War of the Worlds

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Summary: We Have Met The Enemy--And They Are Us.
Review: Today H.G. Wells is chiefly recalled by the general public as the author of three seminal science-fiction novels: THE TIME MACHINE, THE INVISIBLE MAN, and most famously THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. But these are only three of the more than one hundred books Wells published in his lifetime, and it is worth recalling that Wells himself was a socio-political and very didactic writer, a determined reformer with distinctly socialist leanings. And his point of view informs everything he wrote--including these three famous novels.

In each case, Wells uses the trappings of science-fiction and popular literature to lure readers into what is essentially a moral lesson. THE TIME MACHINE is essentially a statement on the evils of the English class system. THE INVISIBLE MAN addresses the predicaments of the men and women to whom society turns a blind eye. And THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is a truly savage commentary on British imperialism and colonialism.

This is not to say that it isn't science-fiction--for it most certainly is, and moreover it is science-fiction well grounded in the scientific thinking of its day: intelligent life on Mars was believed to be entirely possible, and Wells forecasts the machinery and weapons that would soon become all too real in World War I. Set in England about the beginning of the 20th Century, the story finds a strange meteor landing near the narrator's home--and from it emerge Martians, who promptly construct gigantic and powerful killing machines and set about wiping the human population of England off the face of the earth. The Martians and their machines are exceptionally well imagined, the story moves at a fast clip, and the writing is strong, concise, and powerful. And to say the book has had tremendous influence is an understatement: we have been deluged with tales of alien invaders (although not necessarily from Mars) ever since.

But there is a great deal more going on here than just an entertaining story. Both the England and Europe of 1898 were imperialistic powers, beating less technologically advanced cultures into submission, colonizing them, and then draining them of their resources. With THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, Wells turns the tables, and imperialistic England finds itself facing the same sort of social, economic, and cultural extermination it has repeatedly visited on others.

The upshot of the whole thing is that Wells ultimately paints the English habit of forced colonization as akin to an invasion by horrific blood-sucking monsters from outer space--and even goes so far as to suggest that if the present trend continues we ourselves may follow an evolutionary path that will bring us to the same level as the Martians: ugly, sluggish creatures that rely on machines and simply drain off what they need from others without any great concern for the consequences. If we find the idea of such creatures horrific, he warns, we'd best look to our own habits. For these monsters are more like us than we may first suppose.

And this, really, is why the novel has survived even in the face of advancing scientific knowledge that renders the idea of an invasion from Mars more than a little foolish. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is a mirror, and even more than a century later the Martians reflect our own nature to a truly uncomfortable degree. A memorable novel, and strongly recommended--at least to those who have the sense to understand the parable it offers.

--GFT (Amazon.com Reviewer)--

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Summary: The Book That Began Sci-Fi
Review: This is a book way ahead of its time. It chronicles the invasion of Earth by the inhabitants of neighbouring Mars, from the point of view of the anonymous protagonist. Some of the ideas may seem somewhat inane upon reading the book presently, but bear in mind that it was written over a hundred years ago, where the concept of interaction with extra-terrestrial beings was thoroughly infantile.
The book is seemingly written as a documentary with the hard-hitting authenticity of a late-night news bulletin as opposed to a fantastical yarn spattered with conspicuously impracticable fairytale imagery. This therefore creates a tangible sense of realism that causes the reader to wonder how they might have fared were they thrust into the same situation.
Wells manages to keep the suspense mounting throughout, exploring the reaction of tense and fearful pre-WW1 humanity to the physical embodiment and culmination of their apprehensions, and the novel concludes in a way rather pleasingly unexpected, and that could almost serve to be the twisted moral of this paranoid parable.
If you are looking for a book in which you can examine character developments and interactions, then The War Of The Worlds is at best inappropriate. However, it is a valuable contrivance insofar as instigating speculation as to mankind's position in the universe, and indeed the position of those civilizations and cultures traditionally or habitually thought of as subservient to one's own.
The casual reader might have some difficulty with Wells' linguistic manner, and indeed may have only come across some of the vocabulary used through listening to MatronsApron, yet Wells still manages to explain events thoroughly and concisely.
To conclude, then, The War Of The Worlds is a literary landmark that unquestionably invented the entire science fiction genre, and should appeal to fans of action, fans of adventure, fans of science fiction, and conspiracy theorists alike. With this book, H.G. Wells has proven to be a social commentator, sublime documentarian, sci-fi pioneer, and a splendid storyteller.

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Summary: I loved it, and you will too! :)
Review: This book pulled me in right away. It was so indulging and interesting. I also enjoyed many of H.G. Wells's other books: The time machine, Island of Doctor Moreau, the invisible man. All great books. you must read them NOW!!

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Summary: The War of the Worlds
Review: The War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel and I didn't think it was very interesting. It is about a couple in London, England in the late 1900's. This couple was always interested in the stars and the sky, so when they saw red beams of light they got suspicious. So when people said that a flying suacer had crashed they were not suprised. The Martians started to invade the Earth as soon as the saucer landed. During the fighting this couple got split up. The main conflict is that he tries to fing his wife. I didn't like this book very much because there was not much action. The story would have been better if it was more exciting. I would recommend this book to 14 year olds and over, but more to kids who like science fiction.

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Summary: Martian Invasion
Review: I am an eighteen-year-old senior at Walla Walla High School. I read The War of the Worlds in my English class this year. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the book. There was not a lot of character development, which made it hard for me to get into. The ending also left a lot to be desired for me. Overall, I would say the book was pretty good, but I wouldn't recommend it.

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Summary: War of the Worlds
Review: I read War of the Worlds for my senior english class. This book was pretty much straight forward. There were no character names in this book. It had a basic storyline and focused on it in the enitre book. This is a decent book to read if your into science fiction. I personally did not like the book, however it was very well written . I thought it had a terrible ending but you will have to read it to find out for yourself.

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Summary: The War of the Worlds
Review: Greetings reader, I am Ben Czyhold. I have read "The War of the Worlds" for my English class. "The War of the Worlds" is a novel where Martians, from the dying planet Mars come to Earth to take it for themselves. An Englishman guides you through the mystery and terror of the Martian invasion of Great Britain. If you enjoy science fiction this is a must read.

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Summary: War Of The Worlds
Review: I had to read War of the Worlds for my senior english class. It was very descriptive and imaginative. HG Wells was definately an author decades ahead of his time. The main character in this story (although never named) was very well developed. Wells didn't introduce and attempt to show the lives of many characters which made it more simple and focused. The story line itself was incredibly original, especially for the time it was written. I have yet to read any of his other novels, but I will be sure to soon.

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Summary: Grand Daddy of Alien Invasions
Review: "War of the Worlds" is the classic, groundbreaking tale by H.G. Wells which depicts a horrifying invasion of the Earth (and particularly the British Isles) by invading (and very slimy) hordes from Mars. Not only is this book an enjoyable sci-fi yarn but it also gives a different view of imperialism, namely from the view of the people being conquered. When the book was written, imperialism was at its zenith and an unquestioned fact of life. What Wells did was show the flip-side of imperialism and what it would have been like had the British (or any other colonial power) been on the receiving end of it. The martians represent the European colonial militaries that easily push aside ineffective native armies represented in the book by the British populace.

For all sci-fi fans, this is a must-read.

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Summary: The invasion of the planet Earth, version 1.
Review: H.G. Wells has many books out there. Many are socio-political in nature as he really enjoyed creating books on utopias. Yet he is best known for his sci-fi books. And the best of them all is 'The War Of The Worlds'.
The planet Mars is nearer to its end than Earth and the Martians know it. They decide to move in and take over. It's not like I'm giving away the plot, everybody from tiny kids to grandparents know it. Yet Wells' version of alien invasion still seems to be very powerful. The images of mankind's flight and the Martians' ease at which they seem to smash civilization are still as strong and as bright as when the words were first put down on paper.
Wells' work has spawned other books, a movie, a few radio plays and a musical version.