The First Men in the Moon

It's wild to experience what a writer living in Edwardian times — nearly 60 years before space travel — thought going to the moon might one day look like. I give Wells massive props for his imagination in getting his characters to the moon and his rich descriptions of the environment once they arrive.

Chapters 6-10 are exhilarating. When the characters board the sphere, I thought to myself: "I've never watched or read anything like this." I would recommend this section at least if you can't commit to the whole book.

Unfortunately, for me, the story drags on in the later chapters. I thought the narrator's final actions were dishonorable and sort of irredeemable — which is a choice, for sure, but it's not the one I wanted. The appendix section was also a slog to get through.

Elements that took me out of the story were the scientific explanations hand-waved by the narrator. Wells clearly knew a great deal about science, but I got the impression he used the narrator's lack of understanding as a crutch. I also caught myself questioning more than once: would a character in this scenario really be able to recall these details months later? Would they really be able to communicate such discoveries using morse code?

3.5 stars for an INCREDIBLE setup of a story decades ahead of its time, but with what felt like a disappointing follow-through. I still regard the opening act fondly, and I love how Wells gets his characters to the moon quickly and gives them a sandbox to play in. I also thoroughly enjoyed the discoveries made once on the moon — I had no idea what to expect! It was a fun ride, but the last half would probably keep me from reading it again.

The First Men in the Moon is a scientific romance by the English author H. G. Wells. First serialised in The Strand Magazine from December 1900 to August 1901 it was later published in hardcover. All in all it's a great swashbuckling adventure story. Of course, age has dated the science but it's still an entertaining blend of humour, danger and excitement. Bedford, our narrator, is an egotistical selfish cad: rather like Terry Thomas. His interplay with Cavor, a detached scientist, is always amusing.

Plot Summary
The narrator is a London businessman named Bedford who withdraws to the countryside to write a play, by which he hopes to alleviate his financial problems. Bedford rents a small countryside house in Lympne in Kent, where he wants to work in peace. He is bothered every afternoon, however, at precisely the same time, by a passer-by making odd noises. After two weeks Bedford accosts the man who proves to be a reclusive physicist named Mr. Cavor. Bedford befriends Cavor when he learns he is developing a new material, cavorite, which can negate the force of gravity.When a sheet of cavorite is prematurely processed, it makes the air above it weightless and shoots off into space. Bedford sees in the commercial production of cavorite a possible source of "wealth enough to work any sort of social revolution we fancied; we might own and order the whole world". Cavor hits upon the idea of a spherical spaceship made of "steel, lined with glass", and with sliding "windows or blinds" made of cavorite by which it can be steered, and persuades a reluctant Bedford to undertake a voyage to the Moon; Cavor is certain there is no life there. On the way to the Moon, they experience weightlessness, which Bedford finds "exceedingly restful". On the surface of the Moon the two men discover a desolate landscape, but as the Sun rises, the thin, frozen atmosphere vaporises and strange plants begin to grow with extraordinary rapidity. Bedford and Cavor leave the capsule, but in romping about get lost in the rapidly growing jungle. They hear for the first time a mysterious booming coming from beneath their feet. They encounter "great beasts", "monsters of mere fatness", that they dub "mooncalves", and five-foot-high "Selenites" tending them. At first they hide and crawl about, but growing hungry partake of some "monstrous coralline growths" of fungus that inebriate them. They wander drunkenly until they encounter a party of six extraterrestrials, who capture them. The insectoid lunar natives (referred to as "Selenites", after Selene, the moon goddess) are part of a complex and technologically sophisticated society that lives underground, but this is revealed only in radio communications received from Cavor after Bedford's return to Earth.Bedford and Cavor break out of captivity beneath the surface of the Moon and flee, killing several Selenites. In their flight they discover that gold is common on the Moon. In their attempt to find their way back to the surface and to their sphere, they come upon some Selenites carving up mooncalves but fight their way past. Back on the surface, they split up to search for their spaceship. Bedford finds it but returns to Earth without Cavor, who injured himself in a fall and was recaptured by the Selenites, as Bedford learns from a hastily scribbled note he left behind.By good fortune, the narrator lands in the sea off the coast of Britain, near the seaside town of Littlestone, not far from his point of departure. His fortune is made by some gold he brings back, but he loses the sphere when a curious boy named Tommy Simmons climbs into the unattended sphere and shoots off into space. Bedford writes and publishes his story in The Strand Magazine, then learns that "Mr. Julius Wendigee, a Dutch electrician, who has been experimenting with certain apparatus akin to the apparatus used by Mr. Tesla in America", has picked up fragments of radio communications from Cavor sent from inside the Moon. During a period of relative freedom Cavor has taught two Selenites English and learned much about lunar society.Cavor's account explains that Selenites exist in thousands of forms and find fulfilment in carrying out the specific social function for which they have been brought up: specialisation is the essence of Selenite society. "With knowledge the Selenites grew and changed; mankind stored their knowledge about them and remained brutes—equipped," remarks the Grand Lunar, when he finally meets Cavor and hears about life on Earth. Unfortunately, Cavor reveals humanity's propensity for war; the lunar leader and those listening to the interview are "stricken with amazement". Bedford infers that it is for this reason that Cavor has been prevented from further broadcasting to Earth. Cavor's transmissions are cut off as he is trying to describe how to make cavorite. His final fate is unknown, but Bedford is sure that "we shall never... receive another message from the moon".There are a few underlying themes relating to contemporary concerns.The ordered society of the Selenites is a system without individual freedoms and rights. The insectlike form of the lunar beings highlights this. It gives them a monstrous quality. Bedford fights against the system. But he chooses for his own selfish reasons to steal gold and come back for more. Cavor is fascinated by what he sees. Yet he is prepared only to observe, not to take part. Wells uses the term “citizens” for the Selenites. In reality they are conditioned from birth to perform their preassigned tasks. This is a nightmarish vision of economic conditions in a developed capitalist system. And Bedford typifies the acquisitive capitalist, who irresponsibly pursues gain.

A recommended early 20th Century fun schoolboy adventure.

“So utterly at variance is Destiny with all the little plans of men.”

What a fun trip this was! Reading the book at the dawn of the 20th century must have been even more exciting I guess. The book also served as inspiration for C. S. Lewis' science fiction books. And of course Cavorite, the name of the antigravity material used in the story, will later be borrowed for a myriad of works. ⠀
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This is the journey of two men, a scientist and a businessman, to the moon. They will discover that the moon is inhabited by an extraterrestrial civilisation, the “selenites”, whose society is based in specialisation. These insect-like beings come in different sizes and shapes and together they form an entomological nightmare that will haunt me until I kick the bucket. They live in an enormous system of caverns and, guess what, gold is the most common mineral.

To me, it's a criticism of the society of that time and the inescapable greed and violence of human nature. A satire, if you will. Even though it's dated and it's full of nonsense from a scientific point of view, it was a very enjoyable read for me. Sometimes I can't believe it was written 120 years ago.