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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Met The War of the Worlds ben ik aan de laatste van de drie bekendste werken van H.G. Wells aangekomen. Althans, toch de voor mij bekendste aangezien ik niet wist dat hij The Island of Dr. Moreau had geschreven. Ik heb van The Invisible Man en The Time Machine ooit wel eens verfilmingen gezien en van War of the Worlds kende ik het hoorspel van Orson Welles en een flard van de verfilming met Tom Cruise. Tot nu toe vond ik die andere media altijd beter dan het originele boek en ik was benieuwd of dat hier ook het geval ging zijn.
Het antwoord is ja. The War of the Worlds is zeker en vast een goed boek te noemen. Een aantal van de ideeën die Wells hier op de lezer loslaat zijn in de loop der jaren revolutionair gebleken en het grote probleem zit hem dan ook in het feit dat anderen meer met dit idee hebben kunnen doen. Kudos in ieder geval voor zijn beschrijving van de Marsbewoners zelf (eindelijk eens geen aliens die teveel van de mens weghebben!) maar uiteindelijk is het boek ook niet meer dan die beschrijving. Wells lijkt dit ook wel te beseffen en probeert wat afwisseling te brengen aan de hand van onder andere de broer van het hoofdpersonage maar ook daar geraakt hij niet verder dan een beschrijving van de terreur en schade. Toch blijft dit op zich nog wel ergens boeien, maar ik blijf de schrijfstijl van Wells erg taai vinden. Veel beschrijvingen van Londen met de verschillende namen waar ik me absoluut geen voorstelling bij kon maken en een ietwat gehaast einde. Sowieso wel jammer dat het hoofdpersonage regelmatig laat doorschijnen dat alles goedkomt.
Mjah, ik twijfel wat tussen 3* of 3.5* maar ik geef Wells net dat beetje extra vanwege zijn verbeelding. In ieder geval erg knap dat een boek van ondertussen bijna 120 jaar oud toch nog zo modern aanvoelt. Ik heb nog een boek met een aantal kortverhalen liggen, The Crystal Egg, dus die ga ik ook nog lezen maar ik vermoed dat mijn Wells avontuur daar mee gaat eindigen.
Het antwoord is ja. The War of the Worlds is zeker en vast een goed boek te noemen. Een aantal van de ideeën die Wells hier op de lezer loslaat zijn in de loop der jaren revolutionair gebleken en het grote probleem zit hem dan ook in het feit dat anderen meer met dit idee hebben kunnen doen. Kudos in ieder geval voor zijn beschrijving van de Marsbewoners zelf (eindelijk eens geen aliens die teveel van de mens weghebben!) maar uiteindelijk is het boek ook niet meer dan die beschrijving. Wells lijkt dit ook wel te beseffen en probeert wat afwisseling te brengen aan de hand van onder andere de broer van het hoofdpersonage maar ook daar geraakt hij niet verder dan een beschrijving van de terreur en schade. Toch blijft dit op zich nog wel ergens boeien, maar ik blijf de schrijfstijl van Wells erg taai vinden. Veel beschrijvingen van Londen met de verschillende namen waar ik me absoluut geen voorstelling bij kon maken en een ietwat gehaast einde. Sowieso wel jammer dat het hoofdpersonage regelmatig laat doorschijnen dat alles goedkomt.
Mjah, ik twijfel wat tussen 3* of 3.5* maar ik geef Wells net dat beetje extra vanwege zijn verbeelding. In ieder geval erg knap dat een boek van ondertussen bijna 120 jaar oud toch nog zo modern aanvoelt. Ik heb nog een boek met een aantal kortverhalen liggen, The Crystal Egg, dus die ga ik ook nog lezen maar ik vermoed dat mijn Wells avontuur daar mee gaat eindigen.
took me a month to read not because it was bad or poorly written, just not as enticing as the queer stories on my to read shelf
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Hard to sink into, but well worth reading
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another classic I never got around to reading. This was a good, action-packed sci-fi (as you would expect). Of course, it's nothing like the movie (again, as you would expect). It's a good book, it's a good movie. For separate reasons.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
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
"Never before in the history of the world had such a mass of human beings moved and suffered together... It was the beginning of the rout of civilisation, of the massacre of mankind."
I have to say before I fully start to gush about this novel that I do just absolutely love H.G. Wells. I think he's a most fascinating author and one of the most incredible minds to have ever graced the planet. Whilst I didn't love this novel as much as his earlier work, 'The Time Machine', I do think his utter brilliance as both a literary and a scientific mind shines through in this (as it does also in TTM).
Wells writes prose which can go on and on, but in the midst of such prose are hidden gems of poetry, wisdom, and philosophy. The way he writes human beings, whether they're protagonists or people the protagonist is encountering only briefly on the street, is fundamentally real. As is, it should be noted, his world building. Considering this novel is the first depiction of an alien invasion in existence it is entirely feasible, plausible, and realistic, even staggeringly so at times. It is vivid, which is equal parts terrifying and exhilarating to read.
I always appreciate the science Wells liked to put into his dystopias as he so clearly had an incredible mind for understanding biology and mechanics. To recognise that he first imagined all of the things he describes and then was able to explain the science behind them to make them seem so real is fascinating to me. He doesn't bore a reader who isn't as interested in these particulars with an over-use of detail; in fact, I believe these added bits of information serve to further vivify a world that is already so incredibly graphic.
This novel reads like a small Odyssey and is very much about a journey as opposed to a long and intense battle, but I think it's all the more real because of it. There are guns and bombs and battleships and everything you might expect for a Victorian Era standoff between planets, but it is a lot less about the fight as what the fight entails, what it reveals, and what it symbolises. Really, whilst this novel is primarily about a destructive alien invasion, what I'd argue it is really about is the fighting human spirit, the resilience of man, a love of life and as such a pure stubbornness to survive. It has heart, it has charisma, and it has life. Indeed, in these respects I can't say a novel by H.G. Wells has ever let me down.
I have to say before I fully start to gush about this novel that I do just absolutely love H.G. Wells. I think he's a most fascinating author and one of the most incredible minds to have ever graced the planet. Whilst I didn't love this novel as much as his earlier work, 'The Time Machine', I do think his utter brilliance as both a literary and a scientific mind shines through in this (as it does also in TTM).
Wells writes prose which can go on and on, but in the midst of such prose are hidden gems of poetry, wisdom, and philosophy. The way he writes human beings, whether they're protagonists or people the protagonist is encountering only briefly on the street, is fundamentally real. As is, it should be noted, his world building. Considering this novel is the first depiction of an alien invasion in existence it is entirely feasible, plausible, and realistic, even staggeringly so at times. It is vivid, which is equal parts terrifying and exhilarating to read.
I always appreciate the science Wells liked to put into his dystopias as he so clearly had an incredible mind for understanding biology and mechanics. To recognise that he first imagined all of the things he describes and then was able to explain the science behind them to make them seem so real is fascinating to me. He doesn't bore a reader who isn't as interested in these particulars with an over-use of detail; in fact, I believe these added bits of information serve to further vivify a world that is already so incredibly graphic.
This novel reads like a small Odyssey and is very much about a journey as opposed to a long and intense battle, but I think it's all the more real because of it. There are guns and bombs and battleships and everything you might expect for a Victorian Era standoff between planets, but it is a lot less about the fight as what the fight entails, what it reveals, and what it symbolises. Really, whilst this novel is primarily about a destructive alien invasion, what I'd argue it is really about is the fighting human spirit, the resilience of man, a love of life and as such a pure stubbornness to survive. It has heart, it has charisma, and it has life. Indeed, in these respects I can't say a novel by H.G. Wells has ever let me down.
adventurous
mysterious
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
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I honestly can't even remember why I picked this book up, but I ended up finding it surprisingly enjoyable. It's a well-known classic, often regarded as one of the earliest works of science fiction. The last time I read a classic that were also regarded as earliest of its genre, I had an unpleasant time, so I'm relieved this one actually held my attention.
'The War of the Worlds', set in the 1980s, follows an unnamed narrator who found himself in a sudden, catastrophic invasion of Earth by the highly advanced Martians. These beings arrive in massive cylinders, who they later used as tripods to lay waste to London in a short matter of time. Through the narrator, we see panic, destruction, and desperate attempts to survive as humanity is faced with its own fragility.
Reading this as someone from the 21st century, I was baffled by how even a tinge of panic wasn't felt when the first cylinder landed Earth. Doesn't the "unknown" usually strike fear in humans, regardless of the century they're from? So it frustrated me to see them not regard the cylinder of any importance. They were so casual about it, the narrator sometimes seemingly amazed by it. Though to be fair, I understand that people from the 19th century probably couldn't fathom the possibilities of horrors from another planet. Add the fact that communication were done traditionally in this century, so the news were always delayed.
I find it interesting now that even when the narrator's encounters with the Martians felt almost contained, it held my attention. I felt the rush, and I found myself constantly anticipiting what would happen next. But I was even more curious about how humanity would cope with the sudden realization that they where no longer at the top of the food chain. There where caught in a battle of the fittest too impossible to win. It's a very intriguing concept.
I've read people say this novel was ahead of its time, and I will have to agree. By today's standard, it's not the most creative or well-structured, but I could say that it earned its title as good classic.
'The War of the Worlds', set in the 1980s, follows an unnamed narrator who found himself in a sudden, catastrophic invasion of Earth by the highly advanced Martians. These beings arrive in massive cylinders, who they later used as tripods to lay waste to London in a short matter of time. Through the narrator, we see panic, destruction, and desperate attempts to survive as humanity is faced with its own fragility.
Reading this as someone from the 21st century, I was baffled by how even a tinge of panic wasn't felt when the first cylinder landed Earth. Doesn't the "unknown" usually strike fear in humans, regardless of the century they're from? So it frustrated me to see them not regard the cylinder of any importance. They were so casual about it, the narrator sometimes seemingly amazed by it. Though to be fair, I understand that people from the 19th century probably couldn't fathom the possibilities of horrors from another planet. Add the fact that communication were done traditionally in this century, so the news were always delayed.
I find it interesting now that even when the narrator's encounters with the Martians felt almost contained, it held my attention. I felt the rush, and I found myself constantly anticipiting what would happen next. But I was even more curious about how humanity would cope with the sudden realization that they where no longer at the top of the food chain. There where caught in a battle of the fittest too impossible to win. It's a very intriguing concept.
I've read people say this novel was ahead of its time, and I will have to agree. By today's standard, it's not the most creative or well-structured, but I could say that it earned its title as good classic.