5 h 33 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 33 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 136 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 136 pagesAbout this book
What happens when a man can escape every watching eye, but cannot escape himself?
In snowbound Iping, a stranger arrives wrapped in a heavy coat, gloves and dark glasses. Mrs. Hall gives him a room, but his secretive experiments and strange habits soon stir suspicion. In The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance, H. G. Wells turns a village mystery into a sharp collision between scientific ambition and ordinary life.
The stranger is Griffin, a gifted scientist who has made himself invisible but cannot reverse the change. He still needs money, shelter and human help. As frustration hardens into cruelty, his discovery becomes a threat to everyone around him. Wells moves between comedy and fear, asking what holds a person back when no one can see him act.
What you’ll discover
- A stranger behind bandages Enter an English village where a hidden face turns everyday curiosity into mounting dread.
- Power without restraint Follow Griffin as scientific brilliance collides with obsession, isolation and the hunger for control.
- Ordinary people under pressure Meet Mrs. Hall and Thomas Marvel as Griffin's demands pull them into his trouble.
- Comedy edged with fear Discover how village quarrels and small-town suspicion give way to a swift, unsettling chase.
- The cost of being unseen Explore the gap between escaping other people's eyes and living beyond any moral boundary.
Who will love it
For readers who love quick, clever stories with a strong idea at the centre, and anyone curious about the roots of modern science fiction. Its mix of comedy and fear explores scientific power, isolation and madness.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A bandaged stranger takes a room
- Strange habits turn a village against him
- The mask comes off and the chase begins
- A tramp becomes his unwilling partner
- A refuge in Burdock and a strange confession
- What the story means and how it is told
Who’s who
- GriffinA gifted scientist who has made himself invisible and now needs money, shelter and a way to use his power.
- Mrs. HallThe landlady of the Coach and Horses in Iping, who takes in the bandaged stranger and soon regrets it.
- Mr. HallMrs. Hall's husband, a plain innkeeper who gets caught up in the trouble caused by their strange guest.
- Thomas MarvelA talkative, shabby tramp who is frightened into serving the Invisible Man and wants only to get away.
- Dr. KempA scientist in Port Burdock and Griffin's former fellow student, who listens to his story.
- JaffersThe village constable of Iping, who is sent to deal with the stranger and learns what he is.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in, 206 pages: 10,95 USD when you start free, 17,95 USD on its own.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in, 206 pages: 18,95 USD when you start free, 24,95 USD on its own.
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The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance
by H. G. Wells · 1897
An invisible scientist hides in bandages in an English village, where his need for shelter pushes him into crime.
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In short
The Invisible Man is a short science fiction novel by H. G.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A bandaged stranger takes a room
The story begins in winter, with a stranger stepping off the train at Bramblehurst and walking through the snow to the village of Iping in Sussex. He carries a small bag and is wrapped in a heavy coat, gloves, a wide hat and dark glasses. His face is hidden by bandages and a napkin, with only a pink nose showing. He enters the Coach and Horses inn and demands a room and a fire.
The landlady, Mrs. Hall, sees a good paying guest and sets about making him comfortable. She expects an invalid with a story of a terrible accident. The stranger is curt and rude. He wants a private parlour, and he wants no one to disturb him. He keeps his coat on even indoors, and he will not take off his glasses or unwrap his face for anyone.
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What is The Invisible Man about?
It follows a scientist named Griffin, who has made himself invisible and arrives in an English village in disguise. As his secret spreads, his need for money and shelter pushes him into crime and conflict.
When was The Invisible Man written?
H. G. Wells published it in 1897. It first appeared in a magazine in instalments and then as a book. It is a work of fiction, though it uses real ideas about light and science.
Who is Griffin in The Invisible Man?
Griffin is the invisible man himself, a brilliant young researcher who studied medicine and then physics. He is secretive, proud and short-tempered, and he cares more about his work than about other people.
The author
H. G. Wells
1866–1946 · English science fiction novelist
H. G. Wells (1866–1946) was an English writer born in Bromley, Kent. He wrote novels, short stories and nonfiction. His novels included The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897) and The War of the Worlds (1898). He died in London.
More by H. G. Wells
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