Customer Reviews

Memoirs of an Invisible Man

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3 star:		(1)
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I hypothesize (with tongue firmly in cheek) that author H. F. Saint really *is* invisible, and the events recounted in Memoirs of an Invisible Man are to some extent autobiographical. As evidence, I offer the following facts. First, he has published nothing other than Memoirs, and it defies credibility to think that such a talented wordsmith would write but a single opus unless he had other problems... such as invisibility. And second, his descriptions of invisibility and the problems attendant thereto are so vivid and utterly believable that they can only have come from a man with firsthand experience.

Get this book. Do not begin reading it until you have several available hours, for you will not want to put it down. H. F. Saint sucks you into Nick Halloway's world from the intriguing beginning to the gripping and suspenseful action scenes to the well-written ending. The mediocre Chevy Chase vehicle that bore the name of this book shared little else in common with it and did not do it justice. This one is a rare treasure.

H. F. Saint is, in fact, not the pseudonym of another writer, but is a shortened version of the author's real name. I first spoke to Mr. Saint in 1990, while interest in MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN was still quite high in the media. I was working on an interview book with influential authors in the SF, Fantasy and Horror fields. At the time, he was quite accessible, and if you can believe it, was actually listed in his local telephone directory! My understanding from Mr. Saint was that the financial rewards from MEMOIRS were immediate and significant; taken utterly by surprise, Mr. Saint essentially took the money and ran. He no longer lives in his home state (as far as I know), and has relatively little interest in writing and publishing anything else. Like everyone else who's read his work, I too wish he would write another novel. But I doubt it's likely. I think he's in Europe or somewhere else equally exotic, enjoying his massive royalties and living off the principal of his reported multi-million dollar advance--a record at the time for a first novel. If you enjoyed MEMOIRS, a smaller novel which received far less acclaim, but is nearly as good, is JUMPERS by Steven Gould.

While living in Japan in the early 90's, I received this book from a friend, and read it numerous times during my 2 1/2 years there. As I haven't had the chance to read the book in recent years...can't dig one up in libraries or bookstores--though I live in Guam, which IS a little off the beaten path...I remember it as being very thought-provoking--most notably for its treatment of all the DIFFICULTIES, rather than on the ADVANTAGES that one would usually focus on. I was impressed with how the author dealt with the technical facets of the condition--for example, walking in the rain would create a "rain sillouette," and walking across any pliant surface would leave visible footprints. A little side note: visiting friends in Japan after a 5-year absence (while laboriously making my way to Guam) I went back to my squallid little apartment there for the SPECIFIC PURPOSE of trying to locate this book, which I'd inexplicably left behind. Good book, love to read it again.

Note: I made some immature Mormon angry because of my negative reviews of books out to prove the Book of Mormon, and that person has been slamming my reviews almost as fast as they are posted.

So your "helpful" vote is greatly appreciated. Thanks, and note that a
short review can be a good review if it prompts a person to read a good novel.

This was one of the most enjoyable stories I ever read. Set in modern times, there is an accident at a research facility, and one man becomes invisible.

The adventure starts there. It's too bad this author never wrote any other books, but this novel is a classic and a fun read. The man even finds a woman to love him.

The many dangers of being invisible were fascinating--like being accidentally hit by people or cars. And, of course, the government wouldn't let him live his life. They wanted to use him (make him a prisoner). He was too valuable. A great fantasy about a man being tracked down by the government.

I don't want to say too much and ruin the story, so just go it. Fantastic.

Also, don't miss the original "Invisible Man," by H.G. Wells.

I read this book when I was in my teens and re-read it again as an adult. If you, like myself have always wished to have that one super power of being invisible, you must read this book. I know, I know, you've seen a million movies on invisibility and there are multitudes of books with this as the adventure theme. But, my friends, this author really took the time to imagine what it would really be like to be invisible. His descriptions of that character being invisible in his environment are amazing. Definitely a fun adventure book! Whoever stole my original copy....I want it back! ;-)

Have you ever noticed how every bestseller seems to be about murder or sex... or both? This one breaks the mold. Saint tells us the story of man who becomes invisible and he is painstakingly careful to give us the details of how it happens and of the after effects. The joy of this book is that the illusion of believability is never broken.

Saint has considered every aspect of the invisible man's existence. How would he eat and remain invisible? How would he get money? Would the government take an interest in him and, if so, why? The story never lacks for suspense or humour either. In the end, you can't help feeling for our invisible hero.

Things start off a little slowly as we learn just how a man becomes invisible, but this early preparatory work helps to set the tone of plausability, so don't put the book away.

I won't tell you what happens, but suffice to say that you'll probably find out the answer on the same day you start the book. Unless you want to be reading all night, start this one at about noon!

Oh, by the way, they made a movie out of this one (...). That's all they had in common. Don't bother with the video!

He is in fact writing under his own name, not a pseudonym. He graduated from Haverford College in PA in the early 80's - I remember reading reviews of the book in the student newspaper (I went to Bryn Mawr College, nearby).

I have the hardback copy I bought when it was published; it's really about the only book I will not loan to anybody for any reason. Although I want to share it, it's so good that I don't want to be stuck without a copy!

Everyone else has already covered the ground of what an amazing, original, startlingly intelligent, engrossing novel this is, so I'll just say 'ditto'.

It's a shame he hasn't written another.

I cannot remember seeing a book which had as many as 48 Amazon reviews and every one was 5 stars! I am impressed by that, and I will not break the string. I found this book fascinating and found myself eager to get back to my reading of it. And I practically never read sci fi--if this is sci fi--but this is a winner. I don't think you will regret spending the time it takes to read it. I did not.

Because I generally select books based on at least two rave reviews, I read this book as soon as it hit the book stores almost 20 years ago. And I was thrilled to find it every bit as engrossing and entertaining as promised. The Invisible Man may be a shop-worn theme, but certainly not this invisible man nor this treatment of his life. As I read, I was continually mesmerized by the amount of thought that went into this book: what happens to the food he eats; how does he pick up objects with no relative depth perception. . . I just reread the book last week and was again affected by its magic. One of my favorite reads ever, and I'm an avid reader. What happened to Harry Saint? I heard an interview with him from, I believe, 1987 in which he said that he would be writing a new book -- nothing having to do with invisibility -- that would take place in New York. Please let us hear from you, Harry! Don't be put off by the abysmal, nay criminal treatment of your book in the horrid Chevy Chase movie. How could they! Hollywood is really missing the boat if they don't remake this movie with current technology, forgetting the neanderthal comedic bent of the first effort.

I have also been following all the hoopla over exactly who Mr. Saint "really" is. It now appears that all evidence suggests exactly what weas originally stated - this is a first time effort, he was not a professional writer and he does not wish to write any more books. The second fact is what really got to me. I am a voracious reader and the trash put out by so-called professional authors is unbelievable.

Everyone knows the story so we'll skip that. Needless to say the movie was a disaster with everyone in the theater laughing at every opportunity, not believing that Chevy Chase could play a serious part. The folks who produced this film knew exactly what they wanted, though, and besides (their thinking) who cares about the .05% of the audience that actually read the book? Stick to the text, avoid the "film" and have a good time.