Scan barcode
A review by julicke95
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
What struck me most about this novel was the myriad of ways in which people would disbelieve their own eyes when encountering the invisible man. To the point of doubting their own sanity before they would believe what they saw. It's quite marvellous what the human brain will do to preserve its current understanding of the world.
I enjoyed the fact that the story was told from the perspective of the bystanders, as this gave an air of mystery and unpredictabiluty to the invisible man. The disadvantage of this is that this made the invisible man's descent into moral depravity due to the tempting power of invisibility rather sudden. Because of the way the story was told, he seems to go from a neurotic scientist who wanted to rub his breakthrough invention in the face of academia to a hotheaded homocidal villain out to terrorize the world in a heartbeat. Had we gotten more of his thought processes earlier, this change and the corresponding message of the dangers of people abusing science for their own gain would have been more impactful.
There also just wasn't the same level of tension as in War of the Worlds. This was just one man against the world and it was clear from day one that he would be caught eventually, even if he was invisible.
I enjoyed the fact that the story was told from the perspective of the bystanders, as this gave an air of mystery and unpredictabiluty to the invisible man. The disadvantage of this is that this made the invisible man's descent into moral depravity due to the tempting power of invisibility rather sudden. Because of the way the story was told, he seems to go from a neurotic scientist who wanted to rub his breakthrough invention in the face of academia to a hotheaded homocidal villain out to terrorize the world in a heartbeat. Had we gotten more of his thought processes earlier, this change and the corresponding message of the dangers of people abusing science for their own gain would have been more impactful.
There also just wasn't the same level of tension as in War of the Worlds. This was just one man against the world and it was clear from day one that he would be caught eventually, even if he was invisible.