Book Review: A Slip under the Microscope by H. G. Wells

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“A Slip under the Microscope” is Book 77 of the Penguin Little Black Classics. (You can buy the collection here.) This collection features two short stories (The Door in the Wall and A Slip under the Microscope) by the renowned science fiction author H. G. Wells.

Buy “A Slip under the Microscope”

The Door in the Wall follows a man who finds a secret magical door.

A Slip under the Microscope follows a student that cheats on a biology exam.

I found these stories more existential than horrific, especially The Door in the Wall. As a result, the intrigue comes from the narrator leaving it up to the reader to interpret what’s truly going on. The story illustrates that reality is the real horror story – and therefore our need for fantasy or in this case, a magical door to escape.

A Slip under the Microscope was my favourite of the two. Going back to the reality of horrors, this one highlights the oppression of your social class and therefore the need to be the best when you come from so little. In this case, it’s not so much fantasy that provides the escape but the lying and cheating of the young distressed boy.

Since this was the third short story I read during a spooky reading vlog, I’m starting to recognize a theme: many creepy stories are recounted by a third party [omniscient narrator] either from the survivors’ perspective or from whispers…

Overall, this was an enjoyable first impression of H. G. Wells’ writing style.

Also, I read this book as part of a Spooky Reading Vlog. You can watch it here.

“Memories are not dead things, but alive; they dwindle in disuse, but they harden and develop in all sorts of queer ways if they are being continually fretted.”

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