The War of the Worlds in Building a SciFi/Fantasy Library

Aug 27, 2007 Rindis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A lot has been written about this particular book over the years. There's a lot to say, even discounting the power the story has demonstrated in other media, starting with Orson Wells' infamous radio broadcast. (Note: this review has spoilers as I expect that everyone is thoroughly acquainted with the general plot, even if they haven't read it.)

As to the book itself: Told in the past tense from the viewpoint of an unnamed journalist (obviously Wells himself) who witnessed much of the Martian inv A lot has been written about this particular book over the years. There's a lot to say, even discounting the power the story has demonstrated in other media, starting with Orson Wells' infamous radio broadcast. (Note: this review has spoilers as I expect that everyone is thoroughly acquainted with the general plot, even if they haven't read it.)

As to the book itself: Told in the past tense from the viewpoint of an unnamed journalist (obviously Wells himself) who witnessed much of the Martian invasion that is the basis of the novel, the book is the product of the thought experiment "what would happen to me if we were invaded and our civilization overthrown?" The quiet power of this book comes from the careful crafting of his scenario, and the grasp he shows of natural human reactions under stress.

It is worth noting that humans are not as ineffective against the Martians as is sometimes popularly depicted. The struggle as the Martians slowly bring new devices into play after every setback is the focus of the first half of the novel. The disablement of a tripod forces the Martians back into a small defensive line, and for a moment it looks like the British Army has everything in hand until the appearance of the toxic black smoke, which becomes the undoing of all attempts at resistance afterwards.

The War of the Worlds is first book of the continuing genre of alien-invasion stories, and still ranks as one of the more convincing members of the genre. Moreover, not content to invent a new genre, Wells gives it a twist ending. The superior Martians, not used to infectious microorganisms, fall prey to the multitude of them on Earth. This leaves what seems like a sudden deus ex machina ending, but it should be understood that the book as a whole is less about the invasion itself and more an examination of the likely human reaction to it. The final chapter is part moralizing and part postmortem exposition; the previous chapter is the true end depicting the impact of the dying Martians on the narrator. ...more

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Sep 12, 2007 Dr M rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

A true classic of science-fiction, written in the naturalist style developed in 19th-century literature. The story, which probably does not need any further introduction (Earth is invaded by Martians), is set in contemporary, i.e. late 19th-century, England, in the greater London area. Later renditions of the story, in particular the latest movie, is set elsewhere and preserve only the most fundamental elements of the original story.

The story is told from the first person perspective, with the n ...more

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Jan 02, 2010 James Angell rated it it was amazing

One of my all time favorite Sci-Fi stories from one of the best writers of all time.

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Nov 11, 2008 NebulousGloom (FK) rated it really liked it

Wow! It had been so long since I read this book that I remembered nothing of what happened in it. I was especially interested in the curate, who was a pretty miserable character. Did he represent an indictment of religion? And then there was the artilleryman, who talked about a future which was very much like what Well's wrote about in "The Time Machine", published three years earlier. I was very moved (ie I wept and wept) by the reuniting of the main character with his wife. ...more

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