The Invisible Man [Unabridged] [Mass Market Paperback]

I read the entire book in 5 short evening reads, before bed and although the dated way its written was hard for me to read at times, the book on the whole was Great.

My first H G Wells novel, I loved it.

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******SPOILERS START******

Griffin. A young talented scientist has a major break through in his life when he manages to turn himself completely invisible.
Though the idea of invisibility has been many peoples fantasy for many years, as you progress into the book, witnessing and listening to Griffin recounting his experiences. The harmless dream soon turns into a violent nightmare as misunderstood in a world rather that rather than embracing the scientific discovery, leads to an invisible man hunt, where Griffin must fend for his life. Before long the complications of being invisible become clear. It becomes a KILL or BE KILLED situation and the once humble scientist becomes a monster, with a twisted idea of a reign of terror. If he cannot live in peace by the side of his people, then he will dominate their minds with fear and gain their respect.

Though the synopsis of this story states: "A mad scientist wreaks havoc on a small town, terrorizing its inhabitants"
I personally did not see the Invisible Man as the bad guy at all throughout this book. He is just, as I said before, Misunderstood.
If people were able to accept the way he was, everything would have been fine. But as usual, if the human race can't understand something, they turn to violence with intent of destruction and ridding themselves of the concern.

******SPOILERS END******
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The entire novel was compelling and though tragic, very enjoyable.
After reading Bram Stokers DRACULA recently, its hard to believe this book was written the same year as the writting style of H G Wells seemed so much more Modern and although I personally had some hurdles to over come with some big words, I found it alot easier to read than Id expected.

Brilliant Book. Well Written.
Highly Recommended!
5 Stars.

After viewing the Claude Raines 1940s movie version eons ago I was quite skeptical that this was simply another rendition of the tired 'good vs. evil' theme that the movie portrayed. If you simply read this novel quickly and do not notice the subtle change of viewpoint on the part of the author this, again, is all you will experience. While Wells does not go from the classical 3rd person omniscient to 1st person singular and back to 3rd person at the finale, he does change viewpoints in a very opaque manner. While the entire book can be viewed as 3rd person omniscient, the beginning and end of the novel are the viewpoints of Dr. Kemp and the rest of the terrorized public. The middle portion, however, is a total reflection of the world through the eyes of Griffin, the invisible man. Although the information that Griffin shares with Kemp about his condition, how his experiment was conducted and his actions since his transformation will all be used against him and lead to his capture, the stylistic writing viewpoint in the middle chapters is through the eyes of a single person; Griffin. As soon as Kemp's betrayal becomes evident, the viewpoint switches back to the view of the general public; fearful, cautious and unforgiving.

While I can feel certain that HG Wells did not attempt to make a social statement out of this Sci-fi novel, a statement can be drawn nonetheless. Fear, lack of understanding and the unknown is what drives prejudice against a person(s). This is certainly the mood of the public and they see Griffin as nothing more than a threat to their safety with no understanding from the opposite point of view. Dr. Kemp, on the other hand, even though he is given an opportunity to break through this level of prejudice by coming to understand what Griffin is relating to him, refuses to do so. His mind was set in stone before Griffin uttered a word and he was not about to let the facts get in the way of his preformed thoughts. As the story ends, it is sad to once again see the person who is prejudiced against be destroyed while the rest of the vicious and non-insightful public undergo no change or growth whatsoever. The landlord, in the epilogue who has possession of the infamous three diaries, will never come to understand their meaning, nor will anyone else. They have killed the person who wrote them and, by doing so, have destroyed an opportunity they will never have again.

This is a universal theme that shows why mankind has, and will, continue with its racial hatreds, prejudices and hatred towards its fellow companions simply because they fail to get beyond their own fears of that which is unknown.

Imagine if you were invisible and could come and go as you pleased, with nobody able to see you. Cool, right? Well, not really. H.G. Wells' "The Invisible Man" has the sci-fi master exploring what would happen if a person took an invisibility elixir, and discovered too late that invisibility has some definite downsides. It's possibly Wells' funniest novel, but it also has some wonderfully chilling moments.

A strange man arrives at a hotel in Iping, wrapped up in goggles, bandages, scarves, and heavy clothes. He spends most of his time hidden away in his room, doing odd scientific experiments, and avoiding contact with other people -- while still keeping everything except his nose hidden. Meanwhile, the local vicar and his wife are robbed by a mysterious thief... who is completely invisible.

Well, you can guess what's up with the stranger -- he's an invisible man, and after a blowup with his landlady he reveals his true.... um, lack of appearance to the entire town. After a series of disastrous encounters, the Invisible Man encounters Dr. Kemp, an old friend to whom he reveals how he became invisible, and what he's done since then... as well as his malevolent plans for the future.

H.G. Wells isn't really known for being a funny writer, but the first part of "The Invisible Man" is actually mildly hilarious. He writes the first third or so of the book in a fairly light, humorous style, and there are some fun scenes speckled through the story, like a homeless man dealing with the Invisible Man ("Not a bit of you visible--except-- You 'aven't been eatin' bread and cheese?").

But things get much darker after Mr. Kemp enters the scene, and we find out that the Invisible Man is... well, kind of malevolent and crazy. Very crazy.

And as the plot grows darker and grimmer, Wells also inserts a clever (if far-fetched even by Victorian standards) explanation for how a person could become invisible, using a mix of science and fantasy. The plot hurtles through wild chase scenes and the occasional riot, and some moments of bleak tension ("When dawn came to mingle its pallor with the lamp-light and cigar smoke of the dining-room, Kemp was still pacing...")

The Invisible Man himself (aka Griffin) is a pretty mysterious character for most of the story, since all we know about him is that he's invisible.... and also kind of a jerk. I mean, the guy constantly flies off the handle and even robs a nice little old vicar. And the more we find out about him, the more malignant and insane he turns out to be.

Even if you had a way to become invisible, "The Invisible Man" would be a pretty effective way of dissuading people from using it. A deserving classic.