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The War of the Worlds
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The War of The Worlds
I think it's a good choice!Wish you reading fun
For those of us who have e-readers, there is a free copy on the UK Amazon site for kindle - link belowhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/The-War-World...
There is also a free audio version from Librivox, available via i-tunes. It comes as a series of 27 podcast episodes.
And there's also a dramatised version (from 1967!) available from my local library's online audiobook borrowing (for those of us who live in Dorset!!)
For me 've got a book pdf!Some can be obtained PDF as well!
Mod
My Dad introduced me to them and I remember loving them as a child (though slightly older than my children).
So pleased! I haven't read this since I was a teenager and it's always great to revisit a book that knocked your socks off at the time.
This has been sitting on my Kindle for about a month now - so glad to get onto it. Will be my holiday read.
I've a question, i'm not english so is the book diffult to read? or is it easy written? because i'd likes to read it in english because that's the original language but i'm only learing for 2 years now so...
I think you'd find it okay, Jennifer. The use of language is slightly more formal than in contemporary literature, but I don't think it's difficult. All power to you for reading in a second language - go for it - and good luck!
To be honest Jennifer I don't know. I haven't read it before. I'd say give it a go and see how you get on. And do ask if you struggle with it. We will be reading it at roughly the same time so will try and help with any difficulty you have with the language.
And what Susan says! You beat me to it Susan!
okay thank you guys i will try it ;)
Mod
Yes, I think it`s about 130 pages. Nice read and very advanced for its time.
Jennifer I think it's about 188 pages rather than 130 pages!I've already read it! I thought it was wonderful novel and very enjoyable, I know that all of you planning to read other books, but you should read this novel as soon as I gave her a 4-star is well worth it, the first once again and Fiction Books I've actually liked!
Read enjoyable
My edition on kindle says 180 pages but others seem to vary between 120 and 180. Curious!
Yeah, maybe because I`ve read it on my Kindle.
Mine is 259 pages. (Large Print often runs to longer page lengths though.)Can anyone tell me if "Earth" is capitalised in their copy? It feels wrong that mine says "earth" somehow; maybe it's the edition and not H. G. Wells.
Now I must confess that I started the book about half an hour ago. Yes yes, I know I'm not supposed to, but it suddenly occurred to me that it'll be 1st already somewhere it the world....
It's already tomorrow - now there's a Wellsian premise!
Mod
Jo wrote: "I am quite excited about this one - however, I have the music from th soundtrack running around my head, with Richard Burton's incredible voice running through. Will I be able to read with a blank ..."I'm coming to this with a completely blank canvas. I haven't read it before, or heard it read, or dramatised. Looking forward to it very much.
What do you think of the film? Is it good?
Mod
I believe the film is utterly dire. It has Tom Cruise in, so I have no reason to think it will be any good.
All this talk, I may need to dip out of my current read and just read WOTW and be done, I'm terribly excited!
Mod
I'd forgotten just how forward thinking and insightful this book is, considering when it was written.
Jean wrote: "Mine is 259 pages. (Large Print often runs to longer page lengths though.)Can anyone tell me if "Earth" is capitalised in their copy? It feels wrong that mine says "earth" somehow; maybe it's the..."
No capital 'E' in my edition, Jean, which is the freebie download. About to settle down in the garden and start this.
I'm looking forward to this. I've never read any H.G. Wells; instead I've seen movies based on his books. My husband, who has read it, decided to read it with me (we both have Kindles). He's not the book club type, but is looking forward to re-reading this one.Jo - I agree. I confess to starting last night, and thought how amazingly forward thinking he was. He is definitely one of the grandfathers of science fiction (along with Jules Verne of course).
Mod
Kathy - it strikes you straight away, doesn't it? I've never read Jules Verne
A little history behind the tale for those who don't know it: There was a little sub-genre at the end of the 19th century, 'invasion literature'. People (even then) were worried about re-armaments of Germany and Europe, and invasion by a technically superior nation, and the book partially came out of that.
Having said that, this can be enjoyed on many levels. If you ask me, it's pure kick-a** of a book from start to finish.
My favourite part is the narrators descriptions of being (view spoiler).
An older relative had the Jeff Wayne musical version years ago (The artwork was freaky, wasn't it?). I still read parts of the book in Richard Burton's voice, even now: "Never before in the history of man had so many people moved and suffered at the same time."
There have been several other dramatisations. How about the 1953 film, with its vivid colourisation? Gene Barry starred I think - I still love this version. The 2005 Steven Spielberg film starring Tom Cruise leaves me cold. Yes it's epic, but there's not much of the original story left really.Tony - there are a lot of SF films - and TV shows - from after WWII which persisted into the 60's, and which form part of this genre I think. Aliens were always "invading" Earth, and there was a lot of "the enemy within our midst" stuff. How about the TV show "The Invaders", where you could always tell the baddie because of their crooked little finger on their left hand??
I have got mine in iBooks and the page numbers change depending on the size of font you choose. I have 554 pages!! Also earth has no capitals.Jean the Tom Cruise version also left me cold. It was about Tom Cruise playing Tom Cruise and it was very typically Hollywood. I preferred the older versions, more atmospheric and stick to the original story.
My confession is that we actually have the Jeff Wayne album. It is a long time since it has come out of the cupboard. I'll have to dust it off and play it over the school holidays!
I have finished! Couldn't put it down.
How is everyone else getting on with this one?
It's an amazing book, isn't it? In some ways he's so prescient. I'm into the second part now, but will wait until I finish before saying more. Probably.
Mod
Richard Burton still ringing loud and clear in my head (not a bad thing!)
Starting this today, July 5.
I'm not far into it yet but am enjoying it. I have the free Kindle version, and it capitalizes earth as well as thing (when referring to the Martians as "the Thing").
Mod
Finished! Have put a review up of this marvellous book. Maybe I'll be able to get some sleep now....
Just started, but I find it interesting that even now with the Rovers and Curiosity, he pulls me into the reality of his world and I believe it. Enjoying it thoroughly. This is one of those books that I thought I had read, but realized as soon as I started it, that I never had. Glad you picked it.
I completely agree, Marcy, although I have also just started the book I kept frowning and checking the publication date because it opens like a modern science journal!
read this at school years ago so could remember most of it..so just skimmed through it again...think Wells wrote some really good imaginative stories considering how long ago they were written..glad to say we haven't been invaded by Martians yet (as far as I know anyway, could be living among us and blended in so we can't tell) but hope if ever we are invaded by space aliens that the germs us humans have become immune to would see them off again
Elaine wrote: "read this at school years ago so could remember most of it..so just skimmed through it again...think Wells wrote some really good imaginative stories considering how long ago they were written..gla..."Elaine - would you mind editing your post just to put the spoiler bit at the end behind a spoiler alert please? If you're not sure how to do this, then you need to type < spoiler > but don't leave the spaces between the < and the word spoiler >. So it looks like this (view spoiler)
I loved that the pace of life was so different when the novel was written that events occurring in Woking were so far removed from London that people there were completely unconcerned. It was a long way away to them! If I had to have a criticism of the novel, it would be the telling of the brother's story which was then suddenly dropped. There was no proper conclusion to it.
Lynne wrote: "It's been ages since I read any HG Wells. I was probably only about nine when I first came across The War of the Worlds. I remember liking the story then, but after this recent read, I realise that..."One of the things I struggled with was the geography of the region as well when I first read it. I had a UK road atlas open beside it as I read along so I could keep up.
I liked the brother's half of the story. The accelerating pace and hearsay becoming fact was very realistic of an unfolding disaster.
* Spoiler - Martian landing site Map*
(view spoiler)
I have struggled to write a comment since finishing the book, I keep starting and then cancelling! I can't decide why.. I enjoyed the book enough to read it twice but I'm not sure what is bothering me about it???I think that historically, I liked the sense of time and place, it is great and it certainly still has many elements that resonate today and yet there is an element of naïveté or perhaps arrogance (stiff upper lip stuff) about it that seems wrong somehow. People's reactions to the situation they face seems wrong and almost lacks humanity and certainly lacks human dignity.
Still whatever it's faults I enjoyed it.
Super book! I really enjoyed it. It was eerily prophetic of WWII.
Loved the language, so flowing and descriptive.
Elizabeth wrote: "How is everyone else getting on with this one?"At this point I'm 2/3 in and feel like I'm slogging through. It's so completely plot-driven that I don't feel anything for any characters, not that there really are any characters. Hardly anyone even has a name.
This should have been an extremely quick read, but I find myself picking up my other current reads instead. I do plan to finish, if for no other reason than to increase my science fiction cultural literacy. It's not a genre I usually read. Are most of them like this? While I like books that are rich in both plot and character, if I had to choose just one I'd choose character-driven. I'm pretty sure that's why I'm having such a difficult time finishing.
I didn't feel it detracted from the story not knowing the narrator's name. Hard to describe what I mean, but it didn't seem important, somehow.However in the dramatized version I listened to he did have a name.
Please remember, no spoilers unless you hide them like this (view spoiler)[ spoiler spoiler (hide spoiler)]