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.
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I like your new rating criteria. I think that character appeal/hotness is important when it comes to the re-readility factor. :)
ReplyDeleteErin. You are so cool and this blog is cool.
Wasnt there a movie with Sean Bean about an invisible guy? Do you know about any relatively recent movies based on the book? Why does it always come down to Sean Bean?
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