Title: The War of the World’s

Author: H.G. Wells

Genre: Science Fiction, Classic Literature

Publisher: Orion Books Classic Collection

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 150

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

With H.G. Wells’ other novels, The War of the Worlds was one of the first and greatest works of science fiction ever to be written. Even long before man had learned to fly, H.G. Wells wrote this story of the Martian attack on England. These unearthly creatures arrive in huge cylinders, from which they escape as soon as the metal is cool. The first falls near Woking and is regarded as a curiosity rather than a danger until the Martians climb out of it and kill many of the gaping crowd with a Heat-Ray. These unearthly creatures have heads four feet in diameter and colossal round bodies, and by manipulating two terrifying machines – the Handling Machine and the Fighting Machine – they are as versatile as humans and at the same time insuperable. They cause boundless destruction. The inhabitants of the Earth are powerless against them, and it looks as if the end of the World has come. But there is one factor which the Martians, in spite of their superior intelligence, have not reckoned on. It is this which brings about a miraculous conclusion to this famous work of the imagination.

Review:

I finished this book in one sitting and it was a super cool read! I love the imagination that Wells has, and how he is able to use science to come up with all these stories and scenarios so that they actually make sense! Which is why his stories are considered so scary!

The story is about a Martian invasion and one man’s experience of it. The Martians have certain technologies that allow them to easily wipe out a group of humans, and the people don’t know how to fight such a formidable enemy! One man struggles to survive in a world that seems about to be destroyed! Common themes I saw were man vs evil, and how can humanity remain in a world where the human race could become wiped out. I found it interesting when they started talking about moving the human race underground, and building up a resistance to the martians. This put the humans in a rebellion role, in their own land. Many comparisons can be made, and I find it interesting that this was written at a time when many intellectual groups were forced to keep their ideas hidden and “underground” for fear of being persecuted.

Overall, a great and gripping tale!
Happy reading bookworms!