The Inexperienced Ghost

by H.G. Wells

Ghost Story

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Ghosts, Paranormal

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 1902

About the author

Herbert George Wells was born to a working class family in Kent, England. Young Wells received a spotty education, interrupted by several illnesses and family difficulties, and became a draper's apprentice as a teenager. The headmaster of Midhurst Grammar School, where he had spent a year, arranged for him to return as an "usher," or student teacher. Wells earned a government scholarship in 1884, to study biology under Thomas Henry Huxley at the Normal School of Science. Wells earned his bachelor of science and doctor of science degrees at the University of London. After marrying his cousin, Isabel, Wells began to supplement his teaching salary with short stories and freelance articles, then books, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).

Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.

He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.

More: http://philosopedia.org/index.php/H._...

http://www.online-literature.com/well...

http://www.hgwellsusa.50megs.com/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells

Reviews

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill) · Rating 4 out of 5]

H.G. Wells tells us the story of Clayton, who meets an inexperienced pathetic ghost at a nightclub.

The predicament that the ghost is facing is that he forgot his way back to the spirit world and is stuck here.

Clayton decides to help the poor ghost, and he manages to find the method for crossing out to the next world.

“But being transparent, of course, he couldn’t avoid telling the truth.”

What will Clayton do with the knowledge to move between the worlds? Will he try to go into the next world himself? The author answers it through this story.

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[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story 3 stars**
Audio 3.5 stars**
Narrator James Gillies

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free download available at FeedBooks

Opening lines:
The scene amidst which Clayton told his last story comes back very vividly to my mind. There he sat, for the greater part of the time, in the corner of the authentic settle by the spacious open fire, and Sanderson sat beside him smoking the Broseley clay that bore his name.

What an amazing story.

3* The Time Machine
4* The War of the Worlds
4* The Invisible Man
4* The New World Order
4* The Strange Orchid
3* The Magic Shop
2* A Dream of Armageddon
4* The Red Room
4* The Best Stories Of H. G. Wells
3* The First Men in the Moon
3* The Island of Dr. Moreau
4* The Story of the Inexperienced Ghost
TR Tono-Bungay
TR The Sea Lady
TR Russia in the Shadows

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a bit on the funny side.

[Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun gem of a short story. HG Wells hit all the right notes: the location, the skeptical group of friends, and a great ending!

[Bookish Devil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A neat short story by H.G. Wells with a spooky ending.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts out funny and interesting, and ends in a very surprising manner.

[Stormy McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

While reading another book, I came across a quote from this story. Curious, I looked it up online. Found it was available to read at https://www.online-literature.com/wel....

The tale itself has an air of the old "Adveturers' Club" accounts Wells employed in his novels. The suspense builds throughout. Although I had suspicions of what was coming at the end, it took a surprising turn.

I highly recommend for lovers of traditional ghost stories (not gorey or horror riddled).

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing ..amazing the narrator was beyond words amazing. I I was given this copy for free in exchange for honest reviews.. I have never herd this story done like this! I just fell in love all over again with this story!

[Asti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of ghost or mystical stories.
But I think I'll go for it anytime if it's HG Wells.

[Filipa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute little story but rather predictable!

[Paulo Vinicius Figueiredo dos Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essa é uma narrativa muito curiosa de H.G. Wells. Em uma conversa com seus amigos em sua casa, Clayton começa a contra uma história insólita de quando ele se encontrou com um fantasma em sua casa. Obviamente que seus amigos começam a fazer troça de sua história, imaginando que ele a está inventando. Não ajuda nada o fato de que ele alega que o fantasma não fazia ideia do que estava fazendo em sua casa. Imaginem só: um fantasma confuso e sem saber onde deveria assombrar? Mas, à medida em que ele vai contando a respeito de seu estranho encontro, a história vai tomando contornos misteriosos quando Clayton alega ter buscado ajudar o fantasma a atravessar de volta para o outro lado. Junto do fantasma, eles buscaram repetir uma espécie de gestos místicos capazes de abrir as portas para esse mundo. Mas, o quanto dessa história maluca é verdade? E pode Clayton reproduzir estes gestos novamente?

Para quem está acostumado com as ficções científicas de Wells, uma história como essa é, no mínimo, estranha. E afirmo para vocês que o autor sabe bem escrever uma história mais tensa e menos futurista. Basta ler No País dos Cegos que vocês terão uma noção. Mas, voltando ao conto em questão, Wells é bem habilidoso ao dar um ar bastante leve e até satírico para a história. O tom inicial da história se assemelha ao do livro O Fantasma de Canterville, de Oscar Wilde. Uma história com fantasmas que é mais uma narrativa bem humorada com pitadas de estranho do que propriamente uma narrativa de terror. Só que o clima muda bruscamente para o final da história. É como se a tarde tivesse chegado ao fim e a noite tomasse conta do lugar. Percebemos que até os diálogos ficam mais tensos e pesados com os amigos avisando Clayton de que não se poderia brincar com determinadas coisas. Mesmo que um dos amigos dele ainda tentasse manter o clima de humor, mas tudo indicava outra coisa. O mais legal nessa história é essa transição súbita de um gênero para outro em um piscar de olhos. Fica para os leitores amigos que estão lendo essa resenha a maneira como Wells faz essa transição e só vamos nos dar conta mais tarde disso. Ele altera o ritmo, o tom e as descrições. O ritmo no sentido de que os diálogos se tornam maiores e Wells se preocupa em transmitir o lado emocional dos personagens. O tom que parece mais sinistro quando antes havia umas brincadeiras e frases de duplo sentido. E as descrições que se tornam mais precisas enquanto antes Wells se preocupava mais em passar uma ideia de uma reunião entre amigos.

O que me incomodou na narrativa e sempre me incomoda nos livros de Wells é o quanto ele é eloquente. O que Jules Verne faz com dez linhas, Wells faz com dez páginas. E isso me incomoda um pouco porque essa é uma daquelas narrativas que poderia ter umas oito páginas a menos. Wells se repete nos parágrafos: por exemplo, no começo os amigos de Clayton fazem a mesma pergunta para ele quatro vezes (de formas diferentes, é claro). Os momentos em que os personagens trocam gracejos são bem feitos, mas quando ele passa a descrever as cenas e sua interação com o fantasma, os parágrafos ficam do tamanho quase de uma página inteira. Tirando isso, gostei também da ambientação de casa assombrada. Wells conseguiu traduzir bem isso a partir de uma abordagem diferente do que normalmente é feito em histórias de fantasmas.

Esta é uma boa história que mostra um lado diferente do autor de sucessos como A Máquina do Tempo e A Guerra dos Mundos. Ver esse outro lado mostra o quanto Wells é versátil e sabe incorporar outros elementos à sua narrativa. Ele brinca com o tropo de fantasmas, e mesmo assim consegue trazer uma história de terror com um final bem assustador. Infelizmente seus vícios de escrita continuam presentes, mas isso não tira, de forma alguma, o brilho daquilo que ele apresentou.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story of a floundering, confused, weak ghost is hilarious with a shocking ending.

The ghost:
“I came upon him, you know, in the long passage. His back was towards me and I saw him first. Right off I knew him for a ghost. He was transparent and whitish; clean through his chest I could see the glimmer of the little window at the end. And not only his physique but his attitude struck me as being weak. He looked, you know, as though he didn't know in the slightest whatever he meant to do. One hand was on the panelling and the other fluttered to his mouth. Like—SO!”
“What sort of physique?” said Sanderson.
“Lean. You know that sort of young man's neck that has two great flutings down the back, here and here—so! And a little, meanish head with scrubby hair—And rather bad ears. Shoulders bad, narrower than the hips; turn-down collar, ready-made short jacket, trousers baggy and a little frayed at the heels. That's how he took me.


Clayton:
And there, with a gravity that was imperturbably serene, Clayton bowed and swayed and waved his hands and arms before us. As he drew towards the end one piled up, one tingled in one's teeth. The last gesture, I have said, was to swing the arms out wide open, with the face held up. And when at last he swung out to this closing gesture I ceased even to breathe. It was ridiculous, of course, but you know that ghost-story feeling. It was after dinner, in a queer, old shadowy house. Would he, after all—?
There he stood for one stupendous moment, with his arms open and his upturned face, assured and bright, in the glare of the hanging lamp. We hung through that moment as if it were an age, and then came from all of us something that was half a sigh of infinite relief and half a reassuring “NO!” For visibly—he wasn't going. It was all nonsense. He had told an idle story, and carried it almost to conviction, that was all!... And then in that moment the face of Clayton, changed.
It changed. It changed as a lit house changes when its lights are suddenly extinguished. His eyes were suddenly eyes that were fixed, his smile was frozen on his lips, and he stood there still. He stood there, very gently swaying.
That moment, too, was an age. And then, you know, chairs were scraping, things were falling, and we were all moving. His knees seemed to give, and he fell forward, and Evans rose and caught him in his arms....
It stunned us all. For a minute I suppose no one said a coherent thing. We believed it, yet could not believe it.... I came out of a muddled stupefaction to find myself kneeling beside him, and his vest and shirt were torn open, and Sanderson's hand lay on his heart....
Well—the simple fact before us could very well wait our convenience; there was no hurry for us to comprehend. It lay there for an hour; it lies athwart my memory, black and amazing still, to this day. Clayton had, indeed, passed into the world that lies so near to and so far from our own, and he had gone thither by the only road that mortal man may take. But whether he did indeed pass there by that poor ghost's incantation, or whether he was stricken suddenly by apoplexy in the midst of an idle tale—as the coroner's jury would have us believe—is no matter for my judging; it is just one of those inexplicable riddles that must remain unsolved until the final solution of all things shall come. All I certainly know is that, in the very moment, in the very instant, of concluding those passes, he changed, and staggered, and fell down before us—dead!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, I liked this short story. It felt like an old-fashioned ghost tale told around a fire, but laced with the rhythm and timing of a classic comedy sketch. Wells balances that line throughout, leaving you unsure what to believe. Is this a childish prank spun to frighten friends, or a genuine supernatural encounter? That question hangs deliberately unresolved for much of the story.

Much of the comedy comes from the sheer haplessness of the ghost himself. The idea of a ghost incapable of haunting is absurd on the surface, yet Wells frames it almost as a moral failure, a man who was never good at anything, neither in life nor in death. There seems to be a quiet warning here about how one lives. To live closed off, timid, or untrue to oneself risks carrying bitterness and regret beyond the grave.

I also found the social commentary interesting, if a little sad. The story reflects how weakness was viewed in Wells’ time, not as a vulnerability to be understood, but as the worst possible failing of a man. Not cruelty, not selfishness, but weakness of character and masculinity. That underlying judgment adds an unexpected sharpness to what otherwise feels like a lighthearted tale.

The tension builds nicely as the group listening to the story slowly begins to believe it. The mockery gives way to unease, because even if the ghost is ridiculous, it is still a ghost. Wells plays this shift well, letting humour and dread sit side by side until the final moments, where the ambiguity is left intact. I appreciated that choice. The uncertainty lingers and gives the story its quiet aftertaste of unease.

Personally, the idea of the physical passes and movements was the one element I struggled to take seriously. Perhaps I am too ruined by modern pop culture (hello the OA) , but all I could picture were awkward ritualistic gestures that drained the tension for me. Still, that is more a matter of taste than a failure of the story.

Overall, this felt like exactly the sort of story you would read late at night. It is not terrifying, but it carries just enough creepiness and lingering doubt to feel like a proper ghost story, one that stays with you a little longer than expected.

[Shuggy L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story, the ghost doesn't seem to be a dangerous but appearances are deceiving.

Set in a wealthy milieu, several men are sitting together at the Mermaid Club one Sunday morning, Clayton, twenty-five years old, Sanderson (Freemason), Evans, Wish and the narrator.

They plan on golfing.

Clayton tells a story about the club’s ghost about whom the men are rather skeptical.

The ghost was a Senior English master in a London private school, who was killed when he went down into a London basement with a candle to look for a leakage of gas.

Currently, while Clayton is interacting with it, the ghost had fallen in with the ghost of a set of fellow “weak Cockney young men.”

Clayton gets to the bottom of the ghost’s difficulties which are about some actions called "passes" -

"Last gesture of all - you stand erect and open out your arms - … he stood. And then he didn’t.”

Some of the friends believe the story more than others. Wish is particularly worried about Clayton’s performing the last gestures of the "passes."

Sanderson is knowledgeable about mysteries of Masonry and lends verisimilitude to Clayton’s story.

The events play out in a sadly ambivalent fashion.

[Robert Bussie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a missed opportunity of a funny story. It starts out with a man, Clayton, telling a story to his friends about how he has seen a ghost. He saw this ghost at their exclusive club. When Clayton first sees the ghost he accuses the ghost of trespassing. This made me laugh out loud. Then the man sits down with the ghost to find out why he is haunting the club. From here the story takes a major nose dive.

The man has an argument with one of his friends, Wish, about if he should bring the ghost back for them to see. The debate with Wish breaks up the humor and flow of the story. Eventually, they agree to have Clayton bring back the ghost and during the incantation he dies. Was it because of the ghost or was it because he had a heart attack? In the end I do not care, because a humors beginning, a boring middle, and a some-what spooky ending adds up to an uneven story. Also, we never really find out why or how the person became a ghost nor why he is haunting the club.

[Fizzy Rant · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Boo-oo” said the ghost.

“Boo- be hanged! Are you a member?!”

“No I am not a member-I am a ghost.” said he.

“Well that doesn’t give you the run of the Mermaid Club.”

Who talks to a ghost like this? A not so sober Clayton does, if he is to be believed. He tells his encounter to his friends, with a hopeless spirit who clearly needs some counselling. Does the loser ghost really reveal to him a way into the other world or it’s just an intriguing imagination of Clayton aimed at keeping everyone amused? Till Clayton gets it right we really don’t know. The depiction of the ghost is quite interesting and given the central idea I wanted it to be more than just a short story.
www.fizzyrant.com

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depois de um longo período sem ler um conto do clube, decidi participar da MLV2024 e fiquei encantada, decide voltar para o clube e voltar com meus contos mensais.
Foi uma história divertida sobre um fantasma que não sabia como trocar de realidade, e o final me deixou surpreso (não esperava que desse certo, se é que deu).

[Julia Leporace · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Matter is indestructible. You don't think any jiggery-pokery of this sort is going to snatch Clayton into the world of shades."

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A two-star story gets three stars from me because the ending was cool.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok and passable story. Rather fun to read on Halloween. No Bram Stoker or The Woman in Black, but, rather entertaining with a good ending.

[Mehmet Kır · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a different short story, but not enjoyed. :(

[Andrea Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but a incredible story.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

It starts quite funny, but the ending.....

[Timothy Morrison]

Quite funny and in expressive ghost!

[miuccia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

cute short ghost story!

[Heloísa Alexandre · Rating 1 out of 5]

❝ trɑtɑ-se de um dɑqueles enigmɑs inexplicάveis que permɑnecerα̃o incólumes ɑté ɑ soluçα̃o finɑl pɑrɑ todɑs ɑs coisɑs ❞

✦ Bem fraquinho. É aquilo, eu já não estava esperando muito desse conto, já que para mim, a maioria dos contos que já li foram decepcionantes, esse não foi diferente.

✦ Eu esperava algum mínimo desenvolvimento pelo menos do fantasma e sobre ele estar no mundo humano sem fazer como voltar, mas nem isso.

✦ Eu não sei nem o que falar sobre, porque é literalmente nada com nada. Já até esqueci o nome dos personagens e do fantasma.

✦ É isso. Não recomendo, bem ruinzinho.

[Mike Sheehan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice and short ghost story with a slight twist and humour. Enjoyable but not mind blowing!

[Forked Radish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Postprandial exercise can be hazardous.

[laryssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

um fantasma com crise existencial e um grupo de céticos.

halloween challenge 7/7.