Post by Morgan Sierra on May 17, 2011 21:53:51 GMT -6
The First Men in the Moon
Author: H.G. Wells
Published: 1901
Reviewed by Morgan Sierra
An eccentric inventor creates an amazing new substance called Cavorite, which blocks the effects of gravity and brings within reach what before had seemed forever beyond the grasp of humanity...The Moon.
Teaming up with an ambitious entrepreneur the two set of on a remarkable journey that soon finds them setting foot on the lunar surface. Instead of the barren, lifeless rock predicted by many scientists what they found was an habitable landscape flourishing with fantastic life forms, complete with giant fungus-like plants, moon-calves grazing in serene moon pastures, and strange humanoid calf-herders. Their journey later takes them inside the Moon itself to a hollowed-out subterranean world, illuminated with phosphorescent liquid and populated with a multitude of insect-like creatures busy with the hustle and bustle of industrialized Lunar life.
A series of adventures and altercations follows and the two are forced to attempt a daring escape...but not without consequences. In their haste to get away they are forced to leave behind the secret of space travel, and quite possibly all hope for the future...their own as well as the rest of mankind.
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The First Men in the Moon predated the the first man on the Moon by almost seven decades, and so it harkened back to a time when science-fiction writers were still able to use their imagination when talking about the Earth's nearest neighbor. At the time Wells wrote his book there was still speculation about whether or not the Moon might harbor life, what mysteries might exist on the "dark" side, or the side away from the Earth, and what exactly the Moon was made of. (Suggestions on that last question ranged anywhere from pure gold to green cheese)
The author used his imagination to great effect to produce a fictional lunar world that fit in with the meager knowledge available at that time. For instance, Wells postulated that since the lunar day and night each lasted for 14 days that plant life would have to grow very quickly in order to take advantage of the short growing cycle. He also speculated that since the temperature dropped to well below freezing during the night that any civilized species would have to make their home within the Moon's interior.
In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of Wells' description of the Moon's fictional inhabitants was the structure of their society, which seemed to be based loosely on the principles of Communism. This was a popular theoretical topic at that time, predating the Communist takeover of Russia by less than a decade. In the Selenite's (Moon-people) society everybody works for the greater good of the community while being ruled over by a supremely powerful authoritarian ruler. Each member of the Moon's society is specifically bred for a purpose. For instance, manual laborers are made physically strong while being denied an education so they will follow orders without question, thinkers and scientists are encased in jars as infants so that their bodies atrophy while their mental powers are enhanced. Each individual is chosen from birth to perform a specific task and they are shaped and molded to fill that one position with no freedom of choice at all. This is basically what communism ends up being like.
I've discovered that H.G. Wells has a tendency to incorporate a lot of social theory into his books. They end up being essays in social studies and political science as well as science fiction novels. Whether or not that is a good thing is up to the reader to decide. I personally don't think that it takes away from the story in The First Men in the Moon.
Overall I thought this was an interesting book. I could not really relate to the characters, and the technology was totally outdated but the story was still entertaining. If you can find a copy you might consider adding it to your library.
Author: H.G. Wells
Published: 1901
Reviewed by Morgan Sierra
An eccentric inventor creates an amazing new substance called Cavorite, which blocks the effects of gravity and brings within reach what before had seemed forever beyond the grasp of humanity...The Moon.
Teaming up with an ambitious entrepreneur the two set of on a remarkable journey that soon finds them setting foot on the lunar surface. Instead of the barren, lifeless rock predicted by many scientists what they found was an habitable landscape flourishing with fantastic life forms, complete with giant fungus-like plants, moon-calves grazing in serene moon pastures, and strange humanoid calf-herders. Their journey later takes them inside the Moon itself to a hollowed-out subterranean world, illuminated with phosphorescent liquid and populated with a multitude of insect-like creatures busy with the hustle and bustle of industrialized Lunar life.
A series of adventures and altercations follows and the two are forced to attempt a daring escape...but not without consequences. In their haste to get away they are forced to leave behind the secret of space travel, and quite possibly all hope for the future...their own as well as the rest of mankind.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The First Men in the Moon predated the the first man on the Moon by almost seven decades, and so it harkened back to a time when science-fiction writers were still able to use their imagination when talking about the Earth's nearest neighbor. At the time Wells wrote his book there was still speculation about whether or not the Moon might harbor life, what mysteries might exist on the "dark" side, or the side away from the Earth, and what exactly the Moon was made of. (Suggestions on that last question ranged anywhere from pure gold to green cheese)
The author used his imagination to great effect to produce a fictional lunar world that fit in with the meager knowledge available at that time. For instance, Wells postulated that since the lunar day and night each lasted for 14 days that plant life would have to grow very quickly in order to take advantage of the short growing cycle. He also speculated that since the temperature dropped to well below freezing during the night that any civilized species would have to make their home within the Moon's interior.
In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of Wells' description of the Moon's fictional inhabitants was the structure of their society, which seemed to be based loosely on the principles of Communism. This was a popular theoretical topic at that time, predating the Communist takeover of Russia by less than a decade. In the Selenite's (Moon-people) society everybody works for the greater good of the community while being ruled over by a supremely powerful authoritarian ruler. Each member of the Moon's society is specifically bred for a purpose. For instance, manual laborers are made physically strong while being denied an education so they will follow orders without question, thinkers and scientists are encased in jars as infants so that their bodies atrophy while their mental powers are enhanced. Each individual is chosen from birth to perform a specific task and they are shaped and molded to fill that one position with no freedom of choice at all. This is basically what communism ends up being like.
I've discovered that H.G. Wells has a tendency to incorporate a lot of social theory into his books. They end up being essays in social studies and political science as well as science fiction novels. Whether or not that is a good thing is up to the reader to decide. I personally don't think that it takes away from the story in The First Men in the Moon.
Overall I thought this was an interesting book. I could not really relate to the characters, and the technology was totally outdated but the story was still entertaining. If you can find a copy you might consider adding it to your library.