La confrontación entre la fantasía de Wells y la realidad actual, es obvia. El hombre ha conquistado la Luna y conoce sus posibilidades, cuando menos a primera vista. Sin embargo, hallamos en la obra de H. G. Wells, autor de formación liberal y romántica imaginación, un encanto dificil de superar. Constituye un alarde de audacia en la época en que fue escrita. Tiene algo de las utopías sociales, que suscitaron en su momento violentas polémicas, y mucho de anticipación científica en un sentido que va más allá de lo estrictamente técnico, al poner de relieve las posibilidades de un Universo relativo, asombroso e incoquistado.

While i admit 'War of the Worlds' is probably Well's best. This is my favorite of his stories that i've read so far. The only downside is that after what seems like a fitting climax there are still a few chapters to go. But if i just keep thinking 'Epilogue' in my head i can still enjoy them :) . ( )

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One of H.G. Wells' famous novels which I had somehow never read before. There are several interesting points to it.

First, the narrator, Bedford, is thoroughly imperialist and sees the Moon as a new Africa to exploit (and get his name all over it). But he's also clearly a very unpleasant chap, and I don't think it's too much to see Wells mocking imperialism as simply answering the wrong questions, once Bedford and Cavor get to the Moon and discover that it just doesn't really compute.

Second, Cavor is a classic absent-minded scientist, but a rather early example of the type. He is exploited by Bedford and then by the Selenites, having made a great discovery and then not really applied it very practically.

Third, the moon itself is a bit of a disappointment for today's reader; I think Wells was trying for somewhere between alien and incomprehensible, but to be honest it ends up as the prototype of a pulp alien planet (with a bit of preaching about the perfect society). No doubt it seemed fresher to readers in 1901. He would have known perfectly well that the Moon has no atmosphere.

Fourth, Wells is rather disappointing in the way he often reaches for comic yokels - Cavor's assistants in the early chapters, who are seriously injured in an explosion, and the boy who is carried away by the capsule at the end, are simply played for laughs; no empathy is expected of the reader.

Fifth, there are a couple of lovely set-pieces - the initial introduction of the town of Lympne, and the chapter "Mr Bedford in Infinite Space" - which have Wells at his best in terms of vivid writing. ( )

A wide-reaching and highly entertaining read. Wells takes us along for a high-pitched sci-fi adventure from the Earth to the moon and keeps us thrilled along the ride. Although it is not a perfect novel, and is dated by today's science fiction standards, there is still much to like and admire here. For all those interested in classics, science fiction, and English literature you should check this out.

3.75 stars. ( )

This lesser-known work by the author of War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, and The Time Machine is a charming exploration of turn-of-the-century capitalism, British imperialism, scientific curiosity, and some pretty wild ideas about what is happening on/in the moon. Our unreliable (but weirdly lovable) narrator, Mr. Bedford is a bankrupted businessman who rents a cottage in a small town to write a play and become wildly wealthy. No worries that he has never written a play before -- lack of confidence is not his problem. He runs into Mr. Cavor, an absent-minded scientist type who is at work to create Carvorite, a substance that will stop the force of gravity from acting on any object underneath it. While Cavor is only interested in scientific discovery and acclaim, Bedford sees dollar signs and throws in with Cavor on the creation of this amazing substance.

Once discovered, the two come up with the idea of using it to travel to the moon in a sphere coated with Cavorite, controlling their passage by opening and closing shutters to alter the effect of gravity. Bedford has an eye on the profits of moon mining, Cavor seems to want to just see what will happen. At first, the moon seems frozen and barren, but as the two week long "day" starts to dawn, crazy short-lived plants begin to bloom around the sphere. The men find that they are able to breathe the atmosphere and that they have amazing strength on this low-gravity planet. Soon, however, they realize that they are not alone as they encounter a group of Selenites tending to a herd of mooncalves. The Selenites are human-like insects with hidden technological prowess in their complicated cities inside the moon surrounding a central sea in the middle of the planet.

During their explorations of the surface of the moon, Bedford and Cavor become hungry enough to eat some crazy mushrooms that have a drug-like effect and promptly lose sight of their life-giving sphere. Shortly afterward, they are captured by the Selenites. Because of their very different approaches (Bedford wants to kill the aliens, Cavor wants to communicate and learn from them), tension builds between the unlikely partners and things, ultimately, do not go very well, although they do get very exciting and interesting.

This is a great adventure story with some solid and imaginative science. Published in 1901, this draws on the theories of Tesla and a lot of conjecture to imagine what humans in space might look like. Bedford is a very flawed narrator, but has some awareness of his limitations, and it is easy to see Wells poking fun at the British Empire and capitalism in general. There is a sprinkling of sexism and racism in this book, but compared to other early science fiction, it's refreshingly free of the worst of those tendencies. Highly recommended for fans of early sci-fi or those who like to see capitalism poke a little fun at itself. ( )