The War of the Worlds

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Summary: Blows away anything Hollywood can say about alien invasions.
Review: As I was reading this book, I found myself grateful that Wells thought to write about something all of us fear - invasion by an outside enemy that is unstoppable. We earthlings are all control freaks and can't stand for anything that threatens to take that away from us. We are also very vain and arrogant, enjoying our position at the end of our planet's food chain and assuming that God will never create a more advanced species than our own.

But what makes Wells' novel so pleasing and unique is that he wrote this book before the onslaught of 20th century technology and before Hollywood came along and replaced his and others' thought-provoking masterpieces with garbage and then dressed it all up in flashy but unfulfilling special effects. If you have seen "Independence Day", you will see what I am talking about. Why is it always assumed that aliens would wait until we have jet fighters, nuclear warheads, a worldwide communications network and computer hackers to do battle with them? Did the Germans wait until Poland had a swarm of tank divisions and an air force before they invaded it? In Wells' novel, the Martians are smart enough to attack us when all we can do is fire 19th century cannonballs at them and hide in demolished houses like rats. No stupid one-liners from the latest Hollywood actor to jump from a sit-com with high ratings to the movies. Just real terror, real suffering. Something we can take seriously instead of just serving as an excuse for us to go to an air-conditioned movie theater on a hot July day. He offers us a glimpse of defeat, not some cheesy victory celebration that would be very unlikely should we be attacked by an enemy that is, after all, unbeatable. He knocks humanity off its mighty pedestal. No longer are rabbits, birds and fish the latest thing to be served for dinner. It is us who are rounded up and devoured. In Hollywood's version, the good guy always wins and mankind is once again reaffirmed as master of its own fate. But Wells didn't construct this tale to indulge our false sense of security. He knew full well that lurking out there are very real menaces. Whether the unrelenting force is an alien race from outer space, tiny viruses, the commies, or even our own apparent determination to destroy ourselves doesn't really matter.

So read the book, which was written by a man fascinated by the dangers and uncertainties of tomorrow and was not distracted by big dollar signs and computer generated explosions.

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Summary: Much more than I expected
Review: Upon completing this book, I was amazed that this was published when it was (1898?). I was expecting a sugar-coated portrayal of Martians invading England - "Oh, I say, we're under attack!", or some such nonsense. What I got was a very enjoyable book that didn't pull any punches when depicting the chaos, destruction, and death that results from this invasion. His portrayal of the Martians and their technology beats anything that I've read in contemporary science fiction.

The only problem I had with the book was Wells' narrative. The story provides far too much detail at points, giving exact times and locations for minor events which I'd think someone who survived a disaster would have a hard time recollecting. With the overwhelming number of locations for events presented to the reader, you'll need a map of the London area in order to stay on top of things.

Additionally, Asimov's afterword is very insightful, and the cover by Roger Dean is great.

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Summary: Come on!
Review: First of all, this book should NOT have been set in the USA. There are far too many books set here anyway. Give the author a break, if he wants to write something set in the country he knows something about, let him do that. He's been dead for quite a while here, and it would be sacrilege to "update" this book, and americanize it. It makes me sick to watch the entire US population think the rest of the world should be just like them. As for the person who said that he didn't like this book, and rarely read anything, well that's your problem. Of course you aren't going to be able to read a classic and understand it if you only read at a 1st grade level! But overall, this is a good book, well-written and a fantastic read.

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Summary: Classic sci-fi at its best
Review: This was a great book. I've seen the old movie and heard the radio version, but the book is much better. Anyone who claims that it is a bad book because it is 'boring' or because it takes place in England is a fool. The book was written 50 years before we even thought of exploring outer space. Now that's good...

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Summary: A True Classic
Review: H.G. Wells is a great writer and this book, along with The Time Machine, is his best. It had lots of detail and was very interesting. You have to stop and really think about what has happened in the story to understand it. Don't listen to all those kids that wrote reviews of this book. They don't know what they are thinking. They are too young and immature to grasp this book. Though there are exceptions, such as myself. I read this book when I was in 7th grade and thought it was great. If you want to read an enthralling story, read The War of the Worlds.

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Summary: A major classic and influence on later literature.
Review: This is the first novel describing warfare between planets. Mars is portrayed as a dying world. An invasion, expeditionary force of Martians has landed in southern England, landing first in Woking (about 25 miles southwest of London), and this event and the destruction caused by the Martians is seen through the eyes of a writer in speculative philosophy. This book is probably Wells' most noted work. It was published right after certain noted astronomical observations had been reported in the newspapers. Wells refers to his novel as an attack on "human self-satisfaction." At that time, Britain was deeply involved in Empire activities in Africa and India and Wells had presented a story in which "the tables are turned:" now it is England who suffers takeover. The book isn't simply a science fiction tale (or, even the first novel of a war between planets). It leads into a discussion of Britain's role in the world, of imperialism, and of colonialism. And, to all those teenagers who thought it was boring and gave it one star, remember that it was the first novel in a whole sub-genre of science fiction. It appeared in 1898! My goodness, think of the science of that time. Marie Curie's first paper was only just published in 1897. The first all-metal dirigible first flew in November of 1897. This is a pioneering novel. And you should read it as such. Those other books and films you use as examples would not be what they are without Wells.

Rating:
Summary: Classic!
Review: Ignore the reviews sent in by the bored adolescents. This book is a classic. If you like this one, try to find a copy of "The Kraken Wakes" (Also known as "Out of the Deeps") by John Wyndham. It's another great story of an alien invasion, and is unfortunately out of print, but is well worth trying to find.

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Summary: It has obviously stood the test of time. An excellent story
Review: The first time I heard it on audio casette,I was astounded and since then I have re-listened to it dozens of times. Well worth buying as a casette or a book.

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Summary: The War of the Worlds, Best Book Ever?
Review: Imagine that you wake up after a great night's sleep, only to find that your whole town has been destroyed in the last few hours. All around you are burning carcasses of people you know and love. Would you run, or would you try to kill what did this? Then what if you remember the cylinders with the big, long legged aliens that come out of it. Would you then fight or run?

This may sound like something that only a hermit could conjure up, yet an well-educated man wrote it. His name was H.G. Wells and he wrote this book called War of the Worlds. In this story, Martians land in a small town where the narrator lives. Twenty or so round looking cylinders, crash into the soft dirt. The whole town viewed the odd shaped space ships hit the ground, so they went to look. Long legged aliens emerged from the cylinders. The narrator flees along with his family and a borrowed wagon.

Around nine o'clock, the narrator returns to his town to find that it has been completely deserted and almost destroyed. The rest of the story is how the narrator finds his way home and his very interesting and dangerous struggle to survive. Many interesting events occur to the man behind the voice.

This book is full of action packed paragraphs that make you want to read more. The most suspenseful scene is at the beginning when the Martians land on Earth. They are discovered in "the pit," a small, bare basin, near the town in which the narrator lives. Groups of people have gathered near the spaceship, surrounding it. In one foul instant, a green flash of light disintegrates all around the spaceship, and sets fire to everything in its way. The narrator nearly escapes to his demise, to find that people do not care that there are Martians in their town.

If you love action packed, edge of your seat books, then you will surely love this book. It is full with quickly moving action and it is never predictable. When this book was wrote it was ahead of it's time, and is still a very futuristic book. If you love sci-fi books then this is for you. Even if you do not like sci-fi books, still read it. Pick up The War of the Worlds before there all gone.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, terrifying, intelligent, thoughtful, REAL!
Review: Not bad for 1892! A defining book, and in my top three faves. I first read this when I was twelve, and I have not been without a dog-eared copy since. The images it conjurs in the mind are terrifying, walking through the English countryside I often imagine those giant, pitiless war machines, striding over smashed artilery, burnt out houses, and men and horses suffocated by the unbeatable black smoke.

I thought this book would be better received. I'm glad the book is not set in the US as although it is a great place to set a story in, we English need our own Apocalypse. The book is far from dull, and Well's narates it like a documentary, making you believe that it has actually happened. Do not hesitate, buy it. I cannot be sure that you will like it, but it is worth the risk for a book that could haunt your mind for the rest of your life. Uuulah!