First Men in the Moon (novel)

The First Men in the Moon is a science fiction novel written by English author H.G. Wells. It was first published in hardcover edition by George Newnes in 1901. It has been reprinted in varying editions many times over the years by different publishers and has been adapted into a silent film, a feature film and a direct-to-video movie.

Plot
The First Men in the Moon chronicles the adventures of a businessman named Bedford and an eccentric scientist named Doctor Cavor who creates an anti-gravity compound which he dubs Cavorite. Cavor believed that he can construct a spherical space vessel out of Cavorite and convinces Bedford to accompany him on a journey to the moon. When they arrive, they find that the topography of the moon consists of dense jungles and they discover an underground insectoid race which Cavor calls Selenites. Stircken by their appearance, the two kill several Selenites while trying to escape. Bedford makes it back to the Cavorite sphere and returns to Earth, but Cavor is captured. During his imprisonment, he learns that the Selenites are a remarkably intelligent race who evolve and adapt based upon their societal needs. Cavor begins sending radio transmissions to Bedford on Earth, but when the Selenites learn about humanity's propensity for war, they cease sending broadcasts.

Adaptations
The First Men in the Moon was first adapted to film in 1919 by a UK production company, Gaumont British Pictures Corporation. It was directed by Bruce Gordon and J.L.V. Leigh and starred Gordon, Heather Thatcher, Hector Abbas, Lionel d'Aragon and Cecil Morton York. The first major film adaptation of Wells' novel was in 1964 with Nathan Juran's First Men in the Moon. The script was written by Nigel Kneale and Jan Read and featured the stop-motion animation effects of visual wizard Ray Harryhausen.

A radio dramatization of The First Men in the Moon was produced in 1997 and broadcast in Las Vegas, Nevada. The dramtization featured the voice talents of several key Star Trek actors including William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, John de Lancie, Ethan Phillips and Dwight Schultz.

The BBC produced a direct-to-video adaptation of The First Men in the Moon in 2010. The film was directed by Damon Thomas and written by Mark Gatiss. It starred Rory Kinnear as Mister Bedford and Mark Gatiss as Doctor Cavor.

Several of H.G. Wells' ideas were incorporated into Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentleman comic book series. In the first volume, the infamous Sax Rohmer villain Fu Manchu steals a large volume of the Cavorite mineral and uses it to create a fleet of floating war ships.

Characters

 * Mister Bedford
 * Mister Cavor
 * The Grand Lunar
 * Julius Wendigee

Organizations

 * The Strand Magazine

Locales

 * England
 * London
 * Kent
 * Lympne
 * Littlestone


 * Earth's moon

Races

 * Selenites

Items

 * Cavorite

Chapter list

 * Mr. Bedford Meets Mr. Cavor at Lympne
 * The First Making of Cavorite
 * The Building of the sphere
 * Inside the Sphere
 * The Journey to the Moon
 * The Landing on the Moon
 * Sunrise on the Moon
 * A Lunar Morning
 * Prospecting Begins
 * Lost Men in the Moon
 * The Mooncalf Pastures
 * The Selenite's Face
 * Mr. Cavor Makes Some Sugestions
 * Experiments in Intercourse
 * The Giddy Bridge
 * Points of View
 * The Fight in the Cave of the Moon Butchers
 * In the Sunlight
 * Mr. Bedford Alone
 * Mr. Bedford in Infinite Space
 * Mr. Bedford at Littlestone
 * The Astonishing Communication of Mr. Julius Wendigee
 * An Abstract of the Six Messages First Received from Mr. Cavor
 * The Natural History of the Selenites
 * The Grand Lunar
 * The Last Message Cavor Sent to the Earth