Even though Wells was born a year after its publication, this book is his response to Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon, a sort of "I can do better than you" type of thing. (And he did.) Wells even cites Verne's book in the conversation between the two main characters. It is part of his subtle (and sometimes blatant) humor that creeps into his writings.
    When I wrote the review of Verne's book (see link above) I pointed out that it seemed more of a Frenchman's humorous description of Americans' overzealousness toward news events and celebrities, and especially their obsession with guns. Nevertheless, Verne attempted to make his story believable by filling it with mathematics and scientific data concerning the calculations on the moon's distance, how long it would take to arrive there from the earth, and how much force it would take to shoot through the earth's atmosphere. In addition, he creates a worldwide euphoria of this groundbreaking endeavor. Yet, in spite of all this, his story is silly, rather dry, and not remotely believable.
    Wells, on the other hand, has done none of the above. There is no celebrity involved. There is little explanation as to how the propellant works. Unlike Verne's characters, who stock their capsule with books, wine, furniture and luxuries, Wells' characters take only that which can be bundled in a blanket, plus means for light and heat. We don't know how long it takes them to reach the moon. Details are non-existent, even where time is concerned. In Verne's story, they kept account of the time down to the second. Here, they don't even realize they have spent two weeks on the moon because it feels like a few days. Nevertheless, Wells book is the more believable because it is full of life, not numbers. He creates pure fantasy without trying to be real, and fantasy sometimes is perceived as even more real than "reality." It was perhaps Wells' gift.
    The story takes off slow as we get through the preliminary stuff. Mr. Bedford has befriended his strange neighbor Mr. Cavor. While Bedford is interested in money, success, and escaping his debt collector, he is now renting a bungalow in Lympne, Kent, supposedly to write a brilliant play. But when he meets Cavor, he becomes intrigued with his scientific experiments. Cavor thirsts for knowledge for its own sake. He is mostly a loner and pays little attention to material success. He has now created a substance that is 'opaque" to gravitational force. While he attempts to explain it to the unscientific mind of Bedford, all Bedford is thinking about is how to apply this new substance to make lots of money. He goes in as partner with Cavor and abandons his play.
    When an explosion blows up Cavor's house, the true nature of "Cavorite" is revealed. When it is heated to 60-degrees Fahrenheit, the air pressing on it suddenly has no weight. As that air is displaced, more air rushes in and that, too, becomes weightless, thus propelling the Cavorite upward at a very fast rate of speed.
    Now, all Bedford can think of is applying this substance in a lucrative project. The result is that they decide to go to the moon and construct a sphere coated with Cavorite to do just that. Really.
    Unlike Verne's characters, who never do make landing during their grueling trip, these two get there quick and easy. And it is here that the story becomes fascinating. It is like Dorothy entering the Land of Oz.
    The moon has a day and a night, each equal to our fourteen days in Wells' book. (In scientific reality, a moon day/night period equals 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3 seconds. During the two week night, the temperature ranges from 253 degrees Fahrenheit to -243 degrees Fahrenheit.) This information was available in Wells time and he put it to good use.
    Bedford and Cavor arrive on the moon's surface just at dawn. What they saw at first appeared to be snow, but was instead frozen air. So now they know there is air on the moon:

'The sunlight had crept down the cliff, it touched the drifted masses at its base, and incontinently came striding with seven-leagued boots toward us. The distant cliff seemed to shift and quiver, and at the touch of the sun a reek of grey vapor poured upwards from the crater floor, whirls and puffs and drifting wraiths of grey, thicker and broader and denser, until at last the whole westward plain was steaming like a wet handkerchief held before the fire, and the westward cliffs were no more than a refracted glare beyond."

    Still in the sphere and convinced there is no sign of life, they observe an astonishing occurrence: a seed-like object sends out a sprout, giving them more evidence that there is breathable air on the moon. Cavor then does the final test: he lights a piece of paper and throws it out the manhole valve. It continues to burn, so they cautiously emerge from their sanctuary.
    The thinness of the air and lack of density of the moon give them a feeling of lightness, enabling them to run and leap and climb with little effort, covering a huge area in no time at all. Meanwhile the surface of the moon is frantically busy with plants spouting all over, and growing dense before their very eyes:

"All this time the lunar plants were growing around us, higher and denser and more entangled, every moment thicker and taller, spiked plants, green cactus masses, fungi, fleshy and lichenous things, strange radiate and sinuous shapes. But we were so intent upon our leaping that for a time we gave no heed to their unfaltering expansions."

    And then, they realize they have lost the sphere. Now practically held prisoner by the thick mass of emerging vegetation, they attempt to crawl back from whence they came. And it is after that, that they hear the bellowing of the mooncalves, and see their first glimpse of Selenite herders.
    Eventually hunger gets the best of them, so Bedford tries some funky fungus, followed, against his better judgment, by Cavor. They get intoxicated, and are captured by the Selenites. But do they escape?

    At this point, the story becomes so compelling, it is difficult to put down the book. Wells paints an incredible portrait of moonlife, and it is these descriptions of the residents and their inner-earth dwelling that make it all seem so real. And as is typical of Wells, there is some serious social/political commentary included, especially at the very end. In any case, if you love sci-fi/fantasy, this one is a must read.