I have to start out by saying I was sorely mistaken as to what I thought this book (“The Invisible Man” by H. G. Wells) was about!  Honestly, I thought it was more something like the adventures of an invisible man, light and humorous.  Was I ever wrong!

Maybe I should have gotten the hint that it wasn’t some happy-go-lucky story from the following:

“He’s deadly.  He’s insane.  He’s standing beside you.  And you won’t know – until he  strikes. . .” – from the cover of my edition

and . . .

“. . . invisibility is good for one thing. . . creating terror.  An invisible man can kill people. . .” – from the back cover of my edition

Unfortunately in this case, I normally stay away from reading a synopsis for fear that the summary will give something away.

“The Invisible Man” by H. G. Wells is a classic book published in 1899, so while it fulfills the requirement of a classic book from the 19th century for my Classics Challenge, besides that, I wasn’t impressed.

“The Invisible Man” is a story about a man, Griffin, who is invisible and angry with the world.  He realizes that if he wears clothing or eats, his clothing and food are seen.  If he moves, he’s heard.  So basically, an invisible man is good for causing terror and abuse.  Thus, Griffin proceeds to cause terror and harm to the people in the story.

I greatly disliked the invisible man, Griffin.  He’s an evil character, but not even a villain you enjoy, like the Joker in Batman.  He’s just ruthless, unfeeling, angry, selfish, and really rude to people.

I recommend this book to people who want to read the classics, but I didn’t enjoy it myself.  It’s a quick read, I just wasn’t a fan.

I’d prefer to recommend “The Island of Dr. Moreau” by H. G. Wells if you are looking for a short classic by the same author.  And although I disliked this book, I still have on my list, and will read another one of his books, “The Time Machine.”

What are your thoughts on “The Invisible Man” and H. G. Wells as an author?

Thanks for reading,

Rebecca