I know I read The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells some ten or fifteen years ago–and I must have completely forgotten it. Frankly, if I had remembered it more clearly, I don’t think I would have reread it! But since I did (well, listened to it on audio), I’m counting it as a read for R.I.P., as classic horror and certainly full of mists and mystery.
The story begins with a reclusive, bandaged man taking lodgings at an inn, there to work on a mysterious experiment. It’s not much of a spoiler to say that the bandaged man eventually removes his bandages–and is completely invisible. Unfortunately, he’s also a complete psychopath. He wreaks a fair degree of havoc until he eventually runs into an old acquaintance, and sits down for an extended narration about how he became invisible, and his future plans to (more or less) conquer the world.
For the record, I like old books. I really do. I can handle a fair degree of slow writing, a fair amount of focus on random side characters, and even a plot that takes a little while to get going. I just finished Shirley, a Charlotte Bronte novel that had all of those problems, and still enjoyed it immensely. But The Invisible Man? Sad to say, I found it pretty irredeemable. Continue reading “Book Review: The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells”
I recently did a reread (by audiobook) of Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo–and realized I’d forgotten pretty much all of the book–and remembered anew why I get so annoyed by the notion that kids books can’t deal with complex themes and ideas.
Tales of the Marvelous 