Rating: 
Summary: Goes for the "what ifs" rather than the unexplainable hows
Review: As a student, you probably recall a time where you had to do a creative writing essay about what you would you if you were invisible. The ideas you had were likely unrealistic (I'm sure mine would be too if it had to be done in a short time). Maybe you said pilfering, playing practical jokes, and peeking into the girls shower room if you were so honest. But in "The Invisible Man," Wells does not just go into the "how" of a man could turn himself invisible, but "what if" he did. The scientist somehow manages to do so, but he finds it's not as glorious as we normally may imagine. For one, it's much harder to get the normal needs of everyday life - food, clothing, shelter, etc. This is more about human nature than oddly worked science fiction (not like interplanetary travel novels that take probably unreasonably looks at the effects of a method for effective space travel, such as light speed vehicles and such). Think about this book as you might for Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" (in which the main character turns into a bug overnight). Although rhetorical and philosophical, it's thought provoking and makes you wonder about how you might react. Think about it, and read the book if you're interested.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I'd hoped, I'd prefer a 2.5
Review: I've been catching up on Wells' work lately, and up to this point, I've been fairly impressed. His best work, written at the turn of the century, holds up fairly well: it's entertaining and thought-provoking (The Time Machine, War of the Worlds).I wasn't very impressed with this book, however. It doesn't read like his other works. The story probably could have been told in 20 or so pages, definitely a short-story candidate. I was amazed that Wells stretched this out to its present length, as the middle 40-odd pages were quite dull and really didn't go anywhere. The science behind the story (while iffy, of course), is fascinating. Griffin is a great character, but more could have been done with him, besides his spending so much time having to convince people that he IS, in fact, invisible ("I am invisible. I really am an invisible man", etc, etc). It gets mind-numbing after a while. I guess the biggest let-down of the book is the fact that the title gives everything away. Once you've seen the cover, you pretty much have it; no real surprises. Yep, he's invisible, and there ya go.
Rating: 
Summary: humor and horror
Review: Okay, so Wells didn't load the book with the violence seen in the recent movie Hollow Man. Consider when the book was written, and what was comparable at the time. I, for one, was engrossed in the book and read it in about three sittings.
Wells excellently portrayed Griffin (Invisible Man) as a man crossing back and forth from sanity to madness. You may catch yourself considering how you would overcome his difficulties, or how you might abuse his power. What really stood out for me was the tongue-in-cheek undertones Wells incorporated into the story, such as the cockney dialect and rustic behavior of the people of Iping. Also, consider Wells' narration during intense moments, such as the fight between Griffin and the people of Iping...
"...[Huxter's] shin was caught in some mysterious fashion, and he was no longer running, but flying with inconceivable rapidity through the air. He saw the ground suddenly close to his face. The world seemed to splash into a million whirling specks of light, and subsequent proceedings interested him no more."
Later elaboration of the events included the terrifying realization that Griffin was "smiting and overthrowing, for the mere satisfaction of hurting." If you find the book difficult to follow, try the version adapted by Malvina Vogel, complete with illustrations by Pablo Marcos. It's not as powerful, but easier to understand.
Rating:
Summary: humor and horror
Review: Okay, so Wells didn't load the book with the violence seen in the recent movie Hollow Man. Consider when the book was written, and what was comparable at the time. I, for one, was engrossed in the book and read it in about three sittings.
Wells excellently portrayed Griffin (Invisible Man) as a man crossing back and forth from sanity to madness. You may catch yourself considering how you would overcome his difficulties, or how you might abuse his power. What really stood out for me was the tongue-in-cheek undertones Wells incorporated into the story, such as the cockney dialect and rustic behavior of the people of Iping. Also, consider Wells' narration during intense moments, such as the fight between Griffin and the people of Iping...
"...[Huxter's] shin was caught in some mysterious fashion, and he was no longer running, but flying with inconceivable rapidity through the air. He saw the ground suddenly close to his face. The world seemed to splash into a million whirling specks of light, and subsequent proceedings interested him no more."
Later elaboration of the events included the terrifying realization that Griffin was "smiting and overthrowing, for the mere satisfaction of hurting." If you find the book difficult to follow, try the version adapted by Malvina Vogel, complete with illustrations by Pablo Marcos. It's not as powerful, but easier to understand.
Rating: 
Summary: Cut off from Humanity!
Review: Several rural villages in England are stalked by a new evil--an invisible man with no morals, who claims he has been forced by circumstances to institute his personal reign of terror.
Cloaked in a costume of sorts to hide his self-inflicted invisible status (when it suits him), this "lone wolf genius" creates fear and havoc in his depredations of the unsuspecting countryside. Nasty pranks, then theft culminate in murder and egomaniacal threats--dark traces of his personal journey to depravity, in this classic cautionary tale of genius run amock. The author presents this absurd hypothesis in such scientific terms that it Almost seems within the realm of possibility. Thirty-year-old Griffin, an albino, spent his post graduate years working secretly on a formula which would render living organisms invisible to the eye. Prematurely forced out into the world which he schemes to dominate without well-laid plans or adequate resources, he turns viciously bitter. Trusting no one--until he reveals the sordid details of his social and chemical
trials to a former university colleague, Dr. Kemp--the Invisible Man suffers the pangs of hell as he finds himself cursed and conspired against. Yet he brought it all on himself, by his callous disregard for human feelings and customs. Griffin ultimately becomes the object of an intense manhunt by the people he scored as naive and helpless sheep. HG Wells moves us to both despise and pity the wretch, as all humanity is ill at ease at this mockery of creation. A man needs a body, a shadow and a reflection in order not to arouse suspicion in a
relatively balanced world. Fantasy or Sci Fi, this novel continues to catch the attention of readers who speculate on the role of the individual in society. A fast-paced, quick read with serious undertones for all ages.
Rating:
Summary: jmal book review
Review: This book was a very interesting . It had you suspenced and at the edge of your seat. It had you thinkiing what would you do if you were really invisible .What kind of chaos would ypu stir up. This book was good but it started to get a little boring . That's why I gave it only 3 stars. the movies was much better .
Rating:
Summary: The Invisible Man
Review: This is a good book thou it is hard to folow. You don't care if you put it down or not, it doesn't hold your attention. Maybe if it had more action it would hold your attention, but since it quickly goes by days with little action it is no fun to read. When there is some action it really isn't that long so it doesn't hook you on to the book.
Rating:
Summary: Classics last forever
Review: This is the classic story of a scientist who is obcessed with working with optical stuff, and develops a way to make things invisible. His life gets complicated when he makes himself invisible, thinking he can do almost anything he wants, since nobody can see him. The problem is, he's a little bit crazy, and gets very angry when he can't get his wishes done. Wells created a very interesting character in Griffin. If he was a nice guy, the story simply couldn't exist. Griffin is a complete selfish person, revolted by the fact that he is an albino, and through invisibility he wants the world at his feet. But he's such a disastrous person that he does everything wrong, and has everyone he has contact with against him. Although the story is over a century old, it still grips the reader. It's a simple story, but one of the pillars of the modern science fiction. There would be no Asimov, no Heinlein, no Scott Card, no Stanley Robinson without existing Wells before them.
Rating:
Summary: Does The Invisible Man Get Sunburned?
Review: This was a fabulous novel by the likes of H.G. Wells. Though it may be science fiction, it does have a science fact sort of feel to it. Hearing the characters interact provides for the fleshing out of such personages. I read this book around the same time I read some Edgar Rice Burroughs. They both have a way with words which make the blatantly false seem all the more real, while I suspend my disbelief indefinitely. The world needs more writers like this.
Rating:
Summary: Great novelization
Review: Wells' novelization of the great Ray Milland classic, *The Invisible Man*, is a classic rendering of a classic film. It's a brilliant masterpiece at least as brilliant as the brilliant remake of the classic Claude Rains classic, also called *The Invisible Man.* Rumor has it that Gertrude Stein coached Herbert though the challenges of writing for Hollywood. If so, all I can say is, "A rose by any other name would be redundant." Herbert rose to the occasion, and when you meet the Invisible Man, fleshed out in type, so will you. This is not a book to miss, no matter how many movies it rips off.
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