War of the Worlds - Martians, technology, and the aftermath of the invasion (spoilers)

[Kara]

Throughout The War of the Worlds, Wells' narrator often describes the technology of the Martians in a very precise, scientific manner. To the nineteenth century Briton, while the Martian technology may be advanced, it's still based on science; it can still be understood and explained rationally, if not at first glance.

What was your reaction to how Wells uses technology in the book to support his themes or make the Martians a more threatening adversary? Is it just a matter of having advanced technology, or is there some aspect of the Martians or their technology that truly made them a formidable foe?

[Richard]

I think Wells might have used the Martians technology and methods to underline their inhumanity, especially there use of poison gas. Just a year after the publication of WOW, the Hague Declaration of 1899 outlawed the use of poison or poisonous gasses. I would also see it as a forewarning of later military methods; Wells also wrote a short story called The Land Ironclads that predicted the use of armoured tanks in warfare.

[Cheryl]

I'll probably have something to say once I've read the book....

[Jen]

I enjoyed The War of the Worlds a lot, I think it holds up well. The alien technology manages to still be pretty scary. In its day, I imagine this story would have been terrifying, and as I read, I couldn't help but think about the people who heard this on the radio and thought it was really happening.