The War of the Worlds in Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)

Mar 03, 2008 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: british-literature, fiction-19th-century, e-books, gutenberg, 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you, novellas, science-fiction

Free download available at Project Gutenberg.

Opening lines:
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; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite comp ...more

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Dec 17, 2013 Suvi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: _great-britain, cities_london, sci-fi, 1800s, novels

In the newer catastrophe films the target of destruction is almost always New York City, but at the end of the 19th century the epitome of the world is London. The setting was definitely more interesting this way, even though I usually complain about the image that a particular metropolis is the only important thing in the universe. Maybe there was some sense of novelty going on, but I just felt that this switch was for the better. The centre stage of Great Britain offers an opportunity to deal In the newer catastrophe films the target of destruction is almost always New York City, but at the end of the 19th century the epitome of the world is London. The setting was definitely more interesting this way, even though I usually complain about the image that a particular metropolis is the only important thing in the universe. Maybe there was some sense of novelty going on, but I just felt that this switch was for the better. The centre stage of Great Britain offers an opportunity to deal with imperialism, but in this case of course it occurs between planets instead of countries. Perhaps the sense of power due to imperialism has lulled the government into sleep, and causes it to overestimate its powers? Wells bravely challenged his contemporaries to reconsider the meaning of imperialism and its basic ideas.

The development of the situation from uncertainty, disbelief, and indifference into panic and chaos is narrated with credibility. People change in a situation of disarray, and mainly try to take care of themselves. When the end is nigh, laws cease to exist and the weakest unfortunately get trampled on. Each person has different ways of coping, and Wells has demonstrated this really well by reflecting it through the people the protagonist meets on his journey. When the Martians wreak havoc and the structures of society change, everyone are on the same line regardless of their birth, so that the individual characteristics are more clear.

Unlike with Jules Verne, Wells's stories are actually riveting. They take hold of you right until the very last page, and there are no excessive science babbles or irrelevant details, but the novels are still extremely interesting story- and theory-wise. The small amount of science there is, is understandable even to someone like me, who has strong humanist leanings. In this, the paragraphs at the beginning concerning space are not alienating, but intriguing and thought-provoking.

Wells's prose is simple but engaging (kind of like Doyle's). London feels realistic, even though it's not described that much apart from listing different neighbourhoods of London and around it, and the urban life of the 19th century is left to the background. The events seem real and completely plausible. A thin little novel, but gives plenty of reason to many interpretations from several points of view. A big influence on popular culture, but still works on its own. ...more

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Mar 31, 2008 Maggie rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, boxall-1001, science-fiction, adventure, classics, horror, guardian-1000, british

The War of the Worlds tells of the invasion of England by Martians. When they first arrive, the people gather in interest trying to make communication with them, but in time the Martians prove to be fiercesome creatures, destroying towns and people with a Heat Ray and Black Smoke, eating humans, and, towards the end, building flying machines that would allow them to conquer the world. The humans fight back, and small victories occur when they destroy only three of the Martians' tripods, and the The War of the Worlds tells of the invasion of England by Martians. When they first arrive, the people gather in interest trying to make communication with them, but in time the Martians prove to be fiercesome creatures, destroying towns and people with a Heat Ray and Black Smoke, eating humans, and, towards the end, building flying machines that would allow them to conquer the world. The humans fight back, and small victories occur when they destroy only three of the Martians' tripods, and the Red Weed that the Martians bring with them dies from bacteria. All England is in chaos and London is deserted. However, just when things get helpless, the Martians suddenly die, invaded by bacteria that cause their rapid death, given their lack of exposure to bacteria in Mars.

I first read this when I was 14 and I remember thinking it dull. On this reread, I don't understand how I could have had that idea. This is a thrilling adventure story, and a brilliant work of speculative fiction of the time it was published. Wells makes many predictions, some of which have come true, like the Black Smoke which resembles chemical warfare, the flying machines that predated the first airplane by about a decade, space travel, and the outbreak of total war on earth. Other predictions have not been realised, like the Heat Ray or the existence of Martians, but they were progressive for that time, and have certainly inspired many books and movies since.

Wells tackles the issue of the unreliability of the media. First the Martians don't appear in the news, then when they do appear, the descriptions of them are all wrong, and then when they get the descriptions right, their dangerousness is downplayed. At one point Wells even criticises the illustrators of his own book for not portraying the aliens as menacingly as they actually were. This was in the days when communication networks weren't as efficient as they are today, but it's interesting that you can still see the same things happening today.

I want to talk a bit about the narrator. In one sense, the narrator is secondary to the plot, as can be seen from the fact that we never find out his name. He's just a guy who happens to be at the right places at the right time, and to be relatively intelligent, so he's a good choice as a narrator. On the other hand, he can get emotional, and he has some extreme mood swings, thus allowing the reader to get a sense of how the Martians affect people and create fear and confusion. ...more

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Jan 21, 2015 Sandy rated it liked it

When you put into context that this book was written in the 1890's prior to the invention of airplanes, it is pretty amazing that Wells came up with this story. It focuses more on humans and their reaction to the invasion versus the Martians. ...more

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Jun 22, 2010 Jason rated it liked it

Shelves: library

I think I was expecting more from this book. I guess I had built it up in my head too much. I think it was good, but the story seemed to move so fast! I wish more time had been spent on telling the story of those 4 weeks. Maybe from different people's perspective. Still liked this a lot, but think it could have been so much more. ...more

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