The Invisible Man, by HG Wells

After reading A Man of Parts, I thought, on coming across this book in the library, that I should try it.

I don't think I'd known anything about the story before reading the book, and was a bit surprised at how simple it was. Basically (spoiler), the thing can be summed up as: strange bandaged man turns up; behaves oddly; reveals himself as invisible; starts stealing things and generally wreaking havoc; gets caught and killed (at which point, he returns to being visible).

I imagine that when it came out, the concept was pretty novel, and so that would have kept you interested in reading it, but it all felt a bit tame to me. I couldn't help thinking about the analysis I'd read of this concept by Arthur C Clarke, who said that being an invisible man would be like having a glass camera - your eyes wouldn't work because light would be coming in from all directions. This problem wasn't alluded to in the book.

The writing style wasn't particularly striking - I had been expecting better. I think I ought to read one of the non-SF books by Wells.

Completed : 15-Dec-2011 (audiobook)

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