The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

I think we all knew it was just a matter of time before I would be able to make a Kevin Bacon reference on this blog.  It took a little more the 6 entries, but that's not Kevin Bacon's fault.  My 3rd and 4th posts are by the same author, though, and this is the 4th post on a book by that author, so I think that qualifies.

Unlike that Kevin Bacon movie, however, this book is actually pretty good.

Since I have read so many books by H.G. Wells, I've noticed that most of them are a bit heavy on the geography, this one is no different.  It isn't nearly as heavy as War of the Worlds, luckily. I don't think you're really missing out if you don't know the streets of London very well, either.  It is sort of nice to have an idea of where some things are happening, though.

The book begins with the Invisible Man arriving in the small village of Iping.  He's wearing a "disguise" which hides all of his invisible parts.  This leads people to think that he's disfigured, which is basically the effect he wants.  From the very beginning, you can tell that the Invisible Man is a rude, selfish, and impatient man with a short temper.  He seems to struggle to give the basic levels of decency he is giving to his hosts at the inn.  As time goes on, it becomes apparent that this is a losing struggle.

Eventually, his gig is up and the village finds out that he is invisible (and dangerous).  Everyone freaks out and he is forced to flee the town.  Outside of town, he meets with a drifter and tries to recruit him to his cause.  Since the drifter can't see the Man, and only hears his voice, he is very understandably terrified.  In fact, everyone's reaction to the invisibility is very much the same, and I found to be very believable.

Later in the book, the Man tells his story to a former colleague of his.  During this story, it becomes apparent just how selfish he is.  He feels a sense of entitlement to things.  His invisibility just amplifies this feeling.  He feels like he can, and should, be able to do anything that he wants without any consequences.  He doesn't see a problem with this outlook at all, even when his former colleague is taken aback by his story.

I really found the character of the Invisible man to be really well developed.  The story was quite interesting as well.  This is a book I recommend.

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