The First Men in the Moon by H G Wells

[Vertigo]

For me Wells’ books tend to fall into two broad categories; some, like The Time Machine or The Island of Dr Moreau, are fairly strident social commentaries - almost to the point of proselytising – whilst others, like The War of the Worlds or The Invisible Man, seem to be little more than great adventures. The First Men in the Moon begins in the latter and ends up firmly in the former.

The main protagonist and narrator, Bedford, is a rather unsavoury character who has just recently been made bankrupt and, not to put too fine a point on it, is on the lookout for any way to make a quick guinea or two. In contrast the eccentric scientist with whom he partners up is naïve and idealistic. Wells seems to present these two as the acceptable and unacceptable faces of humanity and, as the book progresses, the conflict between their two viewpoints takes on ever more emphasis.

The book also makes an interesting contrast to Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon which, written some thirty five years earlier and even referenced by Wells in this book, was (unsurprisingly) far less sound in its science and, frankly, nowhere near as good an adventure.

4/5 stars

 

[svalbard]

I loved the movie.

 

[Vertigo]

I loved the movie.

It's been a long time since I saw that one, but my vague memory of it suggests to me, now that I've read the book, that it was a pretty loose adaptation.

 

[svalbard]

Quite loose I believe. The movie was a firm favourite in my house growing up. Endless repeats on Sunday afternoons, Christmas time. It was one of those staples of TV back in the days of 2 Channel Land.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

is naïve and idealistic

Wells himself sometimes seems so to me.
I think though while initially supporting Stalin, he'd gone off him by 1935 or 1936. Though he starts as a Victorian author, he died in 1946 so knew the V2 which ultimately led to Saturn rocket which launched the Men to the Moon only 21 years after his death.
The first real liquid hydrogen / liquid oxygen rocket motors were tested in early 1930s.

He also wrote an SF anticipating Atomic bombs.

Politics (according to Wikipedia)
also in same article

He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1921, 1932, 1935, and 1946.

In Britain, Wells's work was a key model for the British "Scientific Romance", and other writers in that mode, such as Olaf Stapledon, J. D. Beresford, S. Fowler Wright, and Naomi Mitchison, all drew on Wells's example. Wells was also an important influence on British science fiction of the period after the Second World War, with Arthur C. Clarke and Brian Aldiss expressing strong admiration for Wells's work.

In the United States, Hugo Gernsback reprinted most of Wells's work in the pulp magazine Amazing Stories, regarding Wells's work as "texts of central importance to the self-conscious new genre". Later American writers such as Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert and Ursula K. Le Guin all recalled being influenced by Wells's work.

Wells also inspired writers of European speculative fiction such as Karel Čapek and Yevgeny Zamyatin.

 

[Vertigo]

Though this one was written in 1901 so a little bit before the era of rockets.

Re his politics I think they were pretty naïve though I think a lot of people in those days were so; the world was changing too fast for many peoples ideologies to keep up - not so different to today really. However in this book I don't think his overall view was quite so naïve as he did very much write the scientist as innocent to the real world and hence the naïve idealism and was presenting him rather as one extreme against Bedford's opposite one of greed. I felt he was more contrasting those two extremes and maybe suggesting what was needed was a middle road.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Though this one was written in 1901 so a little bit before the era of rockets.

Amazing though that Werner Von Braun was attempting to design a Mars mission only 30 years later. I wonder had he read Verne and Wells? Or even E.E. "Doc" Smith (the first Skylark, Skylark of Space was I think 1928)

I guess in a way socialism is still a bit pretty naïve, unrealistic. Still, I guess I'm some sort of socialist. The problem is people

 

[Vertigo]

I guess in a way socialism is still a bit pretty naïve, unrealistic. Still, I guess I'm some sort of socialist. The problem is people

Heh! That's almost exactly how I think. Socialism appeals to me even though I tend to look on it as being rather overly optimistic about human nature. But I still tend that way myself!

 

[Vladd67]

There was a good attempt to redo this for television.
The First Men in the Moon (TV Movie 2010) - IMDb

 

[psikeyhackr]

For me Wells’ books tend to fall into two broad categories; some, like The Time Machine or The Island of Dr Moreau, are fairly strident social commentaries - almost to the point of proselytising – whilst others, like The War of the Worlds or The Invisible Man, seem to be little more than great adventures.

War of the Worlds was social commentary. It was comparing the British Empire of 1900 to the Martians. We just don't think of the British Empire much anymore.

The history of the last 500 years has been a record of what people with technology can do to people without technology. Now the West has drones.

psik

 

[Vertigo]

There was a good attempt to redo this for television.
The First Men in the Moon (TV Movie 2010) - IMDb

Yes I'd forgotten about that one it wasn't too bad, still differed somewhat but at least they didn't feel the need to add a romantic interest!

War of the Worlds was social commentary. It was comparing the British Empire of 1900 to the Martians. We just don't think of the British Empire much anymore.

The history of the last 500 years has been a record of what people with technology can do to people without technology. Now the West has drones.

psik

I've never really thought of WotW as social commentary but I note that Wiki says: "The novel has been variously interpreted as a commentary on evolutionary theory, British imperialism, and generally Victorian superstitions, fears and prejudices." Which is, I suppose, true but I'd still say it is much less strident than what he has to say in The Time Machine and The Island of Dr Moreau and also less than in this book.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I've never really thought of WotW as social commentary but I note that Wiki says: "The novel has been variously interpreted as a commentary on evolutionary theory, British imperialism, and generally Victorian superstitions, fears and prejudices." Which is, I suppose, true but I'd still say it is much less strident than what he has to say in The Time Machine and The Island of Dr Moreau and also less than in this book.

Ever heard of the Maxim Gun and the First Battle of Matabele? What about Tasmania?

Battle of the Shangani - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tasmanian genocide

Many writers of science fiction get their ideas from history and repeat things that actually happened with aliens in roles played by various groups of humans in the past. But with technological upgrades. Pirate space ships. LOL

Space Viking, by Henry Beam Piper
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Space Viking, by H. Beam Piper.

psik

 

[Vertigo]

Yes I understand that but I'm still unsure that I would consider that social commentary.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Yes I understand that but I'm still unsure that I would consider that social commentary.

Imagine that you are a proud Englishman in 1898 and believe that your country is bringing civilization to the Wogs and some nincompoop is comparing you to repulsive Martians laying waste to human progress. LOL

psik

 

[Edward M. Grant]

Imagine that you are a proud Englishman in 1898 and believe that your country is bringing civilization to the Wogs and some nincompoop is comparing you to repulsive Martians laying waste to human progress. LOL

I don't think that was Wells' intention though; more just 'look, the British Empire thinks it's the biggest and bad-assest power on Earth, but there's always someone bigger with a badder ass'. And he was never one to oppose bringing civilization to the uncivilized (or at least, the English middle class). Just look at the Shape Of Things To Come, for example; particularly the movie, which I believe he was heavily involved with and wrote the original screenplay for.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I don't think that was Wells' intention though; more just 'look, the British Empire thinks it's the biggest and bad-assest power on Earth, but there's always someone bigger with a badder ass'. And he was never one to oppose bringing civilization to the uncivilized (or at least, the English middle class). Just look at the Shape Of Things To Come, for example; particularly the movie, which I believe he was heavily involved with and wrote the original screenplay for.

The Gutenberg link should not have a slash at the end.
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Anticipations, by H. G. Wells.

I have done a text to speech on that and am listening to it. Wells may have been ahead of his time so to speak but he was still affected by his time. Some stuff in the book could easily be called racist today.

psik