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80th out of 286 books
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The First Men in the Moon
by
H.G. Wells,
Steve McLean, China Miéville (Goodreads Author)
When penniless businessman Mr. Bedford retreats to the Kent coast to write a play, he meets by chance the brilliant Dr. Cavor, an absentminded scientist on the brink of developing a material that blocks gravity. Cavor soon succeeds in his experiments, only to tell a stunned Bedford that the invention makes possible one of the oldest dreams of humanity: a journey to the moo...more
Paperback, 213 pages
Published
September 27th 2005
by Penguin Classics
(first published 1901)
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This book was most interesting and quite an adventure.
Two men, namely Bedford and Cavor, travel to the moon in a sphere designed by Cavor. When they arrive there, they are most amazed at what they see, something like snow, plants growing at alarming rates, and strange beings called Selenites among others. The adventure actually takes place 'inside' the moon after Bedford falls into a crevice as the two explore the surface, after the 'snow' lures them out of the safety of thier spher...more
Two men, namely Bedford and Cavor, travel to the moon in a sphere designed by Cavor. When they arrive there, they are most amazed at what they see, something like snow, plants growing at alarming rates, and strange beings called Selenites among others. The adventure actually takes place 'inside' the moon after Bedford falls into a crevice as the two explore the surface, after the 'snow' lures them out of the safety of thier spher...more
Like many of the H. G. Wells books that I have read, I really liked this one. Not so much because of the prose this time, but because of the character Cavor. He is impulsive, single-minded to his one purpose, and doesn't react practically. He flails his arms when excited, and has multiple repetitive mannerisms. In short, he has classic examples of Asperger's Syndrome, or would at least be diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum.
The story was well paced, until Wells covers the adventur...more
The story was well paced, until Wells covers the adventur...more
I hadn't heard of this one before and I think it's overlooked, very brilliant thinking and again a reflection on the nature of society. Mr Bedford, a gentleman with debts who has fled to the south coast to escape bankruptcy and to write a play which he hopes will restore his finances, meets Mr Cavor, a brilliant scientist who is working on a substance that will block all forces, including gravity. The difference between the purity of Cavor's scientific mind and Bedford's avoricious nature are re...more
I decided to try reading this book in order to check out the Kindle reader for iPhone. It made sense since I've always been a big fan of H. G. Wells, and the book was free. In the end I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book is quite good in its own right and makes for an engaging and gripping read. Even though the Moon does not hold the same fascination in our mind as to this day Mars does, and many of the "scientific" ideas presented in the book nowadays seem downright silly,...more
Whoa. I surely didn't expect a book of this quality when I picked this one off the shelf (or rather, groped it off the discount basket in the Jak Book Fair) and bought it for IDR 5k. Yes, it's about half a dollar, or even less if you use the new exchange rate. But I'm not here to talk about the price, so let's get going, shall we?
Well, the book is amazing. Not only does it tell you a breathtaking tale of adventure, but the details about the moon are also scientifically accurate--at t...more
Well, the book is amazing. Not only does it tell you a breathtaking tale of adventure, but the details about the moon are also scientifically accurate--at t...more
This is the story of two men who work together, but are actually quite unsuited to one another. Despite their differences, they end up undertaking a trip to the moon, which has a few.. unexpected outcomes.
This book was quite hilarious at times, both in the intentional and unintentional way. The fun was to be found in the writing style ("One can't always be magnificent, but simplicity is always a possible alternative.") but also in the science in the book. I'm not saying all...more
This book was quite hilarious at times, both in the intentional and unintentional way. The fun was to be found in the writing style ("One can't always be magnificent, but simplicity is always a possible alternative.") but also in the science in the book. I'm not saying all...more
As a science fiction novel, this certainly falls down on the science part. Wells’s contemporary Jules Verne complained that in his 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon the protagonists used a cannon to launch them on their journey where Bedford and Cavor used the fictional substance Cavorite to counter gravity. I do not have a problem with totally made up devices, substances and practices - as the second word of the genre is fiction – provided the author does not then go on to break their own m...more
HG Wells' depiction of the moon is a little far off from the accurate one. :) It is rather amusing to read his descriptions, knowing that he is half-right and half-wrong. Yes there are craters, no there aren't any shafts leading to the center. No there aren't any plants, yes there is minimal gravity. His view is a little more romanticized ... the moon would be a whole lot more interesting if he was right.
The story has a weird ending to it, one that doesn't quite satisfy. Some of the ...more
The story has a weird ending to it, one that doesn't quite satisfy. Some of the ...more
Ron Arden
added it
It's always wonderful to read an H.G. Wells story. Even though they are over 100 years old, they still resonate with imagination and a human quality that never grows old.
This story is about a scientist who creates a material that is opaque to all know forces, including gravity. Dr. Cavor meets Mr. Bedford, a young English business man who is trying to come up with a way to make some money. Bedford is writing a play and when Cavor explains his experiments, Bedford is intrigued and sees pound s...more
This story is about a scientist who creates a material that is opaque to all know forces, including gravity. Dr. Cavor meets Mr. Bedford, a young English business man who is trying to come up with a way to make some money. Bedford is writing a play and when Cavor explains his experiments, Bedford is intrigued and sees pound s...more
An ingenious, delightfully schlocky good time, The First Men In The Moon is a fantastic blend of beautiful writing, hopelessly outdated science, and Army of Darkness-syle violence. Definitely not to be taken too seriously, but H.G. Wells' eloquent, purposeful writing completely elevates the material out of Mystery Science Theater territory. The last few chapters have little to do with the plot, and I found them to be rather boring; but, other than that, the book flat-out rocks. The image of t...more
The first half of this book is probably the best bit, then it rambles slightly and becomes too crazy in the middle, before it ends up seeming somewhat preachy. That is not to say it is bad - it is well-written throughout and pacy enough to hold one's interest. Many was the time when I felt this would make a good 'steampunk' futuristic film, with modern cinema technology. It has a certain War of the Worlds way about it too, both plotwise and the occasional sentence. I quite enjoyed it, but I can ...more
One of the earliest works of science fiction, "The First Men in the Moon" tells the story of two unlikely companions who build a ship in which they travel to the moon. There they find an advanced civilization, living like ants, underground. They are captured by the natives, but one of them manages to break away, and returns to earth. After his return he begins to receive communications from the other, who is imprisoned and apparently finally killed, in the underground civilization o...more
A good piece of classic science fiction. The concept of the Lunarians (it's been a bit, please excuse me if I don't get the term right) is interesting and gets borrowed or referenced to in later works.
Wells used the idea that without gravity, time does not pass in any noticeable form (the travellers do not get hungry or run out of air). He does something similar in the Pellucidar series (starting with "At the Earth's Core") where the lack of a day/night cycle makes time mor...more
Wells used the idea that without gravity, time does not pass in any noticeable form (the travellers do not get hungry or run out of air). He does something similar in the Pellucidar series (starting with "At the Earth's Core") where the lack of a day/night cycle makes time mor...more
This is not my favorite H. G. Wells novel. I really enjoyed The Island of Dr. Moreau last fall--it won the creepy contest sponsored by Softdrink & Heather in their annual Dueling Monsters challenge. And The Invisible Man garnered 4 stars this year. But The First Men in the Moon is one of Wells' lesser known novels--and I think deservedly so.
It is the story of two men who find a way to journey to the moon (back at the turn of the last century). There is the brilliant scientific theori...more
It is the story of two men who find a way to journey to the moon (back at the turn of the last century). There is the brilliant scientific theori...more
This had all the usual qualities of H. G. Wells sci-fi: a narrator with limited scientific knowledge and a role in the action, an eccentric crazy scientist, and a cautionary message about humanity using the weaknesses of these two characters. Wells’ guess at how we would get to the moon wasn’t quite spot-on, but little did he know we were only 50 years away from actually pulling it off. I suppose that might be why this isn’t one of his more popular stories; it’s easy to suspend disbelief that we...more
Until reaching my graduate education, I had somehow managed to avoid ever reading an H.G. Wells book (or even being exposed to television, radio, or cinematic adaptations of his works, other than to know that they were in existence). Reading 'The First Men in the Moon' was an experience that made me see the real value that could be found in some science-fiction literature. Not only did the story contain an interesting premise, and semi-logical explanation for the wonderous things discovered, a...more
H.G. Wells habit of explaining his scientific inventions entirely by analogy reminds me of the very poor reasoning you find in some of Plato's work, but it's an engaging device when you are trying to justify impossible things.
In some ways this was very good, in some ways very junky. Less focused than Moreau, the Time Machine, or War of the Worlds, I can see why it's less well known. But there are in it some amazing scenes, particularly the first moment of violence between man and S...more
In some ways this was very good, in some ways very junky. Less focused than Moreau, the Time Machine, or War of the Worlds, I can see why it's less well known. But there are in it some amazing scenes, particularly the first moment of violence between man and S...more
HG Wells is one of my favorites and this is one of his many great stories. It was written back when no one had ever been to the moon and the possibility of life was still in question. Well maybe they knew by then, but I don't know. I really enjoy the design and workings of the vessel they use to get there. The movie based made from this book was decent too, but they kinda drifted away from the original for the sake of typical Hollywood plotlines. It's a book worth looking in to.
Erik Graff
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
kids
Recommended to Erik by:
no one
Shelves:
sf
Already devoted to reading all the cheap science fiction paperbacks I could find during the summers, far from any library, the summer of 1962, spent with family in Norway, led me to concentrate on the classics in the field. This was through no startling revelation or assumption of literary virtue on my part. It was simply the result of being in a foreign land where the classics were most commonly available.
The First Men in the Moon was certainly not my favorite Wells novel, but by ...more
The First Men in the Moon was certainly not my favorite Wells novel, but by ...more
Both Wells and Jules Verne wrote novels about expeditions to the moon, and while both are brilliant, Verne was hampered in that he stuck to the facts that we knew about the moon, while Wells went nuts and just made up stuff about the moon having a breathable atmosphere and native inhabitants.
Yes, there is an undercurrent of social message in Well's book, but there is an exciting trip into space, adventure, some humor and cool aliens.
He also left it open ended enough that ...more
Yes, there is an undercurrent of social message in Well's book, but there is an exciting trip into space, adventure, some humor and cool aliens.
He also left it open ended enough that ...more
Another H.G. Wells classic sci fi. Dr. Cavor discovers the anti gravity substance he names Cavorite. He uses it for a flight to the moon in a home made space ship taking along a friend. He discovers a strange race of instect people there. Dr Cavor is taken prisoner by these people. His friend is able to escape back to earth. Where after a time he recieves strange radio messages from Cavor which suddenly cease. I can't do this book justice. Just read it.
A trip to the moon does not at first sight seem like a sci-fi these days. But what if the moon were inhabited by strange creatures? And the two travellers were captured deep inside the moon by these creatures. Again Wells' imagination is out of this world, so to speak. I enjoyed it - although I would rank it below other more famous Wells: Time Machine, Dr. Moreau's Island, The Invisible Man and War of the Worlds. I'm becoming quite a Wells-fan.
I had to read every Wells novel to get to it, but I believe I have found what I would consider his masterpiece. Admittedly, the piece starts slow, but by the end it was truly fascinating. The difficulties of explaining humanity to a foreign society was excellently done and really got you thinking. This book is full of fascinating Sci-Fi (admittedly a bit archaic a hundred years later, but amazing for its time), and also powerful ideas. Fantastic work by a great author.
This is a story written over 100 years ago about men going to the moon. It's a good story in the typical HG Wells fashion, but I think the knowledge difference between now and then makes it more interesting. He describes life on and in the moon; a whole civilization lives inside the moon. It makes one wonder how our current scifi will be perceived in 100 years. Which of our current dreams will be seen as laughably wrong?
Worthy of 'classic' status in the guilded Sci-Fi genre.
A daunting expedition of a book that I can't imagine selling in today's market.
The feel of the media is vastly similar to watching the film 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick. Dry and slowly paced with explosive pay-offs if you make it to the end of the journey.
It's been a while since I've read Wells, but he's worthy of being named a master at his trade.
A daunting expedition of a book that I can't imagine selling in today's market.
The feel of the media is vastly similar to watching the film 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick. Dry and slowly paced with explosive pay-offs if you make it to the end of the journey.
It's been a while since I've read Wells, but he's worthy of being named a master at his trade.
melydia
added it
As some have created barriers to heat or sound or water, so our heroes have created a barrier against gravity. This material, called Cavorite, it then used to create a spherical capsule to ferry them to the moon. There they find life, of course, because if they found what’s really on the moon (i.e., nothing), we would have no story. The aliens were interesting enough, but what really fascinated me was the idea of the atmosphere freezing into snow at night, then thawing into thin-but-breathable a...more
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A bit dorky, reflective of it's status as one of the first sci-fi books. I liked it, with its descriptions of the lunar landscape and occupants, and the Cavorite. True the science is far fetched, but that is a prerequisite for the genre isn't it?
The ending tells us alot about the author's view of mankind's warring nature.
I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that I enjoyed this book.
The ending tells us alot about the author's view of mankind's warring nature.
I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that I enjoyed this book.
Fun story about two English men (one a brilliant but unknown scientist, the other an unlucky business man) who devise a spherical space ship and ride it to the moon. On the moon, they discover a race of intelligent beings, the Selenites, who capture them and take them into an underground world. Before much can happen, the non-scientist runs amok and escapes back to Earth in the ship, marooning the scientist for ever.
I think this is one of his better books and it seems to go unnoticed for the most part. Hell, I've been searching for cavorite ever since I read this book. And, Jules Vern can suck it!!! From the Earth to the Moon blew major ass. Like a big cannon could actually send someone to the moon without completely killing everyone in the capsule, that is crap Vern and is why you suck!
Another reason that H.G. Wells is one of the greats of Science Fiction.
This adventure takes you to the moon and back. Though this moon is a far cry from the one that Neil Armstrong walked on in 1969. This Moon is inhabited with insect like men and intoxicating plant life (litterally, you will get drunk if you eat it). Like most of Wells work the adventure is really just a disguised social comentary but if you can ignore the politics it makes for some great reading.
This adventure takes you to the moon and back. Though this moon is a far cry from the one that Neil Armstrong walked on in 1969. This Moon is inhabited with insect like men and intoxicating plant life (litterally, you will get drunk if you eat it). Like most of Wells work the adventure is really just a disguised social comentary but if you can ignore the politics it makes for some great reading.
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Herbert George Wells, better known as H. G. Wells, was the third son of a small shopkeeper. After two years' apprenticeship in a draper's shop, he became a pupil-teacher at Midhurst Grammar School and won a scholarship to study under T. H. Huxley at the Normal School of Science, South Kensington. He taught biology before becoming a professional writer and journalist.
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“So utterly at variance is Destiny with all the little plans of men.”
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“Sooner or later it must come out, even if other men rediscover it. And then...Governments and powers will struggle to get hither, they will fight against one another and against these moon people. It will only spread warfare and multiply the occasions of war. In a little while, in a very little while if I tell my secret, this planet to it's deepest galleries will be strewn with human dead. Other things are doubtful, but this is certain...It is not as though man had any use for the moon. What good would the moon be to men? Even of their own planet what have they made but a battleground and theatre of infinite folly? Small as his world is, and short as his time, he has still in his little life down there far more than he can do. No! Science has toiled too long forging weapons for fools to use. It is time she held her hand. Let him find it out for himself again-in a thousand years' time.”
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