Some of the best novels are the ones that have been around for decades. Old gems that took the country by storm and have been forgotten for the most part. The invisible Man by H.G. Wells is one of those novels that should be read more often by modern readers. Find out why this classic novel is still relevant today and why you should add it to your reading list!
The Invisible Man: Summary
Griffin checks into a local inn during a snowstorm dressed in a long-sleeved, thick coat and gloves. His face is fully covered with bandages except for a prosthetic nose. His weird outfit draws a lot of attention but his reclusive and unfriendly mannerisms keep everyone at bay but very curious about who he is.
Locked away in his room, Griffin works with a bunch of chemicals as hundreds of glass bottles arrive to the inn. He stays in his room turned laboratory and ends up causing a bunch of accidents. That causes more rumors to sprout and piques everyone’s interest even more.
But the landlady has had enough of Griffin’s antics. She demands he pay his bills and leave the property. That enrages Griffin who ends up revealing his invisibility by accident and flees before the police can arrest him.
Chaos takes over the town as the invisible man hides and runs away while causing havoc. He is pursued by the town and leads everyone on a crazy chase that ends on a wild note. We finally learn about the invisible man’s identity and how he became to be invisible.
Commentary
The first science fiction novel is Frankenstein and that was necessary for the books that followed. The Invisible Man might not be as famous but it has played a big role in the science fiction genre. How else would he end up becoming a Marvel character or end up in one of the best cartoons ever Tom and Jerry?
Conclusion
Reading century old novels is always thrilling to me. It’s like time traveling to the time period when the novel was published. Yes, I know that most science fiction novels tend to be set in the future but that is not the case here. It’s a quick read by the wonderful H.G Wells and a must read for science fiction lovers.
“The first science fiction novel is Frankenstein”: Really? A lot of what we nowadays might call Magic or Alchemy was in their time considered hard science. Did Faust conjure up Beelzebub with the promise of a tickets to the Super Bowl? Were the Brobdingnagians science fact? Did Prospero raise the storm by blowing on a kazoo?
Is “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” science fiction? Is Beowulf?
Geez, I thought somebody finally had Ralph Ellison’s novel up. It far outshines H G Wells’ novel of the same name!