Memoirs of an Invisible Man

I read this book when I was in my teens and re-read it again as an adult. If you, like myself have always wished to have that one super power of being invisible, you must read this book. I know, I know, you've seen a million movies on invisibility and there are multitudes of books with this as the adventure theme. But, my friends, this author really took the time to imagine what it would really be like to be invisible. His descriptions of that character being invisible in his environment are amazing. Definitely a fun adventure book! Whoever stole my original copy....I want it back! ;-)

Have you ever noticed how every bestseller seems to be about murder or sex... or both? This one breaks the mold. Saint tells us the story of man who becomes invisible and he is painstakingly careful to give us the details of how it happens and of the after effects. The joy of this book is that the illusion of believability is never broken.Saint has considered every aspect of the invisible man's existence. How would he eat and remain invisible? How would he get money? Would the government take an interest in him and, if so, why? The story never lacks for suspense or humour either. In the end, you can't help feeling for our invisible hero.Things start off a little slowly as we learn just how a man becomes invisible, but this early preparatory work helps to set the tone of plausability, so don't put the book away.I won't tell you what happens, but suffice to say that you'll probably find out the answer on the same day you start the book. Unless you want to be reading all night, start this one at about noon!Oh, by the way, they made a movie out of this one (...). That's all they had in common. Don't bother with the video!

I hypothesize (with tongue firmly in cheek) that author H. F. Saint really *is* invisible, and the events recounted in Memoirs of an Invisible Man are to some extent autobiographical. As evidence, I offer the following facts. First, he has published nothing other than Memoirs, and it defies credibility to think that such a talented wordsmith would write but a single opus unless he had other problems... such as invisibility. And second, his descriptions of invisibility and the problems attendant thereto are so vivid and utterly believable that they can only have come from a man with firsthand experience.Get this book. Do not begin reading it until you have several available hours, for you will not want to put it down. H. F. Saint sucks you into Nick Halloway's world from the intriguing beginning to the gripping and suspenseful action scenes to the well-written ending. The mediocre Chevy Chase vehicle that bore the name of this book shared little else in common with it and did not do it justice. This one is a rare treasure.

While living in Japan in the early 90's, I received this book from a friend, and read it numerous times during my 2 1/2 years there. As I haven't had the chance to read the book in recent years...can't dig one up in libraries or bookstores--though I live in Guam, which IS a little off the beaten path...I remember it as being very thought-provoking--most notably for its treatment of all the DIFFICULTIES, rather than on the ADVANTAGES that one would usually focus on. I was impressed with how the author dealt with the technical facets of the condition--for example, walking in the rain would create a "rain sillouette," and walking across any pliant surface would leave visible footprints. A little side note: visiting friends in Japan after a 5-year absence (while laboriously making my way to Guam) I went back to my squallid little apartment there for the SPECIFIC PURPOSE of trying to locate this book, which I'd inexplicably left behind. Good book, love to read it again.

H. F. Saint is, in fact, not the pseudonym of another writer, but is a shortened version of the author's real name. I first spoke to Mr. Saint in 1990, while interest in MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN was still quite high in the media. I was working on an interview book with influential authors in the SF, Fantasy and Horror fields. At the time, he was quite accessible, and if you can believe it, was actually listed in his local telephone directory! My understanding from Mr. Saint was that the financial rewards from MEMOIRS were immediate and significant; taken utterly by surprise, Mr. Saint essentially took the money and ran. He no longer lives in his home state (as far as I know), and has relatively little interest in writing and publishing anything else. Like everyone else who's read his work, I too wish he would write another novel. But I doubt it's likely. I think he's in Europe or somewhere else equally exotic, enjoying his massive royalties and living off the principal of his reported multi-million dollar advance--a record at the time for a first novel. If you enjoyed MEMOIRS, a smaller novel which received far less acclaim, but is nearly as good, is JUMPERS by Steven Gould.