Customer Reviews

The Time Machine and The Invisible Man

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

1 star for the edition, 5 stars for the stories = 3 stars.

Imagine that you are the typical Barnes and Noble customer. You like to walk in, grab a coffee, roam around for awhile, and look for good books and good deals. You wander up to the Barnes and Noble Classics section, and spot `The Time Machine' and `The Invisible Man', both by H.G. Wells, in one book for 5 bucks. "I've always wanted to read H.G. Wells," you think to yourself. You pay for it and head to a chair with your still warm coffee to sit down and do a little fun science fiction reading. As with all Barnes and Noble Classics, this one has an introduction by some supposed literary expert, so you start with that. This one is written by Alfred Adam, a comparative literature professor.

Soon you learn from Mr. Adam that his book is not science fiction, but instead is dark social commentary. Before you realize it, you're plunged into an analysis of Marxian thought tied up with Hegelian history and Well's own experiences in the late 19th century. Worse, before having even read either of the stories you know (for example, in The Time Machine) the central characters, the races of the future and how they relate to Well's view of the "loss of human consciousness," vital plot points no `introduction' should include, and an analysis of the ending! And the same occurs with his description of `The Invisible Man.' For example; on the last page of the introduction is an exact description of what happens to the invisible man at the end of the story. Before you even get to the stories, you find yourself already depressed at what Mr. Adams takes as Well's vision of the world, as well as having read plot spoilers and the endings to each story. Somehow un-fazed, you drive on.

So you begin to read the story. However, before you even get past the first sentence you begin to encounter bizarre footnotes. The same person who already ruined the stories for you has followed you into the stories themselves! And for whatever reason (my guess is that he is a little elitist), he seems to feel the need to translate words he doesn't think you'd understand. Vastly difficult words like `unhinged' and `saddle,' which he helpfully tells you mean `upset' and `bicycle seat.' You can't help but chuckle to yourself as you read these footnotes, yet you find yourself irritated at the fact that you were interrupted in order to find out the meaning of the verb `to dress' (`put on an evening dress, or tuxedo, for dinner.')

But the fun doesn't end there. There are endnotes as well! These mostly lack the comical nature of the footnotes (mostly; note 7 of chapter 1 of `The Time Machine' informs you that when the narrator spoke, and describes the sentence with "said I", that this is the narrator speaking and is therefore an objective viewpoint.)

You do manage to make it through `The Time Machine," as it is fairly short, though not without struggle. You fight off the urge to go put the book you bought back on the shelf, or better yet in the garbage, or better yet to go put all the remaining copies in the `humor' section. Instead, you cut your losses and walk out the door. As you do, you think to yourself, "Well, this edition took all the joy out of reading what should be an enjoyable story..."

In all seriousness, do not buy this edition. Yes, you get two H.G. Wells' stories in a compact book for $5, but there are much better editions out there for not much more. Or read it online. When I read older `classics,' I already have a good idea of what the book will be like, or about. Then I just want a cheap edition in which to read it. I very much enjoyed both `The Time Machine' and `The Invisible Man.' But the edition should allow me to read the stories without distraction, and the intro should be a little background on the author and the period in which it was written. This introduction was completely misplaced, and the footnotes were comical. Avoid this book; buy a different edition.

These stories have not lost a step in the 100+ years since they were written, and they capture the imagination as well as anything since captured on film or in print. The invisible man is a great villain- evil enough to disdain, complex and tortured enough to make you wonder if you should pity him as well. The Time Machine is brilliant all the way through, from its inception in the study of the Time Traveler's home to the end, when he travels millions of years in the future to scurry back to his machine at sight of a huge amorphous form in the distance. Wells' depiction of the distant future seems no less accurate- and is no less exciting- than any since described anywhere.

H. G. Wells is one of the earliest pioneers of Science-Fiction writings. In this book, two of his most classic stories are told. It makes one wonder how a man of the late 1800's could come up with ingenius ideas as time travel and invisibility. The Time Machine and The Invisible Man portray the imaginary strengths of H.G. Wells

The Time Machine is a story told by a time traveller to a group of local dignitaries. He tells about his trip to the year 802,701 A.D. and how the world has degressed slowly technologically and how humans evolve to two seperate species. One species is peaceful and kind earth-dwelling vegetarians, while the other species are nocturnal cave dwellers who happen to be cannibals. The time machine is stolen from the time traveller and he must find it to get back to his own world.

The Invisible Man accounts of a personal story of a man who comes upon the means to become invisible. After becoming invisible, he finds out that living in the world was going to be different. Read about how he finds shelter, clothing, and food. The Invisible Man goes into a mad-panic and starts murdering innocent people. Now the townspeople must fight back--if they can find him

I would say a pretty good book to read. In the begining I was a little confused on all the big words in the book but i still think that it was a good book because the author lets us discover what the words meant by context clues and such things. This story will captivate you once the Time Traveller goes into the future. However someone took his time machine once he got there.He meets a woman , Weena, who is an Eloi (a creature of the future). Together they have to be careful of the carnivorous Morlocks. Can their affection for one another save them? Will the Time Traveller ever find his time machine ? Read to find out. ;]

This great book contains two of Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) best known science fiction stories, The Time Machine and The Invisible Man. In The Time Machine, which was first published in 1895, a dinner party is disrupted when the host arrives all disheveled, and telling what he found when he ventured into the far future. In The Invisible Man, which was first published in 1897, when a strange, bandaged man moves into town, tongues begin to wag. But, when strange things begin to happen, the town soon finds itself facing a nightmare in the form of an invisible man.

These books are two crowning examples of nineteenth century fantastic fiction, and are more than just fun works of science fiction. H.G. Wells believed in teaching a lesson with his stories. The Time Machine is a work of social criticism, in which Wells projects a dystopian future where the haves and have-nots have become practically separate species. The Invisible Man, on the other hand, is something of a lesson about scientists playing God, and placing themselves above normal people

Overall, I found these two stories to not just be interesting historical documents that present the thinking in late-nineteenth century Britain, but also interesting stories. These two books are rightly considered two of H.G. Wells' best, so if you want to expose yourself to the rich and interesting works of his, then this is a great book to start with. I highly recommend this book to you!

Both the endnotes and the footnotes in The Time Machine contain spoilers for plot and character. The laughably uneven footnoting of terms that appear in any dictionary as well as only slightly archaic usage is bad enough, but to explain away hints and glimpses we're given by drawing attention to them and revealing their meaning prematurely is unacceptable.

Here you get a double dose of H.G. well's rare writing talent. The man who first thought up the time travel story and the invisible man one. I'm sure that all of you out there have seen a lot of time travel and invisible man movies but none of them compares with the wit and style that the father of that genre, h. g. wells, did. You must own this book! This double book is the best thing to read on those long trips. Although, I give you pre-warning, that the time machine is written straight from the an observer but the whole story is conveyed through him telling his tale. Likewise, The invisible man, in his story, has a dialogue that lasts for four or five chapters. But, other than all that, these stories are turly creative gems that you must dig up.

That these two novels were written over a hundred years ago makes them all the more amazing. HG Wells was the first person to pen the concept of time travel and imagine the complications the power of invisibility would bring. The writing in both of these novels is captivating (those who were first exposed to Wells in The War of the Worlds will most likely find these two more readable) and the story taut. Additionally, John Calvin Batchelor's introduction gives a necessary insight into the larger social implications of the book as well as some musings on what made these as popular as they were, and are. Wells' thoughts have been used as the basis for plays and movies for years; read these two books so you understand why.

One of the very first science fiction authors -- and the one with the biggest impact on sci-fi -- was undoubtedly H.G. Wells. And this collection brings together two of his timeless novels, "The Time Machine" and "The Invisible Man," both of which center on brilliant scientists whose experiments take them past everything we know.

"The Time Machine" concerns the Time Traveller, an English scientist who has built a machine capable of taking a person through time. So he goes to the year 802,701 A.D. and finds that civilization has fallen -- the human race has become the grotesque, apish Morlocks and the innocent, vague Eloi. And as he continues traveling into the future, it becomes bleaker.

"The Invisible Man" involves... well, an invisible man. A stranger covered entirely in clothes, goggles and bandages arrives in the village of Iping, and frightens the locals with his strange behavior. When the "invisible man" stumbles across the house of Dr. Kemp, he reveals his true identity and just how he became invisible...

A future "dying earth," time machines, strange elixirs and the archetypical "mad scientist" -- H.G. Wells came up with a lot of the ideas that are now pretty common in science fiction. Some of his ideas have been disproven (the whole invisibility potion), but that doesn't make his books any less groundbreaking.

Wells wrote in a staid 19th-century style, full of vivid descriptions ("The red eastern sky, the northward blackness, the salt Dead Sea, the stony beach crawling with these foul, slow-stirring monsters") and powerful emotions (the wild chase scenes in "The Invisible Man"). He also had a knack for inserting some really alien stuff into the stories, as well as some truly bleak depictions of what might come to pass.

And he wove in plenty of undeniable science -- bacteria, albinism, evolution and the life cycle of a planet, as well as the question of whether there was life on other worlds. I can only imagine how these books must have expanded the imaginations of the Victorians who read them.

Two of HG Wells' most famous works are brought together in "The Time Machine/The Invisible Man" -- bleak, brilliant sci-fi that needs to be read to be believed.

This book comprises two of HG Wells' most famous stories, both short, simple, yet undeniably high in quality. It doesn't take long to realize why Wells is among the most famous science fiction writers in history. Written in the late 1800s, both stories are so well done that they remain unaffected by the 100+ years that have since passed, which is remarkable when you consider they are both science based.

The time machine is my all-time favorite science fiction book. Writing about the future and maintaining long-term credibility is a daunting task evidenced by the number of grossly inaccurate books from even 30 years ago attempting to describe present time. Considering the rapid pace of technology and scientific discovery such an issue is fully understandable. This is perhaps what makes the Time Machine most remarkable, as Wells has taken to the task of dealing with a future 800,000 years ahead of our time. As hard as it is to imagine even a hundred years into the future, Wells maintains complete believability about a time so inconceivable, and yet also excels in his ability to incorporate ideas of social, technological, and human evolution. Without question the Time Machine deserves all its accolades; it is a true masterpiece.

The Invisible man depicts the story of a 19th century scientist who manages to find the secret of invisibility, an idea so intriguing near everyone has pondered the ramifications of such an idea at least once. Yet again Wells succeeds in the realm of science even having written the story well over 100 years ago. Consider that Wells lived in a time prior to the phone, plane, radio, TV, automobile, computer, x-ray, and a plethora of other present day common advancements; yet Wells has produced a scientific piece fully relevant by even today's standards. If he were to write this yesterday or in another 100 years, I expect it would be as believable as it was 100 years ago, an amazing feat. Part of the story's success is that Wells deals so well with the inner turmoil felt by the protagonist dealing with many of the unanticipated side effects of invisibility, making this book a winner both with its ideas and from its conflict.

That both books have stood the test of time so well is a testament to the outstanding quality of Wells' writing. If you have even a passing interest in science fiction, these works should be your first stop.