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The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells - 4* - My Review

Published in 1897, this book is a combination of science fiction and horror. It starts with a stranger wrapped in bandages staying at an inn, where he becomes subject to the suspicions and speculations of guests and innkeepers. The man is a scientist who, at first, is elated that he has discovered a way to become invisible, but once he experiences it, he finds it has many downsides, and he tries to figure out a way to reverse his invention. He eventually tells his own story to an old friend, but things do not go as planned.

This is an early “mad scientist” novel. In becoming invisible, the scientist loses his humanity. I had been meaning to get to this book for years, have recently been trying to get to more SciFi classics. Contemporary horror readers may find it tame, but it was scary enough for me. There are several messages in this book. It can be read as a cautionary tale of using scientific advancements in an ethical way to benefit society. It seems an appropriate message for the late nineteenth century, a time when modern science was just starting to develop. Come to think of it, it seems appropriate now.