Questions About The War of the Worlds

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Answered Questions (10)

I know that this is a respected classic, but I didn't find it very enjoyable to read. It lacked a certain something. Am I the only one who felt this way?

Amazingbollweevil When I read people complain that this book is .... uh, lacking or something, I can't help but shake my head in disappointment. The story is one of sur…moreWhen I read people complain that this book is .... uh, lacking or something, I can't help but shake my head in disappointment. The story is one of survival in the face of overwhelming opposition. The protagonist is totally helpless as he watches his civilization be destroyed by monstrous invaders. He's no hero trying to save the day, but an everyman just trying to get by. This story is now an archetype, having inspired countless other novels and movies and television episodes. Because you have seen these later stories, you already know how this novel will go, so it's no wonder there are no surprises. (less)

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Mackie H.G Wells is trying to make a point about British Imperialism through his book. His goal is to show people how England's colonies might feel by havin…more H.G Wells is trying to make a point about British Imperialism through his book. His goal is to show people how England's colonies might feel by having the peaceful English countryside razed and innocent people slaughtered and the peoples inability to fight back against an immense foreign power. The normality the Narrator feels with all of the violence holds a parallel to the violence used in colonies to keep the people under control, and how it became a common occurrence. (less)

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anybody else read the intro in morgan freeman's voice?

Queen Elizabeth of Gondor I'm going to start doing that now thanks …moreI'm going to start doing that now thanks (less)

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I have watched the 2005 movie directed by Steven Spielberg. Is the book different from the movie? Is it worth reading?

W.L.W. The 2005 movie version actually follows the book a bit more than the 1953 Ray Harryhausen version, although I much prefer the earlier movie version si…moreThe 2005 movie version actually follows the book a bit more than the 1953 Ray Harryhausen version, although I much prefer the earlier movie version since it doesn't have that whiny little daughter or the rebellious son to clutter the storyline. The book concerns the journey of a man who escapes the initial martian invasion and then spends the rest of the book trying to get back to his wife along with the characters he meets along the way.
The book was written in a time when the world was a much simpler place with little technology clogging people's daily lives, which gave time for a lot more thinking and wondering about the world in general along with class division in particular. HG Wells was a 'progressive' thinker of the time in that the books he wrote always had at least an undercurrent of questions about why there were classes of people and why they couldn't all exist on the same plane. Therefore, reading his books can be a bit cumbersome at times since his main characters occasionally spend time wondering "what makes man different than the other animals on the earth?" and other ponderous questions.
That being said, I just finished re-reading WotW and found it a good story. As I stated previously, it can be slow-moving at times with lots of self-reflection by the main character, but overall it's a good story. If you're looking for non-stop slam-bang explosions and death rays carving up people in fountains of blood-spray, this isn't the book for you.(less)

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The artilleryman disappears from the story in the middle of chapter 12, "What I Saw of the Destruction of Weybridge and Shepperton". The last reference to him (p93 in my copy) is the "us" in: "One man told us he meant to try to get away from Shepperton station." Then without explanation the artilleryman is not mentioned again, until he reappears towards the end of the book. Could HG simply have forgotten about him?