Reviews

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

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ahoward94's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

jrae1334's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

dyno8426's review against another edition

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4.0

This is a foundational work in the concept of alien invasion as an apocalyptic science fictional work and a cautionary tale by one of the regarded fathers of science fiction. Alien invasion is such a capitalised concept in both literature and cinema that its frills and quirks have sometimes overshadowed its fundamentals. When we think of alien invasion, probably the first two important things that come to mind is communication and confrontation. Since nobody's really interested in aliens talking to other aliens, it usually deals with how it affects humans. So, it does not take long for anyone to realise that what concerns us anyone in this speculation is human survival when confronted with any alien species, and how (conditional on "if") we can communicate with them to be aware of any possible threat to our collective existence. H. G. Wells has so brilliantly taken this idea about our biologically ingrained concern for codependent survival for the benefit of all and converted it into a motif that runs through the vein of the story and draws parallel on the threat that an advanced alien species could ever pose to us humans.

The author presents Martians as a technologically superior race which, having removed the factor and hope of communication, bring an insurmountable attack on Earth, starting with London, the "greatest city in the world" around the end of 19th century. The protagonist witnesses the overwhelming magnitude of destruction displayed by the invaders from Mars and the hope-wringing annihilation of any resistance that the humans could pose. This one-sided war for occupation between species is not the first of its kind as we know. The author emphatically and consistently brings home this idea about how humans have moved to the paying side of a war which they themselves have waged against all the "inferior" species on Earth elsewhere. To become the ones calling shots on almost all realms of Earth, throughout history and as is very evident in the speculated future, ever increasing number of species have paid the tax with the destruction of their ecosystem, pushed to the extent of extinction. The destruction of humans' equilibrated natural-artificial ecosystem that they call "home" by apathetic and dispassionate Martians is resembling exactly the impact that we have delivered in an almost whimsical, egotistical manner on so many of our cohabitants of Earth (including within our own species). This core awakening comes through protagonist's journey for survival as people are killed like flies, their houses destroyed liked anthills and the familiar trope of barbarity returns as the pride of civilisation gets reduced to the primitive physical survival of the fittest. The various excerpts from the story point to this:

"We must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as vanished bison and the dodo, but upon its own inferior races. The Tasmanians . . . were entirely swept out of existence in a war of extermination waged by European immigrants, in the space if fifty years. Are we such apostles of mercy as to complain if the Martians warred in the same spirit?"

"Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us."

"So some respectable dodo in the Mauritius might have lorded it in his nest, and discussed the arrival of that shipful of pitiless sailors in want of animal food. “We will peck them to death tomorrow, my dear."

"This isn't a war," said the artilleryman. "It never was a war, any more than there's war between man and ants."

Wells has set up the space and time in such a manner that it looks as if such a thing could very well happen tomorrow. It also adds to that fragility and vulnerability of humanity's collective survival. Interestingly, its broadcast on radio during those times was received as a piece of news causing whatever levels of panic it could've arisen in those times. This book is written quite well. It really picked up the pace and my attention in the later half of the book, when we are well into the apocalypse and impending extinction. A little off-putting thing about it was so much London and its countryside nomenclature that after some point in time, it just does not matter because of the confusion of what is happening where. Just enough to comprehend the momentum and scale of destruction. I really liked the plot and how it brings closure to the story. To see author’s vision of a non-solitary existence in this universe, and using the probable dangers it could mean for our civilisation as a reflection on our own present circumstances, executed in this form is an evidence of its repute and ever-greenness.

elysehdez19's review against another edition

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5.0

Sin palabras... Sencillamente de las mejores historias de invasión de aliens que he leído!

montsegc90's review against another edition

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2.0

Pfff no se si fue el audiolibro, o el libro en general, pero se me hizo aburridisimo, se me hace increíble que se haya escrito en 1898 y eso en definitiva es admirable. Pero creo que el lenguaje que lo acompaña, al menos en mi caso, lo volvió soso.