false 8909 220 This is the granddaddy of all alien invasion stories, first published by H.G. Wells in 1898. The novel begins ominously, as the lone voice of a narrator tells readers that "No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's..." <p> Things then progress from a series of seemingly mundane reports about odd atmospheric disturbances taking place on Mars to the arrival of Martians just outside of London. At first the Martians seem laughable, hardly able to move in Earth's comparatively heavy gravity even enough to raise themselves out of the pit created when their spaceship landed. But soon the Martians reveal their true nature as death machines 100-feet tall rise up from the pit and begin laying waste to the surrounding land. Wells quickly moves the story from the countryside to the evacuation of London itself and the loss of all hope as England's military suffers defeat after defeat. With horror his narrator describes how the Martians suck the blood from living humans for sustenance, and how it's clear that man is not being conquered so much as corralled. <I>--Craig E. Engler</I> 3194841 book 1898 The War of the Worlds total:8834|5:1721|4:3276|3:2923|2:755|1:159| 8834 32147 11854 511 4 7 false false Fri Jun 22 13:07:18 -0700 2007 Tue Jun 26 11:20:44 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 3 false false Mon Mar 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 04 11:29:26 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 24 12:24:53 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 3 false false Sun Jan 13 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 10 17:42:32 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 13 17:25:53 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 4 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 23 14:03:24 -0700 2007 Fri Nov 02 19:07:56 -0700 2007
But not only is this book a great example of science...more...]]> 4 3 false false Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Oct 14 13:56:22 -0700 2007 Sun Oct 14 13:59:05 -0700 2007
Except for the movie's Death Ray. The book the Martians used a Heat Ray thing. Think of a giant hairdryer set to "Sear - Cajun Style". Not as cool as a ray that turns people to dust and levels buildings.

...more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Jul 08 20:19:48 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 08 20:28:18 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat May 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu May 22 12:29:07 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 20 13:21:34 -0700 2008 "No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own."

The Good: I was happy to read this book as it's on my BTRBID list. It describes the inv...more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue May 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri May 09 06:33:13 -0700 2008 Tue May 13 12:02:09 -0700 2008
Written in first person from the account of a survivor of the attack (who is n...more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Apr 10 15:39:28 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 10 15:39:28 -0700 2008
Stately, economical prose, sometimes reaching delightful peaks of intensity and suspense. Grand, cleanly-thought-out ideas whose full expression produces in the reader a sense...more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Feb 12 10:07:03 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 06 15:51:45 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 15 06:11:45 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 12 01:13:55 -0700 2007 Fri Oct 12 15:45:43 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false true Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Mon Aug 27 16:01:34 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 06 14:05:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Tue Feb 12 21:30:45 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 12 21:41:51 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 23 12:43:51 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 12:46:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jul 27 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Dec 17 09:29:52 -0800 2007 Fri Aug 01 00:56:42 -0700 2008 I haven't been a fan of alien-ist lit, at all - and I really don't know why since I love folklore/mythology. Why is it easier to accept eightlegged creatures that have created the world and put the sun in its place, than little green critters from Mars?

Anyhow - this has been on my ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Feb 09 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 18:45:43 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 23:19:37 -0800 2009 2 0 true false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Jan 24 14:48:22 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 24 14:50:49 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false true Mon Nov 17 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 29 00:40:23 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 29 00:42:03 -0800 2008 1 Thursday, November 27, 2008
The War of the Worlds **

By H.G. Wells
First Tor Edition: October 1988
p. 204 including intros and conclusion

The original date of publishing is not mentioned for some reason, but in the introduction it says that the book origin...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Oct 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 10:06:43 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 10:36:56 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Sep 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 16:55:11 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 17:33:39 -0700 2009 The book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, it was very intense and there wasnt ...more...]]>