Source of book: Audiobook from the library
Between audiobooks and a few I finished reading during our recent Spring Break camping trip, I may be playing catchup on blogging for the next few weeks. I am also not writing these strictly in the order we read them, because I am having to fit them in around two concert sets in two different counties, in addition to catching up at work. So, the shorter posts will probably get posted first, with the longer ones being a work in progress during my lunch breaks.
Anyway, let’s start with this one.
H. G. Wells, was, of course, one of the greats of early Science Fiction, with some of the imaginative ideas that have entered into our cultural consciousness, even if we don’t realize it was Wells who started it.
The mad scientist stitching together different animals: that would be The Island of Doctor Moreau. Time travel where humans have split into different species: The Time Machine. Alien invasions: The War of the Worlds. The list goes on.
In this book, Wells explores the implications of invisibility. I had not previously read this book, actually, so it was fun to discover it with my kids.
Since the book is well over 100 years old, I expect that any spoilers have long since been made. I should also note that this book is The Invisible Man, with the definite article, and should not be confused with the thoroughly article-less book by Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man. That book is outstanding and highly recommended, and also very different from the Wells book.
The basic outline of the story is contained in the title. Griffin, an albino student, discovers a way of changing the “refractive index” of carbon-based materials, including animal tissue. After first succeeding with cloth and then with a cat, he turns himself invisible.
He soon finds out, however, that being invisible is not all he thought it would be.
First, of course, is the problem that only he himself is invisible. If he wears clothes, he is now visible. But if he doesn’t, then he is naked, which is problematic if it is cold or wet. So, already, there is the paradox.
Couldn’t he create invisible clothes too? Yeah, probably. Except that his experiments cause him to be evicted, and he is forced to destroy his equipment to cover his tracks.
And then there is the other problem. What are the actual advantages of being invisible?
Well, as Griffin decides, it is pretty much to sneak up on people and evade capture. So, an advantage in committing petty theft, as long as one is very quiet. And doesn’t have to evade dogs, who can smell.
This is childs play, though. What Griffin decides is the real endgame of invisibility is…wait for it…. WORLD DOMINATION™!
Yeah, probably those cold nights got to his head. The theory is that the invisible person can commit random murders to terrorize a populace into submission, thus allowing the invisible man and his henchmen to dominate. That this is full of flaws - not least of which is finding henchmen - becomes apparent as the book proceeds to its tragic conclusion.
As one might imagine, Wells’ book is thus about a lot more than just the “gee, wouldn’t it be cool to be invisible?” thing.
The themes that were apparent to me were ones that have haunted science fiction since its creation. (By Mary Shelley, by the way…)
Just because we can do something using science doesn’t mean we should.
Maybe invent the antidote before trying the experiment on yourself?
What is our motive for progress? Is it merely better weapons to use on each other?
How does isolation affect a person? Is being different and the resulting discrimination and mistrust enough to drive a person to revenge?
There is plenty going on here, to be sure, along with a mysterious atmosphere. Unlike Wells’ earlier novels, this one is told in third person, and intentionally does not reveal everything. What happens is largely reconstructed after the fact from eyewitness reports combined with Griffin’s own unreliable account of his discovery.
As usual, Wells’ storytelling is good, with the usual caveat that his style is more firmly in the past - the Mid-Victorian Era - in style, than in the newer styles coming into popularity near the end of the 19th Century. This isn’t a bad thing, but Wells does seem archaic in style even as he is futuristic in substance.
I’ll also give credit to Wells, as to Jules Verne, for using solid science (although of its time) and picking fairly plausible methods of invention. While creating glass-like humans hasn’t happened, Wells notes jellyfish and other sea creatures that attain near-invisibility, making his ideas at least believable.
The audiobook we listened to was an older Blackstone Audio version, with James Adams as the narrator. With a proper upper-class British accent, it fit the language well, and gave additional atmosphere to the story.
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