The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells

Written nearly seven decades before Neil Armstrong's historic “Giant leap for Mankind” this book by one of the most influential sci-fi writers in English is an interesting read.

The First Men in the Moon by Herbert George Wells, the English author who is today called the Father of Science Fiction, describes a strange and fantastic voyage. Businessman and budding playwright, John Bedford takes a sabbatical from his work and decides to write a play. He moves to a lonely cottage in Kent where he hopes to come up with a theatrical masterpiece. However, strange events interrupt his progress. A mysterious stranger accosts him and insists on sharing a brilliant scientific discovery with Bedford.

The man is a physicist named Cavor who has developed a novel new anti-gravity material that he has named Cavorite. With the aid of this material, he plans to explore space and wants to undertake an experimental journey to the moon. Bedford is excited by this and immediately sees the commercial value of Cavorite. Together the two launch into a moon voyage. However when they get there, they discover that the moon is not an uninhabited satellite as was hitherto assumed. What follows is classic sci-fi with a twist of romance.

Scholars have dubbed The First Men in the Moon as the first alien dystopia, where the denizens of another world are hostile to humans. The book probably launched a whole new genre of sci-fi horror fiction and has had a huge influence on films, TV, stage, animation, video-games and comics. It has been adapted to film four times. A scandal erupted when Wells was accused of plagiarism by an Irish writer, but no evidence was found for the charges.

Though modern-day readers may find some of the scientific concepts quaint and outdated, the plot and characters more than make up for any such shortcomings.

A great read for young and old alike!