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.
This book is a classic. I like the film but you can’t compare. That was Americanised.
I absolutely love Jeff Waynes Musical War of the Worlds and recently went to the Immersive Experience in London. It made me think that it’s time I read the book and see how it compares.
I can see the connections and events which inspired Jeff Waynes musical. The story is a classic and an original sci-fi book. I love the fact it is British based as well.
I can only imagine what people at the time thought when this came out.
I would definitely recommend this book to any sci-fi lover. I only knocked a star because of the writing at times. Considering it was written in the 1800s, it is an easy read. But you can tell it written in the old days.
My rating: 4/5*
