Are you sure?
This action might not be possible to undo. Are you sure you want to continue?
The Invisible Man
Summary
Griffin is a scientist who theorizes that if a person's refractive index is changed to exactly that of air and his body does not absorb or reflect light, then he will be invisible. He successfully carries out this procedure on himself, but cannot become visible again, becoming mentally unstable as a result.
Read on the Scribd mobile app
Download the free Scribd mobile app to read anytime, anywhere.
Reviews
The Invisible Man was a jerk who was mean to people and tortured a cat. This pissed me off and has left my mentally incapable of leaving a more detailed review. I expected better.
Misanthropic and bereft of philosophy, it begins as farce and concludes in a homicidal froth. Pity.
A disappointing read. H.G Wells has much better tales. I would not recommend wasting your time on this one.
In H. G. Wells' classic novel, a scientist turns himself invisible and wreaks havoc in rural England. This book is a versatile classic because it could be read by someone who is young or who simply wants to read fluff, but it can also be appreciated by more careful readers who are looking for undercurrents of meaning. It's a tragi-farcical romp in 19th century England, but it's also a warning about what people might do simply because they can get away with it. This is a classic that anyone interested in science fiction should read.
An inventive & exciting story by one of the foremost Science Fiction authors of his era, whose literary fame encompasses Histories & Philosophy. Created from the serialized tale published in 1897 in a UK magazine, Pearson's Weekly, The Invisible Man as the title suggests has a main character Griffin who becomes invisible. Wells examines the good aspects & pitfalls of such a transformation with the emphasis on the downside as Griffin becomes increasingly erratic - no spoiler here - read it for the dramatic events and conclusion.
Het gegeven is natuurlijk fascinerend, maar de uitwerking valt tegen: traag en gebroken ritme. Lectuur opgegeven na 120 blz
*Spoilerish type reivew* This was a decent book by Wells, but my least favorite of the books I have read by him. This one obviously is a short novel about a man who is invisible. I thought the idea had a great deal of potential, but I never felt like the story ever took off for me. The Invisible Man is simply grumpy and perhaps a lunatic and the story turns into more of a chase down the bad guy plot. Not a bad read, but certainly not one to remember.
Great read. Man.........this guy is a jerk. But I guess karma comes full circle.
Surprisingly more action than I thought the novel would have (after reading the disappointing Jekyll & Hyde last year, anyway). The Invisible Man seems to be a bad dude. Definitely not a misunderstood villain, just because he is invisible, which is what I was expecting. This invisible man could have written the book on terrorism. I thought the plot kept its pace and was the perfect length. The writing itself wasn't as great as I wished though.
A classic that probably should be read. Story of a man with awesome power who is corrupted quickly and completely.
My first Wells book, and I must read more of his now. Much better than I had even guessed it would be.
I am such a geek. My favorite part of this book is the Invisible Man's brief lecture on how light and invisibility work, midway through the book. For a day, in the background of my brain I was designing camp curriculum's around it.
So, H.G. Wells has a reputation for a reason. This book is compulsively readable, if a tad old-fashioned. It does suffer the problem of being a book in which the main character is impossible to like. Though it does serve as a rather thorough argument that invisibility is not a fantastic superpower to have, and that it certainly does not free you of your dependence on other human beings. If anything, it makes that dependency sharper. Also, how much of our trust of people hinges on being able to see their face?
More pulp than psychological thriller, but I'm okay with that.
So, H.G. Wells has a reputation for a reason. This book is compulsively readable, if a tad old-fashioned. It does suffer the problem of being a book in which the main character is impossible to like. Though it does serve as a rather thorough argument that invisibility is not a fantastic superpower to have, and that it certainly does not free you of your dependence on other human beings. If anything, it makes that dependency sharper. Also, how much of our trust of people hinges on being able to see their face?
More pulp than psychological thriller, but I'm okay with that.
Great book! by my favorite auther, Hubert George Wells (who has sadly been dead for a very long time)for sci-fi fans, you'll love this!
This is such a famous novel that I was expecting a far better read. The opening chapter, as a muffled mysterious stranger comes to an inn, asking for a room and to not be disturbed is full of promise. But the rest of the story was tedious, as the invisible man loses his temper, and seems only to want to revenge himself on others. What is fascinating is the title which captures the imagination. But Wells strangely concentrates on the downside of invisibility - having to be naked in cold weather, being unable to eat invisibly, having others bump into you, without having some fun plus side moments.So, a great idea, and I'm sure this is why the novel is 'a classic' - but none of the characters were particularly interesting, the invisible man himself plain peculiar, and what he gets up to bizarre and slow-moving.
Still a great read.
Excellent! A classic thriller.
Het gegeven is natuurlijk fascinerend, maar de uitwerking valt tegen: traag en gebroken ritme. Lectuur opgegeven na 120 blz
Excellent story with lots of suspense and a slowly building plot. Could be a bit of a dry read at times, but overall very good.
This book has all of the characteristics of good science fiction: science is simultaneously man's great power and his outdoing.
Excellent story. Truly liked the imaginative thought processes of the supposition of invisibility. Highly recommend the book.
I would probably give this book a 3.5 but since that isn't possible, I rounded up. I enjoyed this book and thought it to have many thought invoking ideas. The creativity and thought put into what it would be like to become invisible is great and it really made me think. I may have given this a higher rating if I had read it back in the day when it came out. Knowing the story over the years without having read the book has ruined it a little for me. As always though I love H.G. Wells writing and amazing originality for his time.
This was OK. But it felt insubstantial. How did he get to this point and why was he so power mad?
It's not easy being invisible! Griffin, a minor scientist in England, discovers how to make things invisible. His experiments with living things only left the back of a white cat's eyes, but he was able to make himself totally invisible. That's when his troubles began. How does an invisible man eat (especially if partially digested food is still visible), clothe himself (especially if "walking clothing" scare others, or get and carry money without creating "floating money" (especially before the days of "virtual money"? In addition, how does an invisible man refrain from performing acts of mischief that are so enticing?This classic novel answers the above questions and provides for an interesting play-by-play of this scientist's adventures, including his ability to find someone (Mr. Marvel, the tramp) who scams him and, by chance, to discover someone who could help him (Dr. Kent). Both funny and sad, this story is well written, almost believable, very imaginative, and a most enjoyable read.
The Invisible Man was a fun read. Clever, with a slightly sci-fi bend, but also some complex character development. The character of the invisible man is so evil and unfeeling, that you end up rooting for everyone who wants to destory him.
The set-up to this story is somewhat unusual, as it begins with a stranger wrapped in bandages arriving at an inn on a snowy night. Everyone assumes he's horribly disfigured, and the text goes on a bit as if that is indeed the case, but given the title we the reader are well aware that he is in fact invisible. That said, I did very much enjoy this story. It's more of a horror story than I expected, with the titular character unquestionably playing the part of the villain (as opposed to a mostly well-meaning scientist cursed by his own hubris, as with Frankenstein or Dr. Jekyll). The pitfalls of invisibility (such as being able to see through one's own eyelids, for example) added a certain spark to the narrative, and parts were surprisingly suspenseful. The Invisible Man's motivations were sort of vague and unsatisfying, but in general I recommend this book.
I've actually never read this before, and was surprised both by how detailed the science of the transformation was (though I probably shouldn't have been, because this era was big on the science in science fiction) and how unsympathetic the protagonist was. Enjoyed very much!
When this story began I was rather sympathetic to the Invisible Man, and enjoyed the story which was written in 1897. Stories this old are apt to improve one's vocabulary and bring back expressions probably heard from my grandparents. The tale took an unexpected twist for me, and my sympathy for a scientist who perhaps didn't realize the consequences of his actions was dashed. Instead we find we have a story of a sociopath, a man who seems to have been mad at the world from his college years. We can distill this down to "mad scientist" I believe.
great fast read. didn't see it coming until the teddy bear.
A very good story that I wish was a little reversed in its order; the latter half with its personal retelling of the Invisible Man's origins was most excellent, and I sort of wish the whole tale was told by its invisible participant. The ending was also splendidly vivid. Definitely worth a look if you are interested in the early goings of science fiction, or just want a solid tale with some tension.
Lacked a protagonist for most of the story, especially the first half.
Good plot that felt both fleshed out and fast paced.
3.5 stars
Good plot that felt both fleshed out and fast paced.
3.5 stars