First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells

[King Bob]

Reread this. Still enjoyable. I did notice this time that a few passage make Bedford seem like a con man. He is definitely too rash and quick to anger, while Cavor is too rational and a naive. But this time I did wonder about Bedford returning to earth after finding Cavor's blood-stained note saying the Selenites were about to capture him. Should he have gone back into the moon to search for Cavor, even though he might die? I can't answer it. Oddly I never thought about that before. In the movie, they solve this by Cavor telling Bedford (and the added woman character) to go without him, since he wants to stay and learn more about the Selenites. On the other hand, unlike the film, the book ends with the reception of Cavor's radio transmissions from the moon, where he describes Selenite society, which was a nice touch, and the final transmission ties the whole thing up nicely.

The introduction in this volume notes that Arthur C. Clarke said "few writers ever came near to matching its mood of extraterrestrial awe and wonder, and no one has surpassed it."

Only recommended if you like early SF or Wells. The length is between that of The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, so if you want a taste of Wells, maybe The Time Machine instead (and it was a classic film with Rod Taylor), although I think War of the Worlds is his best.