242. Tono-Bungay

Tono-Bungay
H.G. Wells
1909
Around 350 pages

This is the final H.G. Wells novel on the List, and while the man spins a good tale, he has perhaps overstayed his welcome here. It's hard to justify giving the white British male writers five (or more) novels apiece at the expense of so many other great books and authors.

Tono-Bungay is narrated by George Ponderevo, who is basically a stand in for Wells.  George is persuaded by his uncle to sell Tono-Bungay, a patent medicine that apparently helps with liver issues. George also narrates his various romantic misadventures, including when he cheats on his wife and feels absolutely no remorse or responsibility about it. Autobiographical indeed.

I feel like writers can't resist putting themselves into their work, and the results are generally pretty interesting/delusional. Here it falls more on the interesting side, and I enjoyed some of his commentary on consumerism and the class shifts going on in England at the time. On the other hand, this is a quote from one of Wells' female characters: "Women are such things of mood... We say ‘No’ when we mean ‘Yes’—and fly into crises." Oh, kindly fuck off already.

Speaking of Wells fucking off, it's time for our official Wells' novels ranking, since we are packing it in.

1. The Time Machine
2. The Island of Dr. Moreau
3. The War of the Worlds
4. Tono-Bungay
5. The Invisible Man

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

H.G. Wells considered this his finest novel.

Wells hooked up with Maxim Gorky's mistress. I know that is not particularly relevant to the novel, but it was tea I felt compelled to spill.

UP NEXT: A Room With a View by E.M. Forster

212. The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds
H.G. Wells
1898
Around 250 pages

I didn't have much to say about the last Wells novel on the List. Obviously the premises are ridiculous, but they are a lot of fun so who cares. It will be awhile before we get another Wells novel on the List and I will miss these somewhat silly interruptions.

Earth is being invaded by Martians. For a full summary, see the published works of Mr. Tom Cruise and Ms. Dakota Fanning.

So once again a fun premise, with somewhat clumsy execution. I never feel like Wells does romance very well.  The women are always just inaccessible things in the background written to give the main male character some sort of purpose. I think Wells even forgot about the female character halfway through this one, that's how insignificant she was.

For the most part, he is a sound storyteller and is good at tapping into the little boy in all of us, if I can say that without being creepy.

RATING: ***-

Interesting Facts:

Adapted in a 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles, although the accounts of people panicking and taking it seriously were greatly exaggerated.

Part of the invasion genre, which was popular at the time. I wonder why...

UP NEXT: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Actually enjoyed this Henry James, which is a refreshing change of pace.

210. The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man
H.G. Wells
1897
Around 120 pages

Wells isn't the first author to come up with the "mad scientist's experiment goes horribly wrong" story. Nor is he the best by any means. Still, he is a fun diversion from some of the tougher works on the List. And we've got a prose poem coming soon, so buckle up.

A stranger has a hard time keeping his invisibility under wraps (New Years Resolution for 2020: use less puns that alienate me from my peers). Basically, you'll understand what happens if you've read Plato's Republic, or much more importantly, seen the Buffy episode "Out of Mind, Out of Sight."

I don't have much to say about this one. It was a fun little story that I don't think had anything too profound to say, but not every novel does, or even needs to. I don't mean to sound condescending, this List just spoils you a bit. So the Veruca Salt in me wants to say, "that's it?"

But the Charlie Bucket in me had a fun time chilling with his grandpa.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Inspired by Plato's Republic.

UP NEXT: Fruits of the Earth by Andre Gide.

206. The Island of Dr. Moreau

The Island of Dr. Moreau
H.G. Wells
1896
Around 200 pages

Happy October!

I always aim to read spooky novels during this month, because dammit, I love themes. Last year was The Island of Dr. Moreau, Misery (which isn't on the List even though it was a lot better than The Shining), The House of Leaves, and The Wasp Factory. The Island of Dr. Moreau wasn't scary, but it did teach me what the word "vivisection" meant.

Edward Prendick survives a shipwreck in the Pacific. He is rescued by a man named Montgomery, who is accompanied by a beastly servant. Montgomery takes pity on Prendick and allows him to stay on the Dr. Moreau's island. Some weird shit starts going down.

H.G. Wells is pretty gimmicky in his writing, but I happen to like gimmicky, at least when it comes to science fiction. I also found Edward to be a much more sympathetic character than the Time Traveler in the previous Wells book, maybe because Edward actually had a name. Also I am a sucker for a man trying to prevent cruelty to animals (remember Jude Fawley ladies?).

I don't think there would be a Jurassic Park without this novel. Can you even imagine such a world??

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Wells later argued in an essay that what was depicted in the story could actually happen. Scientists have since proved, of course, that nothing in the story is possible, because science.

UP NEXT: Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz. Has helped me out in alphabet games of the past, but I've never actually read it.

205. The Time Machine

The Time Machine
H.G. Wells
1895
Around 100 pages

I know I can't be the best judge for what qualifies as a "fun" read, as I observed firsthand the look of horror my sister gave me when I pulled out my vacation read for our Florida trip (Their Eyes Were Watching God, which was much more geographically relevant than her Sue Grafton novel). But I think most people could come to a consensus that this is a fun read.

A Victorian English scientist and gentleman is successful in building a time machine. So naturally, he hosts a dinner party. He decides to test his machine and winds up in 802,701 CE. He meets the Eloi, and at first thinks he has stumbled upon a blissful carefree society. It wouldn't be any fun if he was right.

It seems like only socialists are interested in writing science fiction during this time. But Wells, unlike William Morris for example, is actually a great storyteller. Yes, there is an agenda here, but there is also an exciting tale that was more reminiscent of Haggard's King Solomon's Mines than Butler's Erewhon.

Short and sweet. We could always use more of that around here.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Wells coined the phrase "time machine."

The word "Eloi" comes from the Hebrew plural for Elohim, meaning lesser gods.

Clip from the 2002 movie:

UP NEXT: The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. Already read, so you won't have to wait long for another review.