Reviews - The War of the Worlds

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4.52k reviews for:

The War of the Worlds

H.G. Wells

3.6 AVERAGE

hrwarak's review against another edition

2.0

dark sad medium-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

ohsu's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

marcus_bines's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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

Forcing an 1890s British reader to reckon with the concept that they might not be the masters of the universe is the genius of this short novel. The unnamed main character, while sympathetic, is a white male British cipher through which to explore the idea that maybe what humans do to animals, and what the Empire did to hundreds of countries around the world, might not actually be all that great. In the late Victorian era, it must have been shocking to read Wells comparing us to the heartless, disembodied Martians who invade little England in this story, blasting London and its suburbs to smithereens and bringing suffering to thousands. But that is clearly his point - see this? We did this to Africa and India, and all the others - and it is superbly made in this highly influential, fast-paced sci-fi, to which almost every alien invasion / apocalyptic story we've come up with since owes at least a small debt. It may not stand up to modern storytelling expectations - there are precious few women featured, for example - but its impact can't be denied.

astrickson's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

cookiedoof's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious 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

rissasreading's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous emotional tense 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

3.7 - The War of the Worlds is such a staple to the sci-fi genre, but also alien invasion stories as a whole. This book holds so much of the inspiration that so many people have used to write their own stories and make their own works, it's really fun to read. Especially because the action in this book starts from page one and never really subsides. I absolutely loved how we were thrown into the story with the martians leaving their planet and crashing onto ours. The descriptive writing to really help you imagine everything going on was a blast. This book also has an interesting message about how we treat our environment, animals, and even each other.