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The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds describes the fictional 1895 invasion of Earth by aliens from Mars who use laser-like Heat-Rays, chemical weapons, and mechanical three-legged ''fighting machines'' that could potentially be viewed as precursors to the tank. After defeating the resistance the Martians devastate much of eastern England, including London...
Book Excerpt
o recall some of the mental habits of those departed days. At most terrestrial men fancied there might be other men upon Mars, perhaps inferior to themselves and ready to welcome a missionary enterprise. Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. And early in the twentieth century came the great disillusionment.
The planet Mars, I scarcely need remind the reader, revolves about the sun at a mean distance of 140,000,000 miles, and the light and heat it receives from the sun is barely half of that received by this world. It must be, if the nebular hypothesis has any truth, older than our world; and long before this earth ceased to be molten, life upon its surface must have begun its course. The fact that it is scarcely one seventh of the volume of the earth must have accelerated its cooling to the temperature a
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this was the very first book I read when I was 8 years old, and now, almost 24 years later I still consider it the best Sci Fi book of all times.
Vick Peña
Mty, Mex
Vick Peña
Mty, Mex
12/02/2006
War of the Worlds is a masterpiece! My husband just came home last week with the newest Tom Cruise version, and he also went through the old movies and for fun bought the older one, too. Strangely enough, when it came time to watch them, he put in the older one - and and he, never having read the book, remarked... how this was the "real" War of the Worlds...
He loved the sense of fear, horror and suspense. Being children of the 50's we can relate to "Duck and Cover", and other atomic bomb drills we had in elementary school.
"But", I commented... "imagine this is happening before the turn of the century? Most of the rural population had never even seen a flying machine!".
And that's just the point. In Wells' original writing, we discover how he brings in a sense of curiosity, amazement and genuine innocence as the first few characters actually see the visitors become invaders. As we put ourselves into his story, we can feel surprise and terror of the most wonderful thing we've ever seen!
I first read War of the Worlds as a child, after hearing my dad tell me about his hearing Orson Well's Mercury Theater broadcast as a child. At the time, I thought it was a just a scary story, or a play made up for radio. So he bought me a paper-back at the drugstore. I'm not sure if he himself had ever read it - just that he wanted to share the thrill with me.
I read it again as teenager, and as a young mother - and most recently again as a semi-retired-reading-grandma. But lately, I'm listening to a recording of the original manuscript on my iPod.
What keeps bringing me back? I believe an active mind is healthy mind, and War of the Worlds is packed with action and stimulation. I consider H. G. Wells to be the father of science fiction.
I only wish a movie would be made without adaptation. Let it be London... and for contrast, set among farms, cottages and tin lizzies or horse draw wagons... let the real words of H.G. Wells pull us into Shock and Awe, just as he intended :o)
He loved the sense of fear, horror and suspense. Being children of the 50's we can relate to "Duck and Cover", and other atomic bomb drills we had in elementary school.
"But", I commented... "imagine this is happening before the turn of the century? Most of the rural population had never even seen a flying machine!".
And that's just the point. In Wells' original writing, we discover how he brings in a sense of curiosity, amazement and genuine innocence as the first few characters actually see the visitors become invaders. As we put ourselves into his story, we can feel surprise and terror of the most wonderful thing we've ever seen!
I first read War of the Worlds as a child, after hearing my dad tell me about his hearing Orson Well's Mercury Theater broadcast as a child. At the time, I thought it was a just a scary story, or a play made up for radio. So he bought me a paper-back at the drugstore. I'm not sure if he himself had ever read it - just that he wanted to share the thrill with me.
I read it again as teenager, and as a young mother - and most recently again as a semi-retired-reading-grandma. But lately, I'm listening to a recording of the original manuscript on my iPod.
What keeps bringing me back? I believe an active mind is healthy mind, and War of the Worlds is packed with action and stimulation. I consider H. G. Wells to be the father of science fiction.
I only wish a movie would be made without adaptation. Let it be London... and for contrast, set among farms, cottages and tin lizzies or horse draw wagons... let the real words of H.G. Wells pull us into Shock and Awe, just as he intended :o)
05/24/2006
Simply one of the best science fiction novels ever written with a satisfying and surprising ending, though modern readers will probably be aware of it already. Even if you are there is much to savour in this fine novel, not least a great sense of how people thought about science in the late Victorian era. A great book that stands the test of time and defined a genre.
03/27/2006
It's pretty Good!
I like it.
Thanks
I like it.
Thanks
12/06/2005
Possibly one of the greatest books ever written and one of the greatest books I'll ever read.
11/19/2005
A great novel - it captures the terror of an alien invasion and the resulting panic perfectly (far better than the 2005 movie with Tom Cruise). You'll get so caught up in the story you'll have trouble putting it down!
08/23/2005