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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
A fascinating novel that openly addresses the fact that humans are not omnipotent and more fragile than they want to believe. I loved it.
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
There is something very enjoyable about picking up a classic book and having a great time with it. This is one of the original invasion stories and one I knew very little about (save the broadcast version of it making people think they were actually being invaded by aliens). And it was a very satisfying novel!
The whole point of this book is that the narrator (no one is named in this book at all, only place names are given) is an everyman and he doesn't become something else. There is no 'everyman saves the world' or even 'everyman is the first one to know what is going on', this is about a man who survives sometimes by luck, sometimes by hiding very well, as he tries to get to his wife in Leatherhead. He is one of the first people to see the Martians and one of the first people to see what had become of them in the end, but he's not the true first of either time. He narrates the story as if from the future so you know he survives but you don't know about his wife, his brother (though it can be assumed he does considering the narrative style), the curate or the artillery man. I found this a tense and gripping tale as you try to work out who among the narrator's circle of acquaintances are going to survive and how changed they are going to be by it all.
And the ending - I really loved the ending.Where the red weed dies so quickly from bacteria and it foreshadows what happens to the Martians themselves. It wasn't greater firepower or even greater intelligence that did it, but the ability for life on Earth to survive the worst. It was a really satisfying conclusion to this whole book, and I appreciated the epilogue to discuss just what happened after the invasion especially in regards to food and the new technology .
The whole point of this book is that the narrator (no one is named in this book at all, only place names are given) is an everyman and he doesn't become something else. There is no 'everyman saves the world' or even 'everyman is the first one to know what is going on', this is about a man who survives sometimes by luck, sometimes by hiding very well, as he tries to get to his wife in Leatherhead. He is one of the first people to see the Martians and one of the first people to see what had become of them in the end, but he's not the true first of either time. He narrates the story as if from the future so you know he survives but you don't know about his wife, his brother (though it can be assumed he does considering the narrative style), the curate or the artillery man. I found this a tense and gripping tale as you try to work out who among the narrator's circle of acquaintances are going to survive and how changed they are going to be by it all.
And the ending - I really loved the ending.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
An alternate universe where, after discovering and tormenting the New World, the Imperialists died from disease instead of the indigenous.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced