Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The First Men in the Moon

by H.G. Wells, Steve McLean, China Miéville (Goodreads Author) (Introduction), Patrick Parrinder (Introduction)

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 4,270 ratings · 161 reviews

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)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

The Great Classics You Have Not Read Yet

102nd out of 385 books — 644 voters

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

Best Books of the Decade: 1900's

35th out of 141 books — 249 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Aug 07, 2012 Melissa (ladybug) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, classics, fiction, team-read

A story where Mr. Bedford (a penniless Business man) meets a Scientist name of Dr. Cavor. Dr Cavor has invented a substance that can neutralize the effects of Gravity. Mr Bedford sees a chance to change his fortunes using this substance to travel to the Moon. While on the Moon, Mr Bedford and Dr Cavor find such strange sights as the Selenites, plants growing at alarming rates and other such awe inspiring things.

While this book was written by the Author of The War of the Worlds and The Island of ...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 19, 2008 Marts (Thinker) rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who enjoys classic adventure stories!!!!

Shelves: e-books, classics, audio-books, h-g-wells

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 sphere.
Well after...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 22, 2009 Jeremy rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 adventures Cavor broadcas...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 18, 2013 Gale rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-classics, sci-fi-young-adult

“Meddling in Lunar Matters”

This HGW novel is not as satisfying as his more famous Sci Fi works, but it is representative of turn-of-the-century general interest in galactic exploration. Related in the first person by an impoverished would-be playwright named Mr. Bedford (for whom no first name is given) the story opens as he makes the acquaintance of Cavor, an eccentric scientist, in a coastal region of England. Gradually won over by the latter’s dream of conquering gravity by means of a substa...more “Meddling in Lunar Matters”

This HGW novel is not as satisfying as his more famous Sci Fi works, but it is representative of turn-of-the-century general interest in galactic exploration. Related in the first person by an impoverished would-be playwright named Mr. Bedford (for whom no first name is given) the story opens as he makes the acquaintance of Cavor, an eccentric scientist, in a coastal region of England. Gradually won over by the latter’s dream of conquering gravity by means of a substance which he will eventually invent, Bedford soon becomes an enthusiastic convert to theoretical astronomy. He injects some practical ideas of his own, as well as succumbing to private dreams of avarice and proprietary empire. Ah, the temptation of creating one’s little sphere of power--unchecked by contemporary civilization.

Embarking on an odyssey in an interplanetary sphere made of Cavorite the partners in adventure land in a crater on the Moon, where they encounter odd vegetation which flourishes during the two-week lunar day. But even more amazing is their discovery of a species of intelligent beings (described by Cavor as ant-men) who dwell deep inside the Moon’s interior. When captured the two men fight their way back to the surface, where they become separated.

Assuming that Cavor has been killed by the native Selenites (his term for them) Bedford manages to return to Earth alone, but the story does not quite end there. What is the source of the mysterious transmissions from the Moon and—equally curious—what causes them to eventually cease? Wells’ protagonists include unabashed commentary on man’s propensity for warfare and his injudicious zeal to remodel alien civilizations resulting from anthropomorphic egocentrism. (No Prime Directive in place here.) Despite the author’s baptism in Pride of Empire this novel has inspired great Sci Fi lore, having appeal for kids of all ages.

(April 18, 2013. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
(less)

like · see review

Aug 10, 2012 Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells is another classic book by the famous English author written in 1901. At the time the novel was ridiculed, however it stood the test of time for over more than a Century.

Mr. Bedford lost his fortune and goes to Ken to write a play. By chance he meeds Dr. Cavor, a brilliant scientist who is developing an anti-gravity material. Soon after Cavor manages to create such a material and suggests to go on an adventure to the moon with his new fr...more The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells is another classic book by the famous English author written in 1901. At the time the novel was ridiculed, however it stood the test of time for over more than a Century.

Mr. Bedford lost his fortune and goes to Ken to write a play. By chance he meeds Dr. Cavor, a brilliant scientist who is developing an anti-gravity material. Soon after Cavor manages to create such a material and suggests to go on an adventure to the moon with his new friend.

Cavor, motivated by science, and Bedford, motivated by money embark on their journey to moon where they find a harsh world of freezing nights, hot days and not-so-friendly aliens.
Worst - it seems that the two explorers are trapped forever.

The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells is a very imaginative book which, in the context of what we know now, is an amazing testament to Mr. Wells' imagination, logic and foresight. In this book objects float in space, weightlessness is applicable, humans are able to cover large distances on the moon due to low gravity and spaceships generate an immense amount of heat returning to earth.

The story also has several philosophical tones. The two main characters, Cavor and Bedford are at odds with one another throughout. Cavor, the man of science, is a pacifist who works for the benefit of mankind. Bedford on the other hand is not a very nice guy, however practical, who is looking at science for pure financial gain.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would, the beginning was very slow and I actually only found the last part interesting where the emotional conflict becomes prominent. The moon dwellers, who are supposed to be the bad guys, aren't very interesting nor did I have any emotions vested in the adventures of our two protagonists.

The last chapter I thought was the best, if you haven't read the book stop reading as I'm going to give the ending away. Even though it seems that the chapter is disconnected from the rest of the book, I felt it gave the book the emotional punch it needed.

For more review and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com (less)

like · see review

Jul 11, 2011 Jo Bennie rated it 5 of 5 stars

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

like · see review

Apr 21, 2011 Bojan Tunguz rated it 5 of 5 stars

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, the narra...more

like · see review

Nov 29, 2008 Annisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 that time (ev...more

like · see review

Apr 02, 2013 Michael Battaglia rated it 5 of 5 stars

An interesting benefit to reading books that were written over a hundred years ago is seeing the differences in concepts and attitudes that existed back then. And while this is the point where I should be talking about Wells' ideas for what one might find if one travelled to the moon, I find more fascinating the glimpse into the daily British countryside life, when the land was composed of little villages where a man could retire in solitude or maybe even find a wacky scientist attempting to vio...more An interesting benefit to reading books that were written over a hundred years ago is seeing the differences in concepts and attitudes that existed back then. And while this is the point where I should be talking about Wells' ideas for what one might find if one travelled to the moon, I find more fascinating the glimpse into the daily British countryside life, when the land was composed of little villages where a man could retire in solitude or maybe even find a wacky scientist attempting to violate the force of gravity. That alone gives it a weird sepia tinge, as the moon stuff can clearly be read as idle speculation (or metaphorical commentary, but I suppose we'll try to get to that). But the rest is a sort of depiction of British common life from a ground level view, when such a thing was contemporary. Now that it's vanished, it seems even more like SF than the trip to the moon does.

But a moon trip is what we are promised and by golly that's what we're going to get. In typical Wells' style, we have a first person narration from Bedford, a bit of a rascal who meets the absent-minded Cavor and immediately sees pound symbols as the good professor describes his search for a material that will reverse gravity. Bedford imagines all kinds of useful things that will coincidentally make him rich, while Cavor has different ideas, including building a sphere that will take them to the moon. Since everyone knows that the moon is perfectly safe and has air, both men decide to go since there's no risks involved whatever. Upon reaching the moon they discover not only is the little satellite covered in air but there are plants and a race of beings that live underneath the surface, who Cavor calls "Selenites" (later "Mooneys" which doesn't have quite the same ring). What follows then is a lot of haphazard running around and exploring before one of the men gets the heck out of there and the other stays behind to tell us what the inhabitants are like.

This should all sound supremely silly in other hands (Jules Verne apparently thought it was a bit much, since his moon trip was far more realistic) but Wells has this knack of presenting it in such a fashion that the calm tone manages to smooth over the idea that much of this is ridiculous and flies in the face of known science or even logic at times. It's basically fantasy with a scientific approach, with a lot of hand-waving to explain the parts that defy science and taken in that light it works quite nicely. Neither men are characters so much as opposites (barely) attracting, although the naked avarice of Bedford gives some needed spine to the narrative as the man is as far from noble as they come. Of course, other than one or two moments of blinding self-awareness he doesn't exactly develop beyond what he is either, so make of that what you will.

The real draw here is the scenery and the adventure and although Wells was no prose stylist able to wring poetry out of the fantastic, he does come up with several memorable images here of lunar sunrises and strange vistas. I don't know if he really believed that the moon could contain this types of life, but his imagination is vivid and it's a shame we don't get to see more than we do. Things even get darn claustrophobic and intense once events fall into the underground and the initial appearances of the Selenites are unsettling simply because there seems to be no real way to communicate with them.

But on the one hand it feels like it's over almost before it really even begins, with one of the men managing to escape the moon with barely any of it explored. From there the man who remains behind gives us a series of radio transmissions detailing the society of the Selenites and you feel that this is where Wells' mind was really focused. The stratification of their society, with Selenites designed for specific jobs and nothing else, reads like a cold commentary of sorts and the story loses some of its narrative drive as we're explained in detail about their culture. A hundred years removed from what he's commenting on it loses some of its sting but the imagery of it does remain, striking even today. It would have been nice to get more of that angle, since the plot essentially stops in the last twenty or so pages. But the simplicity of it keeps his ideas clear, which may be more to the point and he does manage to whip out a humdinger of a chilling ending on the very last page, closing with a circumstance made even stronger with the knowledge that you're never going to find out what really happened. Yet it's a testament to how strong the ideas are that this little work of SF, barely based on any science at all can still linger, almost taking us back to a time when we knew both less and more, when anything was possible. This is a step beyond staring up at the night sky and imagining we can jump to the moon to meet the little men who live inside it, and all the better for how seriously it takes it. (less)

like · see review

Dec 10, 2012 Jonfaith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: speculativelyspeaking

The 1960 film The Time Machine starring Rod Taylor is am adulteration of H.G. Wells' novel by the same name. The Eloi speak English and each and everyone of them appear to desire Rod Taylor; well, who doesn't? The whole enterprise appears to be a cautionary tale about Nuclear War and Free Love. I approached The First Men In The Moon with a wary eye about such cinematic mistreatments. I suspect Eric Roberts would star in this one.

It should be noted that I was puzzled by the title, about the verb...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 22, 2012 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my favourite HG Wells book yet. It sees the worthless Mr Bedford met ingenious scientist Mr Cavor who invents a substance which can defy gravity. This soon leads them to an improbable trip to the moon where they discover a live a race called the Selenites who live underground.

Scientifically the book doesn't score well, with cavorite being a ridiculous substance and what the moon being life fairly wrong. But it's excusable given the date it was written and things like the gravity levels...more

like · see review

Jun 23, 2012 Norm Davis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Pre Golden era science fiction fans

Recommended to Norm by: "Read the Classics"

Shelves: adventure-suspense, fantasy, mystery, philosophy, science-fiction

In this novel Wells is incredibly detailed in his descriptions of the locations and events. It is as if you were there. It is no wonder that when his “War of the Worlds” was performed on radio many decades ago the folks listening on the radio show had taken the radio performance as reality.

Mr. Wells builds incredible sentences that build upon themselves until the reader has no choice but to imagine the content so very precisely. That makes it “artsy” in my book and who would imagine an ancien...more In this novel Wells is incredibly detailed in his descriptions of the locations and events. It is as if you were there. It is no wonder that when his “War of the Worlds” was performed on radio many decades ago the folks listening on the radio show had taken the radio performance as reality.

Mr. Wells builds incredible sentences that build upon themselves until the reader has no choice but to imagine the content so very precisely. That makes it “artsy” in my book and who would imagine an ancient science fiction novel would be classic literature? Another confession of inadequacy … Mr. Wells’s vocabulary is miles beyond my meager college augmented education. While I’m primarily listening to a LibroVox audio rendition I’m also following along in an ebook and if I were to pause the recording when I needed to look up each word I need look up I would necessarily lose track of the genuinely interesting story that develops.

Now as to the content: Really? There is a concept in consuming science fiction, and fiction in general, that is “suspension of disbelief”. It may take reading 40% of this novel before you’ve dropped your resistance entirely to the ridiculous premises and obvious errors in science and fact but once you do… there is a great little story going on here.

Mr. Wells could not have imagined more incorrectly for the time the novel is written. Some of it is still thought provoking. At the first, devising an apparatus to travel to the moon…, I can sincerely see how those imaginings were not fantasy but science fiction in that day. Naturally today it is fantasy and we know how ridiculous his imaginings were, but we have to give Mr. Wells credit for provoking the ideas of traveling to the moon and the great adventures that may be upon us there. In the reality going to the moon was a great adventure that we are still learning from more than 40 years later.

One writer’s work doesn’t become a classic just by being old. It also has to be good. While I’m dishing out 3 stars, the story could easily be given 4 stars, and if it was 90 or 100 years ago I would be excited to hand out 5 stars.. My reluctance primarily is in that 100+ years that has passed. I can see from that era how the scientific ideas could hold some water, but reading it today it is just too big a stretch. Mr. Wells tells a pretty good story just the same. There were a few extremely tense moments where you realize you do care for these characters, shallow as they may be. And it is difficult not to like or dislike some of the characters. If you pay attention you can also see the references to the cutting edge science of the day, including the social sciences, politics, manners, etc. that all add color to this novel.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 06, 2012 Sandra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, classics, fantasy, in-english, read-in-2012

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 the science described...more

like · see review

Jul 31, 2011 Steve Mitchell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

like · see review

Dec 09, 2012 Luke Meakin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

From the day I first started reading this book I did not expect much, due to the fact I had never really heard anything about it. However, from the first chapter I was pleasantly surprised. This book is rather fast paced (which some will think is a negative point, but for this type of story I personally think it works very well). Wells' does not disappoint when it comes to evoking an emotional and imaginative relationship between the reader and the men in the moon, but also with the Selenites.

Pl...more

like · see review

Oct 08, 2012 Anton Himmelstrand rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Certainly, a substance repelling gravity is as mystical as the man-made gold of Alchemy. Clearly, one might find better uses for its properties than negating the planets pull and leave the earthly globe for that of the Moon. Conversely, why the hell not?

Wells' strength lies in his ability to paint a beautiful literary picture with equal measures absurdity, scientific lingo and somewhat open social commentary. In his expansive prose which balances between the real and the unreal, one seems to acc...more

like · see review

Apr 04, 2013 Sundeep Naidu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, favourites, travel, my-kind, sci-fi

It almost took a whole month for me to complete this book. I wasn't even reading any other book. It took 4 days or, at most, a week for me to complete reading a book of this volume, but it took 27 days to complete this book. What was the reason? Was the book/story/narration boring? Was I too busy to read this novel? In search of the answer the review follows below...

Plot:
An aspiring bussinessman stumbles upon Cavor, an eccentric genius. In a world still struggling to accept X-Rays and Radio Wave...more It almost took a whole month for me to complete this book. I wasn't even reading any other book. It took 4 days or, at most, a week for me to complete reading a book of this volume, but it took 27 days to complete this book. What was the reason? Was the book/story/narration boring? Was I too busy to read this novel? In search of the answer the review follows below...

Plot:
An aspiring bussinessman stumbles upon Cavor, an eccentric genius. In a world still struggling to accept X-Rays and Radio Waves they construct a Gravity-Defying Sphere- and man finally lands on the dead surface of the moon. But with the first light of the day the surface bursts into life. From the caves below come the Selenites, protean creatures, horrific in appearance, who adapt their shape to their function. Over them riles the Grand Lunar, a creature that is almost entirely brain ... a brain of awesome power.

Only one of the earthmen will return to tell the tale.

About the edition:
"The only edition with introduction, text summary, selected criticism and chronology of Well's life and times." So it says on the back cover of the book.

My take on the book:
I have been a big fan of Jules Verne ever since I came to know that the movie, 'Journey to the center of the Earth' was based on a novel by him. From some search I found out that Jules Verne is called as 'Father of Science Fiction; and also read that, and so is H. G. Wells called.

When I looked into his best books, I had choice between 'The Time Machine', 'The War of the Worlds', 'The Invisible Man' and 'The First Men in the Moon'. Somehow, for reason I don't fathom, I got 'The First Men in the Moon'. It lay with other books for about four months before I picked it and started reading it.

Add to that, a extra month before I complete reading it. Perhaps, this is the slowest read I've ever read.

If the story was boring, I wouldn't rated it a 5 star. Perhaps, the very imagination of the author swept me off my feet. The very concept, of space.......

To read the whole review, click here...(less)

like · see review

Dec 25, 2012 Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction

The protagonist is a shrewd businessman who either exploits or forms a symbiotic relationship with a scientist. The recklessness of their adventure to the moon causes a society-wide ethical dilemma, as well as causing them a good bit of bother!

It's a bit like Wells' Time Machine in that he gets the biology of ecosystems immensely wrong on the moon - for instance having two types of living creatures inhabiting a world rather than thousands or millions. This bugged me throughout, as did the formal...more

like · see review

Jun 24, 2012 Doug Dandridge rated it 4 of 5 stars

Actually liked the start of the movie better.
One of Wells' classics, set at the turn of the century as a scientist
develops Cavorite, a substance that allows the defeat of gravity. The
movie, which came out in the 1960s, started off with a manned expedition to
the moon discovering that they were not the first to get there, which was
not something imagined by Wells. The novel itself is very good though, as
a trio of humans land on the moon in a altered diving bell and search the
surface in modifi...more

like · see review

Apr 20, 2011 Mayday Maddie rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 plot is a li...more

like · see review

Jul 26, 2011 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 sign...more 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 signs. Cavor succeeds in creating this material, dubbed Cavorite, and the two devise a scheme to go to the moon.

They build a glass sphere that is encased in Cavorite. The Cavorite is used as a series of roller blinds on the outside of the sphere. Cavor can roll them up or down to increase or decrease the gravitational force on the sphere. I love that many of Wells' stories have ideas that seem plausible. The idea of two English gentlemen hurtling to the moon in a sphere is magical.

They go to the moon and land during the night. They are unsure if the moon has breathable air, so they venture to discover that and whether it has live. The conclude the air is breathable and go exploring. As the morning comes, they seem the moon is teeming with plant life and then see some quadrupeds.

They eventually discover an enormous and sophisticated civilization living inside the moon. The beings, which they name Selenites, are all types of shapes, sizes, levels of intellect and demeanor. They have become a very specialized society which reminds me in some ways of Huxley's "Brave New World".

Through a grave misunderstanding, Bedford and Cavor fight their way out of the Selenite caverns and eventually Bedford returns to Earth. Cavor meanwhile is captured and then taken as an honored guest into Selenite society. The end of the book is a series of transmissions that Bedford makes to Earth that tells his story on the moon.

Wells is commenting on the state of humanity, as many science fiction writers have done. Through a series of explanations and dialogue with the ruler of the moon, Cavor explains man and its tendencies of living, war, greed, work, play and all manner of life. As I read this, I realized in many ways how pointless some of our activities are. As seen from an outsiders point of view, many things that humans do seem silly and counterproductive to life. I love how Wells wraps this great adventure in a little bit of moralizing. It's fun and makes you think. It all shows how little we have really changed in 100 years.(less)

like · see review

Dec 19, 2012 Douglas Dalrymple rated it 3 of 5 stars

The moon was a much more dangerous place in 1901 than it is today, that’s for sure. And it’s a shame we’ve lost the recipe for antigravity Cavorite, since it would come in handy next time I have to move furniture.

This is by no means a great book (Wells’s The History of Mr Polly is much better) but it’s a fun read of the half-a-brain-tied-behind-your-back variety, with an authentic old-school sci-fi flavor.

I wonder if grad students in English Lit these days ever write about Wells. There’s fodder...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 25, 2012 Greg rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great buy at a yard sale for 50 cents. Some of the science in this book is indeed quite outdated, if imaginative (The idea that the moon has an atmosphere which freezes at night, and plants that have adapted to grow and complete a life cycle in one lunar day). The story is great if you love the pulp adventure style. Even get's into some more advanced themes with a questionable narrator and differing perspectives on events.

** Minor Spoiler Alert **

The lost Marconi transmissions at the end were gr...more

like · see review

Feb 27, 2011 John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 the...more

1 like · like · see review

May 15, 2012 Nmdrew rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the first HG Wells novel I've actually read. Many of his books have been adapted for film and I'm more familiar with those. I have to say that I was pretty entertained. It is well written but some typos got through when it was converted to electronic format. This is one of those books that the reader must remember the publication date. Some may find the book lacking in imagination, but for its time it was really extremely imaginative and creative. I think it retains much of these qualiti...more

like · see review

Jan 01, 2013 Nathan Burgoine rated it 3 of 5 stars

To and fro from work, I listened to this dramatic (ie: overacted) work of classic science fiction. It's quite a solid tale - interesting, some fun "pseudo-science" from H.G. Wells' imagination. Two men (a capitalist and an inventor) The society on the moon was interesting; and some fun extrapolation, but... well...

Alien Voices (made up mostly from Star Trek cast) were a tad... over-exuberant. All of John de Lancie's lines were delivered at a fevered pitch, and even Leonard Nimoy was a tad too mu...more

like · see review

Feb 07, 2013 Wilde Sky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Set in Victorian England, a high-minded researcher and a writer / fortune hunter meet and combine forces to try and reach the moon.

The first two thirds of the book (describing the research / space flight / etc.) are very good. The last few chapters (in the version I read) dealing with the “radio communication” between the researcher and adventurer wasn’t very good.

Given that the book was written in 1901 its vision of space flight was “accurate”.

I gave this book a three star rating, four for the...more

like · see review

Aug 03, 2011 Andrew Ives rated it 4 of 5 stars

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

like · see review

Jan 05, 2011 Harry Robinson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 on the moon.

Th...more

like · see review

Dec 28, 2011 Patrick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic-sci-fi, kindle

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 more elastic and subjecti...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
SF Masterworks Group: The First Men In The Moon	1	5	Apr 26, 2013 08:23am

combine
Other Editions (97)

More editions...

Genres

Classics

115 users

Science Fiction

114 users

Science Fiction > Steampunk

17 users

Literature

15 users

Adventure

14 users

Novels

13 users

Fantasy

12 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

11 users

Science Fiction > Dystopia

8 users

Literature > 20th Century

7 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About H.G. Wells

Herbert George Wells, better known as H. G. Wells, was the third son of a 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.

Wells is most famous today for his s...more

More about H.G. Wells...

Books by H.G. Wells

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The First Men in ...

4 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The First Men in the Moon

“So utterly at variance is Destiny with all the little plans of men.” — 2 people liked it

“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.” — 1 person liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The First Men in the Moon
avg rating	preview: The First Men in the Moon Goodreads rating: 3.65 (4270 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/536478.The_First_Men_in_the_Moon?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311647668l/536478.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/536478.The_First_Men_in_the_Moon?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells[/url]

The First Men in the Moon

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website