SCPL Teens discussion

What begins as a businessman’s doomed attempt to solve his financial troubles by taking up playwriting spirals into an early 20th century impromptu mission to the moon through the narrative power of encountering a strange man making strange noises. The man described, a Mr. Cavor, turns out to be an eccentric physicist, and convinces the financially-minded businessman, Mr. Bedford, to embark with him upon a journey to fulfill one of humanity’s oldest dreams—to visit the lunar surface. Despite Cavor’s assurances that the moon is certainly devoid of life, neither man is at all prepared for what they find, and soon become engaged in a desperate struggle for escape.

As is usual for his works, H.G. Wells’ science fiction about space travel was groundbreaking and fantastical in a world where the Wright brothers had not yet completed their first flight. Not only did it become assimilated into classic, but it also formed the foundation of a continually popular sub-genre of science fiction, and many elements of it persist into the modern day. Standing alone and apart from these achievements, it is not difficult to see why; Wells vividly presents the alien landscape of the moon, the eccentric characters, and ultimately the forces of chance and inhuman reason which bring about the work’s conclusion. Although seemingly less individually focused than many of his other science fiction works, The First Men in the Moon instead provides a reflection on the state of broader human society, with all its greed and violence, but this takes something of a backseat to the fantastical tale itself. Rating: 4 stars.