War of the Worlds - How did you feel about the ending? (definite spoilers)

[Kara]

"But there are no bacteria on Mars, and directly these invaders arrived, directly they drank and fed, our microscopic allies began to work their overthrow."

I found this statement very ironic, since nowadays the scientists looking for any signs of life—current or former—are looking primarily for bacteria. Of course, Wells didn't have rovers on Mars, so I'm willing to forgive his scientific inaccuracies.

The question remains, did you find the ending satisfactory? Was this a good way for Wells to orchestrate the downfall of the Martians, or were you hoping for something different?

[Veronika KaoruSaionji]

I am not very surprised by it. Nothing much interesting. But, Wells was the first, and in the end of 19. century - for his time was it magnificent.
And yes, I laugh very much by reading of no bacteria in Mars. :o)
But, I mean this novel is interesting, much better than I expected for the novel from 1898.

[Phyllis]

I think it was a great ending for the era it came from. He didn't try to overthink it and aside from the presence of aliens he didn't try to write beyond what was commonly believed.

The science changes so fast these days it can hard to remember that it didn't always. We'll probably look back on ourselves in a few decades and wonder what we were thinking.

[Cindy]

I quite liked the ending for what it was...entertaining. The story is at its heart a lone-survivor tale. An average, educated guy who happened to live through and record a crazy, horrific event. He survives the whole invasion by chance, and then the human species survives by chance.

I was spoiler-free when I read this a few weeks ago. I really had no idea what the story was about, and had never seen the movies. I was quite disappointed that one of the top reviews on the GR page spells out the ending in detail, saying everyone knows the aliens die of bacteria. bah!

Anyhow, when the author heads into London instead of back to his wife in Leatherhead, I wanted to scream at him, like in a bad horror flick!

[Rindis]

I was never a great fan of the ending, but if you look at the book as more of a 'thought experiment', the focus upon the main character's reaction to the dying Martians in the dead city of London is certainly a very powerful scene.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Kara]

Cindy wrote: "The story is at its heart a lone-survivor tale. An average, educated guy who happened to live through and record a crazy, horrific event. He survives the whole invasion by chance, and then the human species survives by chance."

That's a nice way of looking at it. I wonder how a film adaption would turn out differently if it were filmed in a style similar to The Blair Witch Project (I haven't seen any of the film adaptations, I can't attest to how well they replicate that idea of one man trying to survive).

Rindis wrote: "I was never a great fan of the ending, but if you look at the book as more of a 'thought experiment', the focus upon the main character's reaction to the dying Martians in the dead city of London is certainly a very powerful scene."

Indeed, I quite enjoyed that scene. It was very poignant; the narrator almost couldn't believe his eyes. In your review, you mention how it could be perceived as a deus ex machina ending at first glance, and that's exactly what the narrator does: "I believed that the destruction of Sennacherib had been repeated, that God had repented, that the Angel of Death had slain them in the night."

Although the Martians' demise has a more secular explanation, of course, the fact remains that humans weren't responsible for the Martians' defeat. That, to me, is the most interesting aspect of the book's ending.

[Manuel]

I thought it was a unique and clever way of dealing with the invaision. Yes the Martians have superior technology and humans have no real chance of mounting a realistic fight, but Wells allows for a practical solution, though not something directed by human beings.

The Martian menace is thwarted ironically by the same device that allowed Europeans to succeed in North and South America. European diseases wiped out way more Native Americans than European swords. Consequently the great Aztec and Inca empires were considerably weakened by pandemics of Measles, Smallpox and the common influenza virus.Ironically; millions Native Americans died of pandemic European diseases without ever having seen a Spaniard.

Yes the ending does seem a lot like an example of Deus ex Machina, but in this case, I thought it worked. Deliverence is given, but the average 19th century reader doesnt have to think about it very much.

In the 1953 movie, deliverance is anashamedly attributed to God. The main characters find shelter in a (Protestant) church and wait for the inevitable climax, as the Martians methodically destroy downtown Los Angeles.
In the end, we see joyous crowds filling the churches and we zoom in on the cross of a bell tower with pealing church bells.

[Mary JL]

I thought the ending was well done. Sure NOW, that sort of thing is old hat--but Wells was one of the first to use such an idea.

The fact the we humans did nothing to sop the invasion is an interesting irony.

[Lindalee]

I read WOW years ago but I remember I also found the ending ironic.

[Richard]

I liked the ending. In the context of the times I think Wells was doing more than just trying to wrap the story up neatly. The British Empire had been around for a long time and apart from the occasional bloody nose the British people were feeling pretty superior and almost invincible with vast advances not only in technology but also in society. The idea of our superior military and organisational skill just being rudely brushed aside as a lower species must have been an immensely disquieting thought. When you remember that Darwin had only published his almost heretical work less than forty years before, the concept of the race's survival being dependent upon the evolution of our resistance to bacteria was bold and I think entirely intended. The fact that the narrator was without doubt a Christian gentleman with a firm faith was IMO Wells' way of showing his support of Darwinism and Faith at the same time.
It also allows him after knocking the pride out of the British to hold up humanity as still responsible for the victory; "By the toll of a billion deaths man has bought his birthright of the earth, and it is his against all comers ... For neither do men live nor die in vain."

[Kev]

Its interesting to compare the actual ending to the type of story that "the artilleryman" imagined. If Wells had gone with the artilleryman's idea, he could have spun it out into a trilogy at least!

As Wells was a pacifist, the ending makes a lot of sense. The ending, like Wells, was more about science than war. I can't help but feel it was a little anti-climactic, but it makes more sense in the context of the themes of the book.

[Richard]

Kev wrote: "Its interesting to compare the actual ending to the type of story that "the artilleryman" imagined. If Wells had gone with the artilleryman's idea, he could have spun it out into a trilogy at least..."

The Genocides by Thomas M. Disch is well worth a read if you want an alien invasion story that has mankind outmatched without a simple happy ending. As you can probably guess by the title it isn't one of the most cheerful books I've ever read, but still very good and thought provoking.

[Lara Amber]

I liked the ending because it wasn't caused by humans rallying and doing the standard "we can defeat anything" drivel.

The idea that space aliens that developed in an entirely separate ecosystem could assimilate our blood and would be susceptible to our germs is rather entertaining with today's knowledge of biology. It would take an interesting organism that could take blood from any species and inject it in their own veins as life support. (If they were blood drinkers that would be more plausible to me, that they would be breaking it down into essential components in a digestive system, reconstituting into what they could use.)

Lara Amber

[Bonnie]

Hello moderators,
I think this thread became disconnected from the book, and needs to be re-associated to it
Thank you

[Bonnie]

Richard wrote: "When you remember that Darwin had only published his almost heretical work less than forty years before, the concept of the race's survival being dependent upon the evolution of our resistance to bacteria was bold and I think entirely intended. The fact that the narrator was without doubt a Christian gentleman with a firm faith was IMO Wells' way of showing his support of Darwinism and Faith at the same time."

Yes. I read some of this study guide, and it mentioned that as historical context:

"When Wells was a university student, he studied biology with Thomas Henry Huxley, a great proponent of the theories of Charles Darwin. Thus, Wells was exposed to Darwin’s idea of natural selection earlier than most, and The War of the Worlds is a testament to the theory’s influence on his thinking. Although Darwin’s magnum opus, On the Origin of Species , was published in 1859, his theory of evolution and natural selection wasn’t yet widely accepted when The War of the Worlds was published almost 40 years later.

As such, the fact that the Martians in Wells’s novel die because they haven’t gone through natural selection on earth is quite significant, since it is a clear endorsement of Darwin’s theory. Indeed, Wells treats the idea of natural selection as a simple fact, thereby allowing the theory itself to ease its way into the discourse not only of the scientific community, but of the general public, as well."

https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-war...

[Bonnie]

I really liked reading this and imagining what it might have been like to read it in 1898. Very creepy and probably even horrifying? Since people then would not have been blasé from years of SF and horror in books, movies and television shows.

The descriptions were marvelous.

The tripod machines were much like those in John Christopher's Tripod Trilogy. (vice versa of course!) An alien, unsettling locomotion; moving around at night shining spotlights on the ground; hunting for humans in the bushes; tentacles...

The White Mountains

[Brian]

When Wells wrote War Of The Worlds, he was more focused on the social sciences, rather than the physical. He wanted to shine a light on the issues around 'imperialism,' both over nature and over other people. Having the most advanced military prove ineffective, yet bacteria save the day, was to emphasise that Man's powers are very limited in contrast to the natural world.
There are many issues around Wells' plot, but as its focus is not Hard Sci-Fi, those issues aren't really relevant.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

Bonnie wrote: "Hello moderators,
I think this thread became disconnected from the book, and needs to be re-associated to it
Thank you"

I am not sure what you mean by this?

[PJ]

I think the ending was genius for its time (germ theory was a relatively new science), and when read with that in mind, it still stands up. It's a great twist that isn't overly complicated and is foreshadowed by both the introduction and the Martian's haemovorous diet. It's iconic for good reason.

[Kaia]

Bonnie wrote: "I really liked reading this and imagining what it might have been like to read it in 1898. Very creepy and probably even horrifying? Since people then would not have been blasé from years of SF and..."

Bonnie, I made the connection to John Christopher's tripods, too! The City of Gold and Lead was probably the first science fiction book I ever read as a child (I read the series out of order, so started with book 2.)

I liked War of the Worlds much more than I expected to. I found it hard to put down and also a bit creepy. I thought that Wells described peoples' reactions and responses to the situation in a very believable way. I liked that there wasn't a "hero" who saved the day.

My edition had an essay by Isaac Asimov at the end that drew parallels between this story and colonization, which was also interesting. While I didn't make that connection while I was reading, it was interesting to think back on the story with that interpretation.

[Meredith]

I enjoyed this more than I was expecting. I found it exciting and even stressful. I knew what the ultimate ending for the aliens was, but that didn't take away from the story leading up to that point. Only drawback was being unfamiliar with small towns in rural England and London neighborhoods. I had no idea how much distance (or direction really) our narrator was covering in his journey.

[Brian]

It can be interesting to use Google Maps to follow the route; some of the roads at least still have the same names. I grew up in Chelmsford, which is were they requisitioned his donkey for food.

[Leonie]

I re-read this a couple of years ago, and then did quite a bit of reading about the years it was set in, and released. (Initially it was released in serial format.)

Roentgen and x-rays were effectively brand new.
Germ theory and antisepsis were still new concepts.
Communication took longer, and although radio was available, it was relatively short range.

Things we now take for granted did not exist back then. Even the idea of bacteria killing the Martians would have been quite revolutionary for the times, and for most readers, I'd think.

I think it's a fascinating insight into Wells' mind, and I enjoyed the ending.