The First Men in the Moon

Imagine two guys from England: one is a broke businessman named Bedford who wants to get rich, and the other is a super-smart scientist named Cavor who invents a magic stuff called Cavorite that makes things float by blocking gravity. They build a round spaceship like a big ball and zoom off to the Moon, where they find a hidden world full of ant-like aliens called Selenites who live underground in a huge city and do everything together like a bee hive. Bedford has exciting adventures, fights the bugs, and barely escapes back home, but Cavor stays behind sending secret messages about how smart and peaceful the Moon people are—but humans might ruin it all if they go there!

H.G. Wells' 'The First Men in the Moon,' published in 1901, follows the improbable partnership between Mr. Bedford, a down-on-his-luck businessman seeking fortune, and the eccentric inventor Mr. Cavor, who discovers Cavorite, a substance that shields against gravitational forces. Together, they construct a spherical spacecraft and embark on humanity's first voyage to the Moon, where they encounter a subterranean world teeming with Selenites—advanced, insectoid beings organized in a rigid, hive-like society. The narrative unfolds through Bedford's memoir-like account, blending scientific speculation with adventure as the duo explores lunar caverns, faces escalating dangers from the hive-mind inhabitants, and grapples with the ethical implications of their intrusion. The story culminates in separation and tragedy: Bedford escapes back to Earth after a desperate flight, while Cavor remains captive, transmitting fragmented radio messages revealing the Selenites' sophisticated, pacifist civilization and their potential threat if discovered by imperialistic humans. Wells masterfully critiques Victorian imperialism, scientific hubris, and class dynamics, portraying the Moon not as a barren rock but a mirror to humanity's flaws, where curiosity leads to conflict and isolation underscores the limits of communication across species.