Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Oxford University Press, USA (1995), Edition: annotated edition, Paperback, 272 pages
Description
Classic Literature. Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML: H. G. Wells' 1901 science fiction novel The First Men in the Moon tells the story of a voyage to the moon by Mr. Bedford, a businessman plagued by financial problems, and Dr. Cavor, a brilliant and somewhat eccentric scientist. On arrival they discover that the moon is already inhabited by an advanced underground civilization of insect-like beings who they call "Selenites". This forward-looking novel, critical of the imperialism of Wells' time, looks at the clash of civilizations and suggests a reflection of how humanity might develop in the future..
User reviews
LibraryThing member baswood
Following his success with The Invisible Man, The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, H G Wells turned his attention to space travel. Like his three previous novels; First Men in the Moon is firmly set in late Victorian England and it is an unconventional scientist who once again proves to be the
The two men are soon hard at work in Cavor’s backyard building a space capsule which will feature window shutters made of Cavorite with which they will be able to manipulate in such a way as to escape the earth’s gravitational pull and fly to the moon. Today this sounds like pure hokum and it cannot have sounded any better in 1901 when Well’s book was published. This is what Well’s astronaughts were wearing inside their sphere:
“The interior was warm, the thermometer stood at eighty, and as we should lose little or none of this by radiation, we were dressed in shoes and thin flannels. We had however, a bundle of thick woollen clothing and several thick blankets to guard against mischance.”
They did take some oxygen cylinders, but these were not needed when they found breathable atmosphere on the moon. Yes of course they made it to the moon and with some desperate manoeuvrings with the Cavorite blinds managed to land safely enough. This is Mr Cavor on the moon enjoying it’s lesser gravitational pull:
“Good we cried to each other ‘Good’ and Cavor made three steps and went off to a tempting slope of snow a good twenty yards and more beyond. I stood for a moment struck by the grotesque effect of his soaring figure - his dirty cricket cap, and spiky hair, his little round body, his arms and his knicker-bockered legs tucked up tightly - against the weird spaciousness of the lunar scene. A gust of laughter seized me, and then I stepped off to follow. Plump! I dropped beside him.”
Wells is having tremendous fun with his “Boys Own” adventure and this is the main problem with his book. There are some passages where the characters reflect on the folly of man and his rapacious needs and there is the juxtaposition between the two characters, but I never got the sense that this is what the book was really about. The story is told by Bedford in the first person, now safely back on earth and so we realise that at least one of the adventurers lived to tell the tale.
Our two unlikely protagonists find life on the moon which is a honeycomb of tunnels and caves inhabited by the Selenites: sort of intelligent ant like beings. It is Cavor by his dispatches from the moon that describes their society their natural history and finally his meeting with their ruler: The Grand Lunar.
First Men in the Moon has the feel of a pot boiler; Wells seems here to have taken his fantasy writing as far as it would go and is stretching all bounds of possibility with this novel. It is however never dull and Well’s easy flowing style carries the reader along with him. It is amusing and if you don’t mind the silly story it is a fun read. 3 stars.
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catalyst for the story. Mr Cavor working in his country house with a team of untrained assistants, invents a material that negates the effects of gravity, which he names Cavorite. His lonely walks along the sea front attract the attention of Bedford, a bankrupt business man and the two men soon become associates and so starts their mad adventures fuelled by a sort of comic book fantasy that is never remotely believable.The two men are soon hard at work in Cavor’s backyard building a space capsule which will feature window shutters made of Cavorite with which they will be able to manipulate in such a way as to escape the earth’s gravitational pull and fly to the moon. Today this sounds like pure hokum and it cannot have sounded any better in 1901 when Well’s book was published. This is what Well’s astronaughts were wearing inside their sphere:
“The interior was warm, the thermometer stood at eighty, and as we should lose little or none of this by radiation, we were dressed in shoes and thin flannels. We had however, a bundle of thick woollen clothing and several thick blankets to guard against mischance.”
They did take some oxygen cylinders, but these were not needed when they found breathable atmosphere on the moon. Yes of course they made it to the moon and with some desperate manoeuvrings with the Cavorite blinds managed to land safely enough. This is Mr Cavor on the moon enjoying it’s lesser gravitational pull:
“Good we cried to each other ‘Good’ and Cavor made three steps and went off to a tempting slope of snow a good twenty yards and more beyond. I stood for a moment struck by the grotesque effect of his soaring figure - his dirty cricket cap, and spiky hair, his little round body, his arms and his knicker-bockered legs tucked up tightly - against the weird spaciousness of the lunar scene. A gust of laughter seized me, and then I stepped off to follow. Plump! I dropped beside him.”
Wells is having tremendous fun with his “Boys Own” adventure and this is the main problem with his book. There are some passages where the characters reflect on the folly of man and his rapacious needs and there is the juxtaposition between the two characters, but I never got the sense that this is what the book was really about. The story is told by Bedford in the first person, now safely back on earth and so we realise that at least one of the adventurers lived to tell the tale.
Our two unlikely protagonists find life on the moon which is a honeycomb of tunnels and caves inhabited by the Selenites: sort of intelligent ant like beings. It is Cavor by his dispatches from the moon that describes their society their natural history and finally his meeting with their ruler: The Grand Lunar.
First Men in the Moon has the feel of a pot boiler; Wells seems here to have taken his fantasy writing as far as it would go and is stretching all bounds of possibility with this novel. It is however never dull and Well’s easy flowing style carries the reader along with him. It is amusing and if you don’t mind the silly story it is a fun read. 3 stars.
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LibraryThing member Stevil2001
'One might go to the moon.'
'And when one got there! What would you find?'
'We should see – ! Oh! Consider the new knowledge!'
'Is there air there?'
'There may be.'
I shook my head. 'It's a fine idea,' I said, 'but it strikes me as a large order all
This is the most significant of Wells's scientific romances that somehow I somehow did not read as a child, one of the prototypical lunar exploration stories. I think you see in it the transition from the earlier, macabre Wells to the later, more comic Wells. This doesn't have the darkness and urgency of Wells's 1890s scientific romances; its opening has more in common with the comic worlds of The Food of the Gods (1904), The War in the Air (1908), and The History of Mr Polly (1910), even if darkness and complexity rears its head as the story progresses.
The transformation of tone really works. The book begins with an unlikely pairing, Cavor and Bedford. As the above passage demonstrates, Cavor is a bit too abstracted for his own good, but Bedford, our narrator, is a bit too commercial for his. There's a lot of comic interplay as two very different men try to communicate with each other. Cavor doesn't care about the practical implications of antigravity at all, while Bedford can only imagine how to get rich off it; Cavor has never read Shakespeare because he only reads scientific papers, while Bedford never has because he only reads mass-produced trash like Tit-Bits. (Big Finish dramatizes this interplay very delightfully in their adaptation of the novel featuring Nigel Planer and Gethin Anthony. Their voices undoubtedly influenced the way I read Cavor and Bedford's dialogue.)
Once they go into space, things get darker, as they try to work out how to communicate with an alien species, to what turns out to be little benefit to humankind. It's one of those dark Wellsian satires, but perhaps not his best-- along this line, I think, say, The Sleeper Awakes (1910) is a better work. Still, the ending is a great one, perhaps Wells's most pessimistic... including the novels he wrote where the world is destroyed by nuclear war! The novel has some things to say about scientific knowledge, and why we pursue it, but it's not exactly flattering. Cavor himself is a typical abstracted scientist. I say "typical" but I feel like Wells was actually inventing, or at least perfecting, the type here. It's not all funny, given the unanticipated-but-perhaps-anticipatable consequences of Cavor's actions turn out to be quite dire. That's science and scientists for you, I suppose.
(My Penguin Classics edition has an introduction by science fiction writer China Miéville. It's excellent,* contextualizing the novel in the lunar exploration genre, in Wells's life and work, and in the genre of sf more broadly. I really liked what Miéville had to say about sf, perhaps because it is very similar to what I have to say about it, that there's a doubling effect. Sf is both metaphorical and literal: "the unreal will always be read metaphorically – what is the human mind but an engine to metaphorize and process metaphors intended and found? – but […] there is also pleasure in its literalism. […] [T]he enjoyment […] depends on the specific uncanny/estranging impact of literalizing the impossible: simply, it is a great, weird idea. Weirdness is good to think with, and it is also its own end." (xviii) I use Cordwainer Smith's "Scanners Live in Vain" when discussing this aspect of sf because it does this very well. It's both a metaphor-- it's about a man who can't communicate with his wife-- and a literal weirdness-- it's about the idea that space is so strange you need to cut off your sensations with machines in order to survive it. Miéville has given me some nice language to describe my phenomenon. Anyway, like the best introductions, Miéville's reveals a deeper understanding of the work in question, and I highly recommend it even as a standalone piece of writing.)
* Except for one error: when comparing The First Men in the Moon to the similar, earlier book A Plunge into Space, Miéville says Plunge was by Eric Cromie and published in 1880 (xiv), when in fact it was by Robert Cromie and published in 1890.
'And when one got there! What would you find?'
'We should see – ! Oh! Consider the new knowledge!'
'Is there air there?'
'There may be.'
I shook my head. 'It's a fine idea,' I said, 'but it strikes me as a large order all
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the same.' (29)This is the most significant of Wells's scientific romances that somehow I somehow did not read as a child, one of the prototypical lunar exploration stories. I think you see in it the transition from the earlier, macabre Wells to the later, more comic Wells. This doesn't have the darkness and urgency of Wells's 1890s scientific romances; its opening has more in common with the comic worlds of The Food of the Gods (1904), The War in the Air (1908), and The History of Mr Polly (1910), even if darkness and complexity rears its head as the story progresses.
The transformation of tone really works. The book begins with an unlikely pairing, Cavor and Bedford. As the above passage demonstrates, Cavor is a bit too abstracted for his own good, but Bedford, our narrator, is a bit too commercial for his. There's a lot of comic interplay as two very different men try to communicate with each other. Cavor doesn't care about the practical implications of antigravity at all, while Bedford can only imagine how to get rich off it; Cavor has never read Shakespeare because he only reads scientific papers, while Bedford never has because he only reads mass-produced trash like Tit-Bits. (Big Finish dramatizes this interplay very delightfully in their adaptation of the novel featuring Nigel Planer and Gethin Anthony. Their voices undoubtedly influenced the way I read Cavor and Bedford's dialogue.)
Once they go into space, things get darker, as they try to work out how to communicate with an alien species, to what turns out to be little benefit to humankind. It's one of those dark Wellsian satires, but perhaps not his best-- along this line, I think, say, The Sleeper Awakes (1910) is a better work. Still, the ending is a great one, perhaps Wells's most pessimistic... including the novels he wrote where the world is destroyed by nuclear war! The novel has some things to say about scientific knowledge, and why we pursue it, but it's not exactly flattering. Cavor himself is a typical abstracted scientist. I say "typical" but I feel like Wells was actually inventing, or at least perfecting, the type here. It's not all funny, given the unanticipated-but-perhaps-anticipatable consequences of Cavor's actions turn out to be quite dire. That's science and scientists for you, I suppose.
(My Penguin Classics edition has an introduction by science fiction writer China Miéville. It's excellent,* contextualizing the novel in the lunar exploration genre, in Wells's life and work, and in the genre of sf more broadly. I really liked what Miéville had to say about sf, perhaps because it is very similar to what I have to say about it, that there's a doubling effect. Sf is both metaphorical and literal: "the unreal will always be read metaphorically – what is the human mind but an engine to metaphorize and process metaphors intended and found? – but […] there is also pleasure in its literalism. […] [T]he enjoyment […] depends on the specific uncanny/estranging impact of literalizing the impossible: simply, it is a great, weird idea. Weirdness is good to think with, and it is also its own end." (xviii) I use Cordwainer Smith's "Scanners Live in Vain" when discussing this aspect of sf because it does this very well. It's both a metaphor-- it's about a man who can't communicate with his wife-- and a literal weirdness-- it's about the idea that space is so strange you need to cut off your sensations with machines in order to survive it. Miéville has given me some nice language to describe my phenomenon. Anyway, like the best introductions, Miéville's reveals a deeper understanding of the work in question, and I highly recommend it even as a standalone piece of writing.)
* Except for one error: when comparing The First Men in the Moon to the similar, earlier book A Plunge into Space, Miéville says Plunge was by Eric Cromie and published in 1880 (xiv), when in fact it was by Robert Cromie and published in 1890.
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LibraryThing member kristykay22
This lesser-known work by the author of War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, and The Time Machine is a charming exploration of turn-of-the-century capitalism, British imperialism, scientific curiosity, and some pretty wild ideas about what is happening on/in the moon. Our unreliable (but weirdly
Once discovered, the two come up with the idea of using it to travel to the moon in a sphere coated with Cavorite, controlling their passage by opening and closing shutters to alter the effect of gravity. Bedford has an eye on the profits of moon mining, Cavor seems to want to just see what will happen. At first, the moon seems frozen and barren, but as the two week long "day" starts to dawn, crazy short-lived plants begin to bloom around the sphere. The men find that they are able to breathe the atmosphere and that they have amazing strength on this low-gravity planet. Soon, however, they realize that they are not alone as they encounter a group of Selenites tending to a herd of mooncalves. The Selenites are human-like insects with hidden technological prowess in their complicated cities inside the moon surrounding a central sea in the middle of the planet.
During their explorations of the surface of the moon, Bedford and Cavor become hungry enough to eat some crazy mushrooms that have a drug-like effect and promptly lose sight of their life-giving sphere. Shortly afterward, they are captured by the Selenites. Because of their very different approaches (Bedford wants to kill the aliens, Cavor wants to communicate and learn from them), tension builds between the unlikely partners and things, ultimately, do not go very well, although they do get very exciting and interesting.
This is a great adventure story with some solid and imaginative science. Published in 1901, this draws on the theories of Tesla and a lot of conjecture to imagine what humans in space might look like. Bedford is a very flawed narrator, but has some awareness of his limitations, and it is easy to see Wells poking fun at the British Empire and capitalism in general. There is a sprinkling of sexism and racism in this book, but compared to other early science fiction, it's refreshingly free of the worst of those tendencies. Highly recommended for fans of early sci-fi or those who like to see capitalism poke a little fun at itself.
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lovable) narrator, Mr. Bedford is a bankrupted businessman who rents a cottage in a small town to write a play and become wildly wealthy. No worries that he has never written a play before -- lack of confidence is not his problem. He runs into Mr. Cavor, an absent-minded scientist type who is at work to create Carvorite, a substance that will stop the force of gravity from acting on any object underneath it. While Cavor is only interested in scientific discovery and acclaim, Bedford sees dollar signs and throws in with Cavor on the creation of this amazing substance. Once discovered, the two come up with the idea of using it to travel to the moon in a sphere coated with Cavorite, controlling their passage by opening and closing shutters to alter the effect of gravity. Bedford has an eye on the profits of moon mining, Cavor seems to want to just see what will happen. At first, the moon seems frozen and barren, but as the two week long "day" starts to dawn, crazy short-lived plants begin to bloom around the sphere. The men find that they are able to breathe the atmosphere and that they have amazing strength on this low-gravity planet. Soon, however, they realize that they are not alone as they encounter a group of Selenites tending to a herd of mooncalves. The Selenites are human-like insects with hidden technological prowess in their complicated cities inside the moon surrounding a central sea in the middle of the planet.
During their explorations of the surface of the moon, Bedford and Cavor become hungry enough to eat some crazy mushrooms that have a drug-like effect and promptly lose sight of their life-giving sphere. Shortly afterward, they are captured by the Selenites. Because of their very different approaches (Bedford wants to kill the aliens, Cavor wants to communicate and learn from them), tension builds between the unlikely partners and things, ultimately, do not go very well, although they do get very exciting and interesting.
This is a great adventure story with some solid and imaginative science. Published in 1901, this draws on the theories of Tesla and a lot of conjecture to imagine what humans in space might look like. Bedford is a very flawed narrator, but has some awareness of his limitations, and it is easy to see Wells poking fun at the British Empire and capitalism in general. There is a sprinkling of sexism and racism in this book, but compared to other early science fiction, it's refreshingly free of the worst of those tendencies. Highly recommended for fans of early sci-fi or those who like to see capitalism poke a little fun at itself.
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LibraryThing member Magadri
Before I review this book I want to say two things: 1) I am new to the sci-fi genre, so I don't have a lot to compare this with, and 2) I do not really care about how scientifically accurate the facts are. That being said, I thought this was a really good book. It began a little slowly, but once it
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picked up, it was hard to put down. The book sort of felt like a social commentary, and I couldn't help but identify strongly with the Selenites and I was angered with the way the main character treated them. The ending couple of chapters are the best chapters of the whole book, and the last paragraph left me with chills. Also, the book was easy to read for someone not familiar with science; I did not feel lost at any point in the book, and science has always been a weaker subject for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member jonfaith
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
It should be noted that I was puzzled by the title, about the verb "in". Was this an Anglosim that had passed from favor? No, idiot, the majority of the novel occurs within the moon: its hollow and rife with Mooncalves, providers of sustaining protein. Wells was operating with only whiff of scientific modernity at his reach. Marconi and Tesla ruminate within these pages, but not much further. Gravity remains the concept with the most play in the novel. It creates a host of possibilities. What fires the whole operation as literature is the dynamic between the two human characters. It is a relationship needled with petulance and despair. The utility of the adventure is argued repeatedly.
It is rather bleak and often slow going, but worth the departure and the sage questions it raises.
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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 "in". Was this an Anglosim that had passed from favor? No, idiot, the majority of the novel occurs within the moon: its hollow and rife with Mooncalves, providers of sustaining protein. Wells was operating with only whiff of scientific modernity at his reach. Marconi and Tesla ruminate within these pages, but not much further. Gravity remains the concept with the most play in the novel. It creates a host of possibilities. What fires the whole operation as literature is the dynamic between the two human characters. It is a relationship needled with petulance and despair. The utility of the adventure is argued repeatedly.
It is rather bleak and often slow going, but worth the departure and the sage questions it raises.
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LibraryThing member amaraduende
This was decent, but it didn't hold me. I'm trying to give various classic scifi authors a try, though. Is there a Wells anyone recommends?
LibraryThing member soylentgreen23
Imagine the disappointment for those first astronaughts! No, the moon was not alive with vegetation, and strange little creatures curious and afraid of what the men brought, and what they wanted. No, there were no Klingons either. But what a shame!
Wells' novel has dated badly in some respects, with
Wells' novel has dated badly in some respects, with
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the Victorian 'science' it employs, and its crazy ideas about life on the moon. But it is intriguing, and the ending is one of the all-time great, moralistic endings. And what if Wells had actually been talking about Africa all along, as some have suggested? Would it be seen differently as a metaphor that way? Show Less
LibraryThing member john257hopper
Although I am a fan of H G Wells, I have to say I found this one very tedious and so dated that it was quite difficult to read (and I am no stranger to SF-related suspension of disbelief!). What dialogue there is is stilted and it only really came alive in the last dozen pages or so when the Grand
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Lunar compared the Earthling way of life to that of his Selenites. Disappointing. Show Less
LibraryThing member rakerman
I think what one can sometimes forget, when consider Wells only in light of his major classic SF works, is that he's more than some clever ideas (typically with bad movie adaptations).
Wells was not only a visionary genius, he was a very good writer as well. This book combines humour, flawed and
The book was published in 1901, yet its ideas about flaws of humans and our civilisations still ring true. As well, his ability to create plausible fictional science is quite extraordinary.
Wells was not only a visionary genius, he was a very good writer as well. This book combines humour, flawed and
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very human characters, disturbing and very alien characters, and incredible scientific insight and realism.The book was published in 1901, yet its ideas about flaws of humans and our civilisations still ring true. As well, his ability to create plausible fictional science is quite extraordinary.
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LibraryThing member andyray
This is not science fiction so much as fantasy. Even 100 years ago, Wells's contemporaries knew there was no atmosphere on the moon. To create a world within the planet is a fantastic idea, but there are so many holes in the idea that it smells like swiss cheese (which is what many alleged the moon
As far as a story, however, Wells does it again, keeping us entertained throughout and waiting to see what gems hius mind has in store for us.
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was made of for awhile). Cavorite, a substance named after its inventor Cavor, is something else. This is science of a sort. It may be possible to use anti-energy to rebel against gravitation, but if so, we haven't figured out how to harness it yet. We do know there is such a thing as anti-matter, and that may work against gravitation, but for one small problem, i.e., if we take one small bit of anti-matter and somehow manage to get it so it is exposed to any gravitational field within normal physics, a systemic sized explosion would occur, thereby wiping out all humanity, and, of course, the experiement. As far as a story, however, Wells does it again, keeping us entertained throughout and waiting to see what gems hius mind has in store for us.
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LibraryThing member Upatebo
Wonderful description of a possible future as seen from the turn of the 19th century. It is, as is often with science fiction, a reflection on the folly of mankind. How do we see ourselves, how do we describe the doings of the human race to a vastly more intelligent alien being? The population of
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the moon is not impressed! The story is a hundred years old, but the author has a real grasp of the scientific principles which, half a century later, were to guide the first real astronauts. Part of the charm of the book is the description of the meeting of the characters, the conception and construction of a 19th century space-craft in a back-yard in Kent, and the invention of the amazing motive power for it . We 21st century technocrats smile at the author's ideas for the equippage of this spacecraft, yet it all serves its purpose and we arrive on the moon. As the story unwinds, a fantastic new world is revealed, populated by even more fantastic beings. As the heroes explain themselves and their intrusion, the reader is led to see what folly is mankind and his doings on this planet., in a narative which, I stress, is over a hundred years old. The story ends with an escape to earth, or not, and is neatly rounded off by an unfortunate accident by a meddling boy. Show Less
LibraryThing member Pferdina
Fun story about two English men (one a brilliant but unknown scientist, the other an unlucky business man) who devise a spherical space ship and ride it to the moon. On the moon, they discover a race of intelligent beings, the Selenites, who capture them and take them into an underground world.
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Before much can happen, the non-scientist runs amok and escapes back to Earth in the ship, marooning the scientist for ever. Show Less
LibraryThing member melydia
As some have created barriers to heat or sound or water, so our heroes have created a barrier against gravity. This material, called Cavorite, it then used to create a spherical capsule to ferry them to the moon. There they find life, of course, because if they found what's really on the moon
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(i.e., nothing), we would have no story. The aliens were interesting enough, but what really fascinated me was the idea of the atmosphere freezing into snow at night, then thawing into thin-but-breathable air each day. I felt real suspense as the characters desperately searched for shelter as the deadly sunset approached. While Wells is most known for his visionary science fiction, what I love is the interaction between the two main characters, particularly Bedford's outrage at Cavor's absent-minded apathy. This short book may not be one of his more famous works, but I definitely enjoyed it. Show Less
LibraryThing member clark.hallman
In The First Men in the Moon, by H.G. Wells, a scientist named Cavor develops a substance named cavorite, which shields the force of gravity. He and a businessman friend, Bedford, construct a spherical structure using cavorite and travel to the Moon. They discover a Moon that has enough oxygen in
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its atmosphere for humans to breathe and a reduced gravity that enables them to travel quickly by taking extremely long jumps. They also discover an active biosphere with rapidly growing plants, and intelligent human-insect creatures called Selenites. The Selenites live inside the Moon, not on its surface. Cavor and Bedford are taken captive by the Selenites, but Bedford escapes from captivity and manages to fly the sphere back to Earth along with a quantity of gold that makes him a wealthy man. He tried to rescue Cavor before he left the moon, but could not find him. Instead he found a note from Cavor and some blood the made him believe Cavor was dead. However, it turns out that Cavor was not dead, and he eventually sends a series of radio messages to Earth, which are very descriptive of the Selenite society and life on the Moon. This is a classic work of science fiction and Wells includes very creative descriptions of the vessel that carries Cavor and Bedford to the Moon and brings Bedford back to Earth. He also provides detailed descriptions of the Moon and its environment. Wells created a very interesting habitat and society on the moon, which is remarkable for a book published in 1901. The last twenty-five percent of the book, consisting primarily of Cavor’s messages describing the moon and the Selenite physiology and society, was the most interesting part of the book for me. I would probably categorize this book as a fantasy because today’s scientific knowledge of the Moon negates most of Wells’ descriptions. However, it still conveys his amazing creativity and I’m glad I finally read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeathsMistress
I loved this book.
Its about two men who end up traveling to the moon in a glass sphere using Cavorite.
It's such a classic. Obviously we now know that none of the things that happened in the book can actually happen on the moon, but its still a great read. I really enjoyed the way the two main
Its about two men who end up traveling to the moon in a glass sphere using Cavorite.
It's such a classic. Obviously we now know that none of the things that happened in the book can actually happen on the moon, but its still a great read. I really enjoyed the way the two main
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characters interacted with each other and the strange insect moon people. The story was engrossing and I would definitely recommend it to others. Show Less
LibraryThing member nmele
Rereading H.G. Wells has been quite an experience. When I first read this one, I remember, I was most impressed by the adventure story. This time around, 45 years later, I was struck by Wells' humor. There were times I almost laughed out loud while reading, a reaction not to the pseudo-science but
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to Wells deft handling of social satire and irony. A very good read. Show Less
LibraryThing member GeraldLange
Wells takes a stab at Verne in this story when he states that, "[The scientist] was not a reader of fiction."
LibraryThing member jerhogan
A sort of Trip to the Moon meets First Contact story. Amazing to think it was written in 1901. It was probably hard SF of its day and even now sounds very plausible in its ideas except obviously for life on the moon.
LibraryThing member mbmackay
Very early sci-fi - reflecting the era & world-views of its times.
Read Dec 2006
Read Dec 2006
LibraryThing member pgiunta
Finding himself nearly bankrupt after a failed business venture, Mr. Bedford retreats to a cottage in the English coastal town of Lympne. There, he intends to write a play that he hopes to sell and thus, restore his financial position.
However, Bedford’s writing sessions are frequently interrupted
After a few incidents of this, Bedford decides to confront the man, who introduces himself as a scientist named Cavor. He is surprised to hear that he actually makes this bizarre buzzing noise as he walks and apologizes to Bedford. During their conversation, Cavor reveals that he is working on an experiment to create a gravity-defying material.
A few days later, during one of Cavor’s daily excursions, his home laboratory explodes, nearly leveling his house and damaging neighboring properties. Yet, rather than lamenting it as a disaster, Cavor realizes that he has found accidental success in the creation of Cavorite.
The two men then construct a massive glass sphere lined with Cavorite—leaving several openings for windows—and decide to literally float from the Earth’s surface to the moon. An airtight manhole cover becomes their airlock. Maneuvering is handled by the use of blinds covering the windows. Once in space, opening the blinds over a window facing Earth or the moon causes the sphere to succumb to the gravitational pull of one or the other body.
Their journey to Earth’s satellite proceeds without incident and eventually, Cavor and Bedford venture out onto the moon’s surface to find that while thin, the air is breathable. They encounter snow and a stunning variety of flora, some of which is edible, but with amusing side effects. During the day, the sun’s heat is nearly unbearable; even worse is the night’s insufferable cold.
Eventually, the two men encounter enormous animals they decide to call mooncalves, which are tended to by herdsmen that resemble bipedal insects with massive craniums. Cavor and Bedford refer to them as Selenites. Eventually, the two men from Earth reveal themselves to the Selenites. As a result, they are introduced to a diverse society thriving beneath the moon’s surface…
…but will the first contact between humans and Selenites end in amity or utter disaster?
The First Men in the Moon (notice it’s “in” not “on” the moon) was published in 1901. By then, scientific knowledge about space and the moon was fairly advanced—the fact that space is a vacuum, the fact that the moon and the Earth are comprised of the same elements, and the fact that the moon’s gravity is a fraction of Earth’s—but obviously there were many unknowns.
Thus, if you can ignore the fact that two chaps are bounding across the lunar surface clad only in tweed jackets and golf knickers, then you’ll probably enjoy this preposterous but fantastic adventure by the legendary H.G. Wells.
However, Bedford’s writing sessions are frequently interrupted
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by a peculiar and apparently self-absorbed little man whose daily perambulations bring him past Bedford’s window. This would not be a problem except that he utters a loud and vexing buzzing sound as he passes.After a few incidents of this, Bedford decides to confront the man, who introduces himself as a scientist named Cavor. He is surprised to hear that he actually makes this bizarre buzzing noise as he walks and apologizes to Bedford. During their conversation, Cavor reveals that he is working on an experiment to create a gravity-defying material.
A few days later, during one of Cavor’s daily excursions, his home laboratory explodes, nearly leveling his house and damaging neighboring properties. Yet, rather than lamenting it as a disaster, Cavor realizes that he has found accidental success in the creation of Cavorite.
The two men then construct a massive glass sphere lined with Cavorite—leaving several openings for windows—and decide to literally float from the Earth’s surface to the moon. An airtight manhole cover becomes their airlock. Maneuvering is handled by the use of blinds covering the windows. Once in space, opening the blinds over a window facing Earth or the moon causes the sphere to succumb to the gravitational pull of one or the other body.
Their journey to Earth’s satellite proceeds without incident and eventually, Cavor and Bedford venture out onto the moon’s surface to find that while thin, the air is breathable. They encounter snow and a stunning variety of flora, some of which is edible, but with amusing side effects. During the day, the sun’s heat is nearly unbearable; even worse is the night’s insufferable cold.
Eventually, the two men encounter enormous animals they decide to call mooncalves, which are tended to by herdsmen that resemble bipedal insects with massive craniums. Cavor and Bedford refer to them as Selenites. Eventually, the two men from Earth reveal themselves to the Selenites. As a result, they are introduced to a diverse society thriving beneath the moon’s surface…
…but will the first contact between humans and Selenites end in amity or utter disaster?
The First Men in the Moon (notice it’s “in” not “on” the moon) was published in 1901. By then, scientific knowledge about space and the moon was fairly advanced—the fact that space is a vacuum, the fact that the moon and the Earth are comprised of the same elements, and the fact that the moon’s gravity is a fraction of Earth’s—but obviously there were many unknowns.
Thus, if you can ignore the fact that two chaps are bounding across the lunar surface clad only in tweed jackets and golf knickers, then you’ll probably enjoy this preposterous but fantastic adventure by the legendary H.G. Wells.
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LibraryThing member ladycato
I don't believe I have ever read H.G. Wells work before, though I grew up with the original War of the Worlds movie on heavy replay. I think this is a case where I can say I read a classic work and I am grateful that it was a quick read. I found it curious how Wells got some details right, like the
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lack of gravity in space, even as his moon is populated by verdant flora during the daytime and subterranean bug-like aliens. The colonialism aspect of it all made me cringe but the ending was not unsatisfying in this regard. Show Less
LibraryThing member brakketh
Early science fiction novel that describes a trip to the moon. Surprisingly bleak in the end.
LibraryThing member JHemlock
Great story.....shows the predictable nature of man. Wonder what happened to the little boy who went off in the sphere? Wells is great about leaving his characters on the cusp and the ending the story so you can use your own imagination. Well ahead of his time.
LibraryThing member ikeman100
An interesting book full of great imagination. I'll never like Wells as much as Verne but he has his moments. One of the strangest choices for this novel is to make the protagonist such a selfish rat. Otherwise it is a pretty good read. My favorite is still "The Time Machine".
LibraryThing member DanielSTJ
A wide-reaching and highly entertaining read. Wells takes us along for a high-pitched sci-fi adventure from the Earth to the moon and keeps us thrilled along the ride. Although it is not a perfect novel, and is dated by today's science fiction standards, there is still much to like and admire here.
3.75 stars.
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For all those interested in classics, science fiction, and English literature you should check this out.3.75 stars.
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Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1901
Physical description
272 p.; 7.31 inches
ISBN
0192828282 / 9780192828286