Reviews

This book is exceedingly slow, even for its age. The last third where the conflict arises is the novel’s peak, where for a moment, the reader is forced to engage with the terror of a small village plagued by a mad scientist. The rest of the novel betrays this thrilling aspect, though; the majority of the story follows the antagonist as he unsettles the locale by *checks notes* wearing skiing goggles.

mlklein1's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

A few months ago I saw a trailer for "The Invisible Man" adapted for the screen and directed by Leigh Whannell, who understands suspense and twists and turns. I realized, I had never read the book by H.G. Wells, so I gave it a whirl.

Now, I'm not a moron, I expected the novel, from 1897, to have little in common with the 2020 film outside of the name, and for the most part, I was correct. However, I will say, true to the book, Whannell made his title character as awful, egotistical, and homicidal as Wells' Griffin.

The book is interesting, originally serialized, so each chapter is almost a short story in and of itself. It's not until the final third that the chapters really do lead directly into each other, as the suspense and tension builds.

I found it a little unsettling that throughout it was unclear if Wells realized Griffin (the invisible man) is an absolute monster or if the author sympathized with the mad genius. Late in the novel it becomes clear that Wells' opinion of Griffin matches the reader's but it was an interesting choice to mask it as long as he does. Especially since, true to work of the time, the narrator is himself a character at times, making observations, addressing the reader directly, and then fading back into the background, (a technique I make use of in my own writing, much to the chagrin of some members of my critique group. But that, as my narrator says, is a story for another time.).

It's well documented that Wells was ahead of his time and that his imagination was fantastic and visionary, but he's also a pretty darn good writer as well. Take for example this small detail, buried in Chapter 17, as a confidante of the Invisible Man offers the man a drink:

"The chair creaked and Kemp felt the glass drawn away from him. He let go by an effort; his instinct was all against it."

What a great observation! That to hand a glass to nobody, you would instinctively not let go as the glass will surely crash to the ground! So well done.

And there are more delicious bits like that sprinkled through the novel that builds in tension and has a satisfying and exciting end. Of course reading anything from 100 years ago there will be cadence issues and slang that could make for slow going, however, this novel is so short, the chapters so concise, one moves through the story very quickly. The only question I am left with is this, was Griffin always a complete wanker, or did the experiments that turned him invisible also turn him so? It's not in the text that I saw, so we just have to wonder.

alliemco's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This is the fascinating story of Griffin, a scientist who creates a serum to render himself invisible, and his descent into madness that follows. I really liked the writing, but rated it three stars because the story itself moved at a snail pace and was told from the least interesting perspective possible –from the outside observers instead of the invisible man’s view. However the story is very interesting; it’s a sci-fi gem. Overall I enjoyed it, it It’s a quick read by the wonderful H.G Wells and a must read for science fiction lovers.

be_reading25's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

More...