The Invisible Man

I was surprised by the direction that Wells took this story. Before reading, I had assumed that the majority of the narrative would be a slow, suspenseful investigation into the mystery surrounding the backstory of the invisible man. However most of the backstory of the invisible man was revealed early in the introduction, and in true “Wellsian fashion”, the rest of the narrative was focused around the power that being invisible would bring to man, and how the mad scientist archetype could abuse this fantastic power.

It was definitely written for its own time. Being invisible isn’t something that many would seriously think of as a superpower, especially once you consider the specific circumstances that would be required for that power to be used. There are other, wilder science fiction scenarios that can yield great power, but there’s something down-to-earth about an invisible man. What I mean to say is that it’s a very human fear to wonder about an invisible evil-doer, but in the end it’s not the worst sci-fi disaster that could happen. I do recommend this read, especially if you enjoy the “absolute power corrupts absolutely” narrative.