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The War of the Worlds

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218 pages, Paperback

Published June 2, 2024

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About the author

H.G. Wells

5,248 books11.3k followers
Herbert George Wells was born to a working class family in Kent, England. Young Wells received a spotty education, interrupted by several illnesses and family difficulties, and became a draper's apprentice as a teenager. The headmaster of Midhurst Grammar School, where he had spent a year, arranged for him to return as an "usher," or student teacher. Wells earned a government scholarship in 1884, to study biology under Thomas Henry Huxley at the Normal School of Science. Wells earned his bachelor of science and doctor of science degrees at the University of London. After marrying his cousin, Isabel, Wells began to supplement his teaching salary with short stories and freelance articles, then books, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).

Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.

He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.

More: http://philosopedia.org/index.php/H._...

http://www.online-literature.com/well...

http://www.hgwellsusa.50megs.com/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells

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5 stars
23 (28%)
4 stars
26 (31%)
3 stars
26 (31%)
2 stars
6 (7%)
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1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for KALAU WEEKEND BACA BUKU.
77 reviews
April 4, 2026
It came with wrinkles on my forehead. Alot, during the journey reading this book. 😁

The writing is so english (UK), classic diction to describe a horror scifi about alien invation.

Saya membeli buku ini di big bad wolf medan karena tertarik saat membaca cuplikan 1 halamannya di amazon. Satu halaman dengan kalimat menggetarkan yang mengingatkan saya pada suara Morgan Freeman sebagai narator di film War of The Worlds (2005) di awal film.

“No one would have believed, in the last years of nineteenth century, that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater rhan man’a and yet as mortal as his own.” (Weeewwww, serem)

“Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of rhe beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plains against us.” (Merinding seketika)

I was watched the 2005 movie staring with Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning, and I loved it so much, but give me different prespecrive when I read the book version

HG Wells sangat diskriptif dan puitis. Berhubung ini novel horror scifi ya, agaknya cukup challenging buat saya untuk memahami dan mengikuti cerita. Novel ini bukan sebuah cerita yang berproses namun sebuah narasi dari tokoh utamanya yang cenderung bercerita tentang pengalamannya saat alien menginvasi bumi, khususnya di Inggris menggambil setting akhir era victorian (1900an).

Sebuah perjalanan yang melelahkan saat membaca novel ini namun guilty pleasure is charged 😅 karena saya dibantu dengan versi komiknya (The war of the worlds by Ian Edginton & ilustrated by Israeli 2006) yang penggambaranya sangat mirip dan mendekati cerita di novel.

Novel ini terbagi menjadi 2 part dengan chapter-chapter yang cukup pendek dan bervariatif. Dan sesungguhnya saya masih dibuat penasaran dan ingin memiliki versi terjemahannya (Peperangan Dunia yang diterbitkan tahun 2012 sebagai koleksi classic tales terbitan elexmedia komputindo)

Saya memberi rating novel ini 3,6⭐️/5⭐️
Profile Image for MATK.
70 reviews
January 20, 2026
I have been trying to get a few classics I missed in and decided to give this a go.
It’s important to note I listened to a full theater version that was made to play like it played on the radio as a broadcast.
I understand now why people thought it was real and why we were being invaded. (This originally aired before ww2) From my modern point of view in America with everything going on now in our news I can especially be empathetic and understand if people missed the mentions of martians I can see why people would think foreign countries were invading. It can sound pretty convincing if you weren’t able to immediately fact check it with anything else.
Profile Image for John Brannigan.
50 reviews
November 21, 2025
3.5⭐️

a definite classic for obvious reasons (novelty at the time, great writing, etc). the differences in today’s colloquial language to that of the time slows down the reading pace exponentially, especially with multitudinous incredibly descriptive passages. that being said, it’s still a very enjoyable read and a piece of history.

found it funny that he said they solved the problem of flight, as if it was science fiction, which it literally was at the time. love some good old historic dramatic irony.
Profile Image for Iluvsera.
65 reviews
February 27, 2026
Mest roligt att ha läst den men mindre rolig att läsa. Intressant att jämföra med samtida romaner i genren i tempo och dramaturgi. Det går så sakta och även om jorden (England) invaderas av utomjordingar så är det aldrig spännande eller skrämmande. Men det var väl det 1898? Också intressant med den haltande gestaltningen av karaktärer. Jag lär aldrig känna någon, inte ens huvudkaraktären, och bryr mig inte om han överlever eller blir uppäten. Ord som används oerhört ofta i romanen: ”presently” och ”tumult”. Så störigt.
Profile Image for Kristin Jensen.
719 reviews
December 3, 2025
I really enjoyed some parts of the book, like the thinly veiled critique of the human civilization and conquest, and the disregard or other types of life except for our own species... But I felt that it was dragging at times and I didn't like the end which I think didn't really fit with the book's gloomy vibe.
However, I completely understand why this was such a pivotal book at the time.
134 reviews1 follower
February 3, 2026
Para todos los que se rieron de que el hijo de Tom Cruise aparecía al final de la película como por arte de magia. Aprendan, dice Wells. Por otro lado, es muy cinematográfico para narrar Wells, lo que es todo un mérito teniendo en cuenta la época en que escribió.
799 reviews10 followers
February 11, 2026
It remains a masterpiece. It's interesting that the Welles version from the radio is so imprinted on our minds that reading the original text can still surprise one. So many interesting ideas and such a great premise.
Profile Image for Linda Rowan.
100 reviews6 followers
December 9, 2025
I'm in a bit of a reading slump, so reading a classic probably wasn't the best idea. I may have enjoyed this more had I read at a different time.
Profile Image for Gareth Franklin.
116 reviews2 followers
March 16, 2026
Really enjoyed this - can definitely tell why it's considered a classic.
157 reviews
April 19, 2026
I bought this book because my brother recommended it to me, but after a while, I realized that this isn’t my favorite genre.
Profile Image for squigglio.
74 reviews
June 16, 2025
hey that was fun. what an exciting breezy read that hardly feels the least bit dated. would love to have been there in the 'tumult.'
Profile Image for inaya..
66 reviews
July 30, 2025
the beginning of an era; incredible how creativity flourished during such a time. to become the blueprint of a genre is indeed something.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews