the worlds - 4 stars
July 2, 2023
Still trying to give classics a chance 🙏 not going so good tho
August 4, 2024
The Time Traveler - 3/5.
Loved War of the Worlds - 4/5.
The Invisible Man - 2/5.
Average together? 3/5
Loved War of the Worlds - 4/5.
The Invisible Man - 2/5.
Average together? 3/5
May 1, 2025
3.5 rounded up to 4 because I liked The Time Machine less than the other two.
September 17, 2025
Un fenómeno probabilístico de grandes números.
October 2, 2025
These were some of the most interesting novels by H.G. Wells I’ve ever read.
April 6, 2025
Epic, captivating, and superbly written sci-fi that set the scene. Some notions, especially in the Time Machine e.g. on drop of human intelligence in a future star in which life stopped to pose real challenges, are stimulating. A great work
August 7, 2018
I read this mainly for "The Time Machine," but it was my least favorite of the three books. "The Invisible Man" was fascinating and I still find myself thinking about it a couple of weeks later. "The War of the Worlds" had an interesting take on aliens. I'm glad I finally got around to these early examples of sci-fi. Very fun to read.
March 1, 2018
The Time Machine was intriguing because of the sociology aspects of it. The Invisible Man is a troubling tale that I had nightmares about and The War of the World's made me thankful for all the bacteria and diseases we have.
April 3, 2015
I didn't like The Invisible Man as much I liked War of the Worlds and The Time Machine because the story is even more elementary than it is in those books, and because the conceit at its heart isn't as interesting.
As is usual with Wells, the story he tells is a cautionary tale. Its message: the gifts of science cannot overcome the frailties of men's moral and physical characters. There is a section about two thirds of the way through the book where the antihero of the story, Griffin, the Invisible Man, tells a former schoolmate just how paltry the benefits he has gained from his new power have turned out to be. His invisibility means he must go about naked. But this renders him vulnerable to the environment: if it rains he must take shelter lest his outline be seen and he be discovered. If it is cold, he freezes. His feet are bare, so they take considerable abuse. Mud clings to him and dogs still notice his scent, which has gone nowhere. And he still leaves footprints in mud or if anything has stuck to his soles.
As with the time traveler in The Time Machine forgetting to bring any equipment with him, such as a camera, the Invisible Man has been caught unawares by his own shortsightedness. "Foolish as it seems to me now, I had not reckoned that, transparent or not, I was still amenable to the weather and all its consequences" (191). Science is only what those who wield it make of it. If they are good, it is good. But if they are immoral, so will it be.
Griffin is maniacal. The account of his pursuit of invisibility he gives to his schoolmate, Dr. Kemp, makes this clear. He is profoundly arrogant, perhaps a bit neurotic. Like anyone who would steal fire from the gods, the gods will punish him. His hubris meets its nemesis, and he begins to go mad as the gods work to destroy him. Unable to reverse his invisibility, he slowly becomes unhinged. In the end he dreams only of using his power to usher in a reign of terror over the English countryside. But even here the best he can do is some petty thefts and mean-spirited pranks. He is only one man, and his invisibility has drawbacks which make a reign of terror little more than obnoxious, albeit frightening, bullying.
Griffin's victims aren't much better. If he's a bully, they're buffoons and bumpkins. They defeat him in the end, but mostly through force of numbers and Griffin's wrath getting the better of him. He is probably insane by the end of the novel, though a person who devotes his life to discovering the secret of invisibility is probably some way down the path of insanity already.
The book, despite my criticisms, is entertaining. The early part, where Griffin barges into a village hotel and sets himself as the guest from hell, are well done. Wells does a fine job portraying Griffin's impetuosity and imperiousness and the villagers' reactions to this new and foreboding object of fascination. Griffin is, for Wells, a reasonably well developed character. He has clear motives and a distinct personality.
It just doesn't add up to much. It's a nice story. But no more. Wells' "scientific romances" have always been more important for what they are than how they are. What they are, are landmarks of literature. This one, though, is a little less imposing than its brethren.
Posted 3 April 2015
As is usual with Wells, the story he tells is a cautionary tale. Its message: the gifts of science cannot overcome the frailties of men's moral and physical characters. There is a section about two thirds of the way through the book where the antihero of the story, Griffin, the Invisible Man, tells a former schoolmate just how paltry the benefits he has gained from his new power have turned out to be. His invisibility means he must go about naked. But this renders him vulnerable to the environment: if it rains he must take shelter lest his outline be seen and he be discovered. If it is cold, he freezes. His feet are bare, so they take considerable abuse. Mud clings to him and dogs still notice his scent, which has gone nowhere. And he still leaves footprints in mud or if anything has stuck to his soles.
As with the time traveler in The Time Machine forgetting to bring any equipment with him, such as a camera, the Invisible Man has been caught unawares by his own shortsightedness. "Foolish as it seems to me now, I had not reckoned that, transparent or not, I was still amenable to the weather and all its consequences" (191). Science is only what those who wield it make of it. If they are good, it is good. But if they are immoral, so will it be.
Griffin is maniacal. The account of his pursuit of invisibility he gives to his schoolmate, Dr. Kemp, makes this clear. He is profoundly arrogant, perhaps a bit neurotic. Like anyone who would steal fire from the gods, the gods will punish him. His hubris meets its nemesis, and he begins to go mad as the gods work to destroy him. Unable to reverse his invisibility, he slowly becomes unhinged. In the end he dreams only of using his power to usher in a reign of terror over the English countryside. But even here the best he can do is some petty thefts and mean-spirited pranks. He is only one man, and his invisibility has drawbacks which make a reign of terror little more than obnoxious, albeit frightening, bullying.
Griffin's victims aren't much better. If he's a bully, they're buffoons and bumpkins. They defeat him in the end, but mostly through force of numbers and Griffin's wrath getting the better of him. He is probably insane by the end of the novel, though a person who devotes his life to discovering the secret of invisibility is probably some way down the path of insanity already.
The book, despite my criticisms, is entertaining. The early part, where Griffin barges into a village hotel and sets himself as the guest from hell, are well done. Wells does a fine job portraying Griffin's impetuosity and imperiousness and the villagers' reactions to this new and foreboding object of fascination. Griffin is, for Wells, a reasonably well developed character. He has clear motives and a distinct personality.
It just doesn't add up to much. It's a nice story. But no more. Wells' "scientific romances" have always been more important for what they are than how they are. What they are, are landmarks of literature. This one, though, is a little less imposing than its brethren.
Posted 3 April 2015
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