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iothemoon 's review for:
The War of the Worlds
by H.G. Wells
Have you ever been in the position where you have to run for your life, but you don't realize it right away? Maybe a fire has broken out in your building, but instead of evacuating, you run around the apartment, rescuing old photos and library books. Or maybe you hear about a looming catastrophe so incredibly overwhelming that you shut it out completely and go on with your life as usual.
Something like that happens in The War of the Worlds.
When fire-breathing Martians land in the English countryside and start eviscerating any humans that cross their path, Londoners act like nothing strange is happening just outside their city. The depiction of the numbed public staying calm when they should be anything but is as relevant a lesson today as it was when Wells wrote this classic, in the late 1890s.
Say what you will about how dated Wells's science fiction has become - thanks to the myriad imitators and to the scientific knowledge we have accumulated over 125 years - but the societal quiet before the storm rings so very true.
All we have to do is think back to what we were doing in early 2020, when headlines about a dangerous virus were already ubiquitous - but the virus itself hadn't reached our community yet. I certainly wasn't acting like I was ever going to be affected by it until one of my conferences got cancelled. And on that day, panic hit me all at once.
Part I of The War of the Worlds, The Coming of the Martians, was admittedly not as suspenseful for me as Part II, The Earth Under the Martians. But Part I has the human reactions to the Martians' arrival - the city dwellers ignore the news, while curiosity drives country dwellers right into the pit of death rays. And that felt so incredibly astute.
Something like that happens in The War of the Worlds.
When fire-breathing Martians land in the English countryside and start eviscerating any humans that cross their path, Londoners act like nothing strange is happening just outside their city. The depiction of the numbed public staying calm when they should be anything but is as relevant a lesson today as it was when Wells wrote this classic, in the late 1890s.
Say what you will about how dated Wells's science fiction has become - thanks to the myriad imitators and to the scientific knowledge we have accumulated over 125 years - but the societal quiet before the storm rings so very true.
All we have to do is think back to what we were doing in early 2020, when headlines about a dangerous virus were already ubiquitous - but the virus itself hadn't reached our community yet. I certainly wasn't acting like I was ever going to be affected by it until one of my conferences got cancelled. And on that day, panic hit me all at once.
Part I of The War of the Worlds, The Coming of the Martians, was admittedly not as suspenseful for me as Part II, The Earth Under the Martians. But Part I has the human reactions to the Martians' arrival - the city dwellers ignore the news, while curiosity drives country dwellers right into the pit of death rays. And that felt so incredibly astute.