Zealot Script

It was my first time in a very long time returning to anything by HG Wells and I’d forgotten quite how good a writer he was, which seems a silly thing to say about undoubtedly one of the most influential Science Fiction authors of all time, but it is my overriding impression after finishing my final read of 2024.

Wells’ tale of Griffin, one of the original mad scientists, is so well known in popular culture (and all culture) that I don’t feel I need to expound much on explaining the plot to you. Griffin turns himself invisible in an attempt to obtain an advantage over the rest of the human race, and immediately discovers it a drawback rather than a superpower. The rest of his story involves him attempting to reverse the effects, or at least to be able to enable them at will.

What is often missed in the popular understanding of the character of The Invisible Man himself is quite how despicable of a person he is. We are in an era of literature now where we expected flawed heroes, antiheroes and complex characters. Griffin is certainly compelling and beautifully written, but he’s far from having any redeeming qualities at all. He is driven by a need to demonstrate his own superiority over all others, and is completely contemptuous of any other people he comes across. Railing against the uneducated rural folk he finds himself in the midst of, and decrying any notion that they are worthy of consideration of people. His detachment leads him more desperately down the route of violence and ultimately to a violent and well deserved end.

The narrative constructions is itself also very interesting, partially a result of being serialised as many works were back in 1897. We are dropped in the middle of Griffin’s adventure and find out all the inciting events through Griffin himself launching into an enormous villain monologue/exposition dump before the final act. An overdone trope in the world of film, but we can’t blame Wells for others copying this long after it was written.

What I found most compelling was Wells’ writing style itself. Again most likely at least partially a result of the original medium of publication, but it was partially journalistic in style. Wells frequently addresses the reader directly, explaining at times such things as there being no witnesses to this part of Griffin’s adventures so he tell us with certainty what happened, but he could assume from later actions. It’s delightfully charming and really gives the impression of sitting round a fireside and being told the story in person. I could picture the high backed leather armchairs we were sitting in, but maybe that says more about me than the book.

In summary, an excellent read, engaging and holds up very well despite it’s age. There are points that age the book, a certain racial slur would not be included in a more recent publication but it is from the lips of the utterly deplorable protagonist. We’ve seen many takes on The Invisible Man in other media, including the recent 2020 film. If you have any interest at all exploring its origins, pick up the book.