Product Description

'As we saw it first it was the wildest and most desolate of scenes. We were in an enormous amphitheatre, a vast circular plain, the floor of the giant crater. Its cliff-like wall closed us in on every side...' Thanks to the discovery of an anti-gravity metal, Cavorite, two Victorian Englishman decide to tackle the most prestigious goal - space travel. They construct a sphere that will ultimately take them to the moon. On landing, they encounter what seems like an utterly barren landscape but they soon find signs that the planet was once very much alive. Then they hear curious hammering sounds from beneath the surface, and come face to face with the Selenites, a race of insect-like aliens living in a rigidly organised hive society.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #942364 in Books
• Published on: 1993-12-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 201 pages

About the Author
HG Wells was born in Bromley, Kent in 1866. After working as a draper's apprentice and pupil-teacher, he won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in 1884, studying under T H Huxley. He was awarded a first-class honours degree in biology and resumed teaching but had to retire after a kick from an ill-natured pupil afflicted his kidneys. He worked in poverty in London as a crammer while experimenting in journalism and stories. It was with The Time Machine (1895) that he had his real breakthrough.

Customer Reviews

A fun read, and a fascinating sci-fi book
When the young and penniless Mr. Bedford meets an eccentric scientist, Mr. Cavor, who doesn't realize the importance of his own inventions, it seems most fortuitous. Of greatest interest is Cavor's realization that he can create a substance that shields against gravity. Together, they come to the conclusion that, with this new substance, they can make ships to take them to other planets within the solar system. And so, with Cavor dreaming of scientific breakthroughs and Bedford dreaming of wealth, the two build such a ship, and set off for the Moon.

Arriving at the Moon, the two quickly realize what a strange and amazing place it is. During the lunar day, there is a breathable atmosphere on the surface of the Moon, and their investigations soon demonstrate that the Moon is inhabited by a race of intelligent beings. An insectoid race, the Selenites (or "Moonies" as Cavor whimsically dubs them) have a highly-organized caste system much like terrestrial ants. Can our heroes escape from the Selenites and return to Earth? And, what are the long-term affects of this new meeting of societies going to be?

H.G. Wells (1866-1946) is often remembered for his late-nineteenth century science-fiction, including The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds. This book was first published in 1900, and shows a different side of Wells. Whereas his earlier book were rather preachy, this book is more light-hearted, telling a cracking good story for its own enjoyment, rather than being a vehicle to teach a lesson.

Yep, this is a fun read, and a fascinating sci-fi book. As might be expected from such an old book, the "science" that Wells used is extremely out of date. But, if you are willing to practice a little suspension of disbelief, you will be treated to an excellent story. The story hangs together well with then current science, and shows you science-fiction from an entirely different angle. I really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it to you.

Sadly NOT one of his best Sci-fi novels
Oh dear... this is NOT one of H G Wells' best novels by a long way. Was he clever and ahead of his time to guess of man's travels to the moon? Yes. But this is no "War of the Worlds" or "The Time Machine" or even "The history of Mr Polly".

Whereas these titles are fine novels in their own right, "The First Men in the Moon", in my humble opinion is a big flop. It is quite poorly written, childish and deadly dull, even laughable in the end. How the scientist on the moon can send such descriptive messages like he does near the end of the book is quite absurd.

Unlike these other fine novels which kept you page-turning with wonder, I couldn't wait for this one to finish. It's not quite as horrendously bad as Wells' "Food of the Gods" or "The island of Dr Moreau" but it shows that his writing was often either genius or laughable. This definitely comes, for me, into the latter category!

A fantastic piece of Sci-Fi...
What can I say? This is a sci-fi masterpiece, pure and simple. Someone commented when they saw I was reading 'The First Men in the Moon': "What is the point in reading that now, after 1969?" or words to that affect. Completely unperturbed, I finished it and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Even though man has been to the moon, and indeed we plan to go back (and about time, too!), there is plenty of reasons to read this classic and contemplate its content. For example, although it has been proven that the moon is a dead world, this novel could very easily apply to another world - one beyond our solar system. Plus, what would it mean for space travel if an anti-gravity substance like Cavorite were developed? Read it, and draw your own conclusions.