A review by charms92
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

adventurous reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I think we should remember how repulsive our carnivorous habits would seem to an intelligent rabbit.

This novel has been a cornerstone in the sci-fi genre since its conception. As someone who does not tend to reach for sci-fi books, I keep coming back to this one. Most notably, this novel provides a commentary on war and its destruction. One thing that stood out to me is how the smallest organisms can be the most destructive to the Martians.  But what I enjoyed were the parallels between the Martians and humans themselves. In the novel, the Martians arrive and use humans as sustenance. To them, we are simply a food source and nothing more. Just as animals are to us in most cases, this provides food for thought.

As far as the characters were concerned, I found the Martians the most interesting. They did not need digestive systems because their brain and nervous systems had fully taken over. Instead of consuming blood in the traditional sense, they inject the blood. This is an interesting take on what evolved lifeforms could look like.

Overall the main takeaway is that horror and disgust are subjective and that we could be considered the Martians concerning 'lesser' lifeforms.

3 Stars, since I felt like some parts were hard to get through, but would still recommend this to anyone who wants to dip their toes into sci-fi.