From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

The First Men in the Moon

H.G. Wells,

China Miéville (Introduction)

Start date: April 1, 2019

Finish date: April 30, 2019

Discussion: Science Fiction and Fantasy

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Science Fiction and Fantasy

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Mar 05, 2023 Sean rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, sci-fi

Wells wrote over 50 novels but, ”The First Men in the Moon”, is not one of his best. Published in 1901 this science fiction adventure story has limited appeal to a modern reader since the plot is implausible and old fashioned given what we know today about the Moon and space travel. Examples include stating that the Moon had breathable air, water, snow, fog, blue skies, a “moon jungle” and, “mooncalves”. Wells describes these creatures as being of, “enormous size; the girth of its body was some Wells wrote over 50 novels but, ”The First Men in the Moon”, is not one of his best. Published in 1901 this science fiction adventure story has limited appeal to a modern reader since the plot is implausible and old fashioned given what we know today about the Moon and space travel. Examples include stating that the Moon had breathable air, water, snow, fog, blue skies, a “moon jungle” and, “mooncalves”. Wells describes these creatures as being of, “enormous size; the girth of its body was some fourscore feet, its length perhaps two hundred.”

Bedford, a bankrupt business man and playwright teams up with the physicist Cavor who has invented an anti-gravity metallic paste he names not unsurprisingly, “cavorite”. The two companions then embark on a journey to the moon inside a sphere, “made of steel lined with thick glass”, and enamelled with cavorite. The novel was criticised by Jules Verne for Wells’s use of this fictional material as a plot device.

When writing the book Wells was heavily influenced by Verne’s novel, “From the Earth to the Moon”, that had been published 36 years earlier. Wells briefly acknowledges Verne in the following passage when Bedford and Cavour are discussing the design of a manhole for their sphere. Bedford states that it would be - “Like Jules Verne’s thing in A Trip to the Moon.”

Listed below are some of Verne’s concepts that Wells also used in his novel:
- Verne speculated that the moon would be populated by a race of people known as the Selenites. Wells used the same term to describe the ant-like creatures that Bedford and Cavour encounter on the moon.
- Both Verne and Wells discuss establishing communications with the Selenites by starting with the principles of Euclid’s geometry.
- Both Verne and Wells state that the Selenites would live underground.
- Both Verne and Wells equip their spacecraft with compressed food, concentrated essences and a chemical device for removing waste from the air.

In his autobiography Wells bristled at being compared to Verne and other famous writers early in his career -

“So it came about that every one of us who started writing in the nineties, was discovered to be "a second” somebody or other. In the course of two or three years I was welcomed as a second Dickens, a second Bulwer Lytton and a second Jules Verne.”

See my earlier review for details but, “From the Earth to the Moon”, is a much better novel. Unlike Wells, many of Verne’s predictions came true. The one unique and true Wells prediction is that it would be possible to communicate between planets using radio signals. This was based on the claims mentioned in the novel made by the radio pioneer Nicola Tesla in 1901 that he had received communications from Mars.

My other problem with this novel is that I found the narrator Bedford to be unlikeable. All he’s interested in is money and avoiding paying back his creditor. He becomes excited by the discovery of gold on the moon and wants to return to Earth so that he can get some guns to kill the Selenites.

Bedford also callously avoided responsibility for the loss of the young boy Tommy who managed to get inside the unguarded sphere once it returned to Earth. It then proceeded to launch itself back into space, and neither Tommy or the sphere were ever seen again. As Bedford says -

“I need not trouble myself about that. If I was faced by sorrowing parents demanding their lost boy, I had merely to demand my lost sphere—or ask them what they meant.”

I found this to be a lazy plot solution by Wells for stranding Bedford on the Earth and thus preventing him from returning to the moon to rescue Cavor. ...more

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Nov 05, 2024 Book2Dragon rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, scifi, dystopian, owned

Granted that HG Wells is a great writer. Maybe it was the pre-NASA age of this book, but I found it less than Astounding. What men of 1901 imagined might be on the moon and its possibilities for saving our planet from itself, full of gold and untapped resources. come nowhere near the reality of a barren landscape. When the Selenites found out how we operated here on Earth, they wisely chose to remain a mystery and delay any exploration from the Earth.

Historically an interesting view of the imagi ...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Melissa (ladybug) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: yearly-challenge

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

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Apr 01, 2025 Natalie rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, science-fiction

While this had some creativity, with some rather interesting sections, as a whole, it seemed disjointed because of the crazy circumstances. It lacks the cohesiveness and sense of horror of The Time Machine.
In the introduction, we are told that Wells felt good science fiction is largely invented rather than based on true science. In this story, some elements really don't hold together as logical or consistent scientifically. Also, a few sections felt rather tedious.
Our narrator is Bedford, who re While this had some creativity, with some rather interesting sections, as a whole, it seemed disjointed because of the crazy circumstances. It lacks the cohesiveness and sense of horror of The Time Machine.
In the introduction, we are told that Wells felt good science fiction is largely invented rather than based on true science. In this story, some elements really don't hold together as logical or consistent scientifically. Also, a few sections felt rather tedious.
Our narrator is Bedford, who rents a cottage in the country to write a play. He meets Cavor, a scientist, who dreams of inventing a mysterious substance. Bedford encourages him so Cavor produces the substance, then builds a sphere to take them to the moon. They quickly take off for the moon, where they find that it is much like earth, except the plant life and aliens (Selenites) are very different. The two explore various tunnels, then are chased by the Selenites who seem hostile. Cavor and Bedford become separated after each attempts to escape. Bedford cannot find Cavor, and assumes he has been killed by the Selenites. Bedford collects gold bars on the moon, gets in the sphere, and returns home to eat and sleep. He is not very concerned about Cavor. While he is resting, a young boy climbs into the sphere and takes off into space, never to be seen again!
The last section of the book tells how a Dutch scientist invents a method of receiving communication from Mars and the moon. Cavor tells (as if dictating a travel log) of his learning all about the Selenites and eventually meeting the king. Cavor learns to communicate, which he says is very limited (however he can have long conversations with several Selenites). He learns the Selenites come in many different shapes, each shape suited to their tasks. At first, we understand they live in tunnels. Later, he is taken to an elaborate palace. The Selenite leader is aghast to learn humans only live above ground, come in only one general shape and size, and engage in brutal wars. Then suddenly, this clear communication cuts off completely.
Like other books of men encountering different species (Gulliver's Travels, Herland, and Out of the Silent Planet), regular men find that in comparison, they are flawed, uncivilized, and lacking a logical, ordered society. Wells pits two enthusiastic, ambitious, yet inexperienced men against unique alien species who look down on humans and their apparent shortcomings.
I enjoyed the sections on exploring the moon initially, and Cavor's learning about the Selenites. But many other sections had irrelevant details or simply went on too long. The fact that the humans could easily adapt to the climate and food on the moon, as well as the space ship could fly itself (with no steering mechanism) seemed especially fantastical.
This definitely is not one of Wells's stronger works. It does, however, have the feel of other sci fi of that time period. ...more

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