The Invisible Man - Final Review

I finished H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man just now. I was planning on going to sleep, but much to my surprise, the suspense and action that ended the novel kept me reading beyond my scheduled sleep time.

Plot: Short - the elapsed time in this novel was only a few days or a week as far as I can tell. But the story was engaging, unpredictable, and didn't leave many, if any, gaps in explanation. For me though, it was not ENTIRELY satisfying. 8/10

Style: As I mentioned in an earlier post, it was easier to read than I had expected, being written in 1897. There were still some areas of difficulty, but I will chock that up to differing cultures and my own unfamiliarity with this style. I did appreciate how Wells would move the story along at a brisk pace, then throw in a teaser/flashback to keep me on my toes. 7/10

Re-readability: Because of the suspense and depth of story, I believe that I could read this again and appreciate it further. Although it is rather short. (The re-readability rating will not be a 0-10 scale, but will instead get one of these ratings: constantly, frequently, occasionally, once in a blue moon, never again.) Re-readability - occasionally.

And now for some newer rating criteria:
Hottness of the main character(s): The Invisible Man is...well...invisible. And in order to maintain that quality, must run around naked all the time. Which I suppose for some, would help his case. But that's just gross. He is in his early thirties, but he's pretty much a jerk [SPOILER ALERT!] who decides that the only worthwhile thing he can do with his invisibility is to institute a Reign of Terror and try to rule the world. Or country. Or whatever. And he's really not afraid to kill people. 0/10

The character I would most like to be: I would have to go with Doctor Kemp. [THE REST OF THIS SECTION IS PURE SPOILER! MAJOR ONES!] He is smart enough to outwit and eventually bring down The Invisible Man, but maintains compassion for him, even to the end. When The Invisible Man dies. All the way dead. Hey, I warned you!

(Stay tuned for further interesting rating criteria, and feel free to submit ideas.)

Final Decision: Shelf It.

Criteria (and other things)

I was thinking about this yesterday and wanted to put it down before I forgot it. I will give ratings on these criteria:

Plot: ?/10
Style: ?/10
Re-readability: ?/10
Overall: Shelf it/Sell it

Thoughts?

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The Invisible Man - part 1

I have read the first 7 chapters of The Invisible Man (H.G. Wells), but his chapters are short, so we're looking at about 40 pages. I must say, I am quite enjoying it. A note about me: I am a far cry from a literature snob. If I have to work too hard to figure out what is being said, it tires me out and I don't like it. This is the reason I do not read Shakespeare for fun. :) I'd rather read something with a story I can engage in. Wells has been, so far, really fun to read. It was written in 1897, so I was curious about the language and vocabulary, but I have had very little difficulty - just enough to slow me down and help me to really enjoy the details (much like Pride and Prejudice, even on multiple readings).

Plans

So there's this sweet used bookstore by my parents' house. I went there last week and bought the following:

The Invisible Man - H.G. Wells
The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
The Pearl - John Steinbeck
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

And I paid $10.92. What a deal! Here are a few that I want to read as well:

Emma - Jane Austen
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
The Pickwick Papers - Charles Dickens
Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor - Richard Doddridge
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
The Vicar of Wakefield - Oliver Goldsmith
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
1984 - George Orwell
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace

And depending on my enjoyment of the Steinbeck currently in my collection:
Winter of Our Discontent
Cannery Row
Sweet Thursday
East of Eden

Please leave me other suggestions!

Entry 1

This is a test. Actually, this whole blog is really a test. To see if I can remember to stay with it.

Currently Reading: The Invisible Man - H.G. Wells

PS I must give a shout-out to my friend Dano, whose list of 100 books he wants to read inspired me to attempt a smaller version of the same thing.