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The War of the Worlds
Hot on the heels of the blockbuster film comes a version of H.G. Wells’ chilling tale of alien invasion that every child can enjoy. It begins as the sky lights up with bright cylinders from Mars that look like falling stars—and continues as the Martians emerge from their vessels with machines of fire and deadly smoke. Wells’s depiction of a city in panic—written in 1898—still remains shockingly contemporary.
- GenresClassicsMiddle Grade
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First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 3, 2015
In recent media, we have seen many a work that involves the “impending doom of humanity has come upon us by aliens,” scenario. So much so, that the idea and novelty of such scenario has worn off. From movies like Independence Day, to hey, what do you know? A movie adaptation of the book, starring Tom Cruise, and was directed by Steven Spielberg, am I reviewing this book because of the movie? No, actually, full disclosure here; I have not seen the movie, so you can be sure that my review will pertain to the book only.
But, before we do talk more about War of the Worlds, we have to talk about H.G. Wells. H.G. Wells has to be THE one of the most influential authors of all time, and shaped science fiction, and many of the tropes in the genre that we use today. For reference; H.G. Wells has written The Time Machine, another influential novel that shaped many tropes. However, the question is, does the book still hold up today, even after the stagnation of the genre? Let’s find out.
War of the Worlds, begins on our main character, whose name is….. Actually, that’s not very clear, nor is it very important to begin with. In other cases, this would be a hit, against the narrative, but in this case, it isn’t, and I’ll explain why.
One of the things, War of the Worlds, does instantly better than any other science fiction story, is that, instead of creating characters; that see things differently than you do, and express them in ways that fit the character, and as such, might not give you a very good description for the sacrifice of good character building, this book uses a first person narrative, and a narrator. Detailing everything that happens. As if you're experiencing it yourself. You see, that is one thing, that is very important. It’s not the character’s going through this ordeal. No, in this case, it’s specifically tailored to you, so you can insert yourself in place of the Main Character. This is done, so you can experience everything all the more strongly. It feels like you're in these situations, and you can sympathise, and feel the strange and unsettling feeling of what the Martians are like, and it feels quite detailed and well done.
For the most part, and by that I mean, this book is very old, so some of the things that happen in the book, (for example; people still using steamboats) can be jarring and disconnecting to a modern reader who is not used to 1800’s style settings. In fact, it can sometimes feel quite surreal, having all this alien technology, next to old steamboats and wagons. (And yes, the Aliens do have laser guns, but, their called “Heat Rays,” respectively.)
The Aliens themselves, are quite interesting, and though I will not reveal too much about them for spoiler reasons, let’s just say, the way that it ends is actually quite thought provoking.
In my opinion, it is that last twist that gives War of the Worlds, it’s unique flavor, that no other Science Fiction book I have read so far has ever had. And it still feels relevant, no matter how old the setting is.
However, good cannot be without evil, and with this book’s merits, come a few flaws, some more glaring than others.
For one, I did hint that not having interesting characters would not be a hit against this book, but, if there was a formal complaint to be made, I would admit it would actually be that fact, that, yes, there are no interesting characters. This is especially noticeable, since, there really isn’t anyone that memorable worth talking about in this book. It certainly gets a point off from that, and if you like interesting characters to follow, well, this book isn’t for you. As they don’t even really develop, and at most, you see them for about a few chapters. This is a book that is sustained by the premise, and the premise alone. Anything, and everything else is actually lacking. Being the optimist here though, if there is one thing that I have to commend modern day science fiction stories for doing, it’s being able to make an interesting protagonist.
In conclusion, would I recommend this book? Well, yes. In the stagnated era of teen novels, it is a welcome change.
However, if you are looking for alternate recommendations, I point you to:
1. The Time Machine
This is the OTHER book that H.G. Wells has written, and is worth your time to read. And is a better, if not equally as good book as The War of the Worlds.
2. Fahrenheit 451
One of my personal favorite classics. This has been recommended, because it is too, a fresh breath of originality, in the now stagnant genre of future dystopia novels. In fact, I’ll even link you to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
But, before we do talk more about War of the Worlds, we have to talk about H.G. Wells. H.G. Wells has to be THE one of the most influential authors of all time, and shaped science fiction, and many of the tropes in the genre that we use today. For reference; H.G. Wells has written The Time Machine, another influential novel that shaped many tropes. However, the question is, does the book still hold up today, even after the stagnation of the genre? Let’s find out.
War of the Worlds, begins on our main character, whose name is….. Actually, that’s not very clear, nor is it very important to begin with. In other cases, this would be a hit, against the narrative, but in this case, it isn’t, and I’ll explain why.
One of the things, War of the Worlds, does instantly better than any other science fiction story, is that, instead of creating characters; that see things differently than you do, and express them in ways that fit the character, and as such, might not give you a very good description for the sacrifice of good character building, this book uses a first person narrative, and a narrator. Detailing everything that happens. As if you're experiencing it yourself. You see, that is one thing, that is very important. It’s not the character’s going through this ordeal. No, in this case, it’s specifically tailored to you, so you can insert yourself in place of the Main Character. This is done, so you can experience everything all the more strongly. It feels like you're in these situations, and you can sympathise, and feel the strange and unsettling feeling of what the Martians are like, and it feels quite detailed and well done.
For the most part, and by that I mean, this book is very old, so some of the things that happen in the book, (for example; people still using steamboats) can be jarring and disconnecting to a modern reader who is not used to 1800’s style settings. In fact, it can sometimes feel quite surreal, having all this alien technology, next to old steamboats and wagons. (And yes, the Aliens do have laser guns, but, their called “Heat Rays,” respectively.)
The Aliens themselves, are quite interesting, and though I will not reveal too much about them for spoiler reasons, let’s just say, the way that it ends is actually quite thought provoking.
In my opinion, it is that last twist that gives War of the Worlds, it’s unique flavor, that no other Science Fiction book I have read so far has ever had. And it still feels relevant, no matter how old the setting is.
However, good cannot be without evil, and with this book’s merits, come a few flaws, some more glaring than others.
For one, I did hint that not having interesting characters would not be a hit against this book, but, if there was a formal complaint to be made, I would admit it would actually be that fact, that, yes, there are no interesting characters. This is especially noticeable, since, there really isn’t anyone that memorable worth talking about in this book. It certainly gets a point off from that, and if you like interesting characters to follow, well, this book isn’t for you. As they don’t even really develop, and at most, you see them for about a few chapters. This is a book that is sustained by the premise, and the premise alone. Anything, and everything else is actually lacking. Being the optimist here though, if there is one thing that I have to commend modern day science fiction stories for doing, it’s being able to make an interesting protagonist.
In conclusion, would I recommend this book? Well, yes. In the stagnated era of teen novels, it is a welcome change.
However, if you are looking for alternate recommendations, I point you to:
1. The Time Machine
This is the OTHER book that H.G. Wells has written, and is worth your time to read. And is a better, if not equally as good book as The War of the Worlds.
2. Fahrenheit 451
One of my personal favorite classics. This has been recommended, because it is too, a fresh breath of originality, in the now stagnant genre of future dystopia novels. In fact, I’ll even link you to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
December 29, 2021
Great classic story made for young readers; had this book when I was younger and "read it" but I never really did/didn't actually pay attention to the text, so it's like this was my first time reading it. Loved the pace of the story and even though this isn't the original text, it still captivates the reader and has meaning behind the story. It has a great plot and the narration is great.
October 15, 2022
A children's version of this classic story that helped me keep track of the basic outline of the story.
Great read!
Great read!
June 29, 2022
Una muy grata lectura, me gustó mucho leer el título aunque ahora quiero leer uno de estos con el cuento completo
September 26, 2011
First Impressions:
An unusual falling star -- a puff of green smoke-something on the planet Mars -- and the world turns and goes about its business, unknowing in its complacency as the cold, calculating Martians and their machines make their first drive on the planet Earth.
Plots/Story:
It's interesting that I've never actually read H.G. Well's War of the Worlds! I've watched two films and listened to Orson Welles' radio show and thought I had the story down. Yes, but only in a general way.
The plot at times runs slow and I'm sure that's the Victorian era style of writing that this modern reader was having some hard time with, so I won't criticize the novel for its style. I will say though that the story is frightening and more likely a horror story that has various themes.
Themes:
The themes of people going crazy in the face of an unstoppable enemy is frightening in its accuracy. I've seen this in other science fiction stories as well: people have their foundations for their lives knocked out from under them and so have no problem with killing each other for food, for property and even cannibalism.
Wells makes some comment on how the people of his generation marry for convenience or money, get a trophy wife and go about their business not really living life. He makes this point several times.
Another theme is against an ironclad belief in religion to such a degree that you give up all your self-confidence and realism, shout that God is punishing you and give up and die. This idea was abhorrent to H.G., apparently. The journalist's run-in with the priest (the "curate" actually) was an interesting tale in desperation as each fought to the other, animalistically, and yet were completely motivated by fear.
Other Aspects:
The book shifts to the journalist's brother, whose tale of a fallen London is quite epic. The only problem with this part of the book was that it's unclear how the brother got to the journalist-narrator to get his story in the first place!
Future Inventions: Use of the idea of flight, the heat ray to burn down anything and everything, the unscratchable Martian armor, and the poison black smoke that kills all it comes in contact with, was a fascinating look into the future, some of it fairly accurate.
Another fun thing at the end had the apparent hint of a Mars/Venus altercation. Too bad he didn't write a sequel on that one!
Books to Media:
The 1953 version of War of the Worlds is my favorite adaptation. It kept the idea of a journalist and the heat ray. The unstoppable Martians could not even be stopped by an atom bomb!
The Tom Cruise version kept the idea of the baskets and how the Martian machines would scoop people up into these baskets -- the book explains for food and keeping more humans for breeding and food purposes.
And of course the Halloween treat by Orson Welles' radio show of 1938 which clearly put his face out there and where he enjoyed some fame as a twenty-something producer as he formed an invasion of New Jersey. Wow!
Bottom Line:
A classic in many respects, The War of the Worlds is a narrative that criticizes in science fiction form the attitudes and strict Victorian society of the time as well as contemplates Man's reactions to an apparent extermination of the species. Will we have men like the artilleryman, who dreams of a society of supermen who will some day bring down the Martians, or the curate, who would give up and die under the foot of the Martian march across the Continent?
Or will a simple sneeze wipe out a whole invasion force?
Highly recommended!
An unusual falling star -- a puff of green smoke-something on the planet Mars -- and the world turns and goes about its business, unknowing in its complacency as the cold, calculating Martians and their machines make their first drive on the planet Earth.
Plots/Story:
It's interesting that I've never actually read H.G. Well's War of the Worlds! I've watched two films and listened to Orson Welles' radio show and thought I had the story down. Yes, but only in a general way.
The plot at times runs slow and I'm sure that's the Victorian era style of writing that this modern reader was having some hard time with, so I won't criticize the novel for its style. I will say though that the story is frightening and more likely a horror story that has various themes.
Themes:
The themes of people going crazy in the face of an unstoppable enemy is frightening in its accuracy. I've seen this in other science fiction stories as well: people have their foundations for their lives knocked out from under them and so have no problem with killing each other for food, for property and even cannibalism.
Wells makes some comment on how the people of his generation marry for convenience or money, get a trophy wife and go about their business not really living life. He makes this point several times.
Another theme is against an ironclad belief in religion to such a degree that you give up all your self-confidence and realism, shout that God is punishing you and give up and die. This idea was abhorrent to H.G., apparently. The journalist's run-in with the priest (the "curate" actually) was an interesting tale in desperation as each fought to the other, animalistically, and yet were completely motivated by fear.
Other Aspects:
The book shifts to the journalist's brother, whose tale of a fallen London is quite epic. The only problem with this part of the book was that it's unclear how the brother got to the journalist-narrator to get his story in the first place!
Future Inventions: Use of the idea of flight, the heat ray to burn down anything and everything, the unscratchable Martian armor, and the poison black smoke that kills all it comes in contact with, was a fascinating look into the future, some of it fairly accurate.
Another fun thing at the end had the apparent hint of a Mars/Venus altercation. Too bad he didn't write a sequel on that one!
Books to Media:
The 1953 version of War of the Worlds is my favorite adaptation. It kept the idea of a journalist and the heat ray. The unstoppable Martians could not even be stopped by an atom bomb!
The Tom Cruise version kept the idea of the baskets and how the Martian machines would scoop people up into these baskets -- the book explains for food and keeping more humans for breeding and food purposes.
And of course the Halloween treat by Orson Welles' radio show of 1938 which clearly put his face out there and where he enjoyed some fame as a twenty-something producer as he formed an invasion of New Jersey. Wow!
Bottom Line:
A classic in many respects, The War of the Worlds is a narrative that criticizes in science fiction form the attitudes and strict Victorian society of the time as well as contemplates Man's reactions to an apparent extermination of the species. Will we have men like the artilleryman, who dreams of a society of supermen who will some day bring down the Martians, or the curate, who would give up and die under the foot of the Martian march across the Continent?
Or will a simple sneeze wipe out a whole invasion force?
Highly recommended!
January 15, 2009
I really like this book because it really made sense about how aliens could be real. It was interesting how the alien machines looked and worked. I liked how it went deep down to explain how everything in the story worked.
January 14, 2013
It was kind of creepy.
May 7, 2014
It was very intense and had lots of action and it is like a si-FY , action book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews