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bewhitedragon 's review for:
The War of the Worlds
by H.G. Wells
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
After having only seen the movie years ago, I finally got around to reading The War of the Worlds (via audiobook), and I must say, it is an interesting read. It is done in a sort of journalistic, first-person style, similar to "World War Z" in many ways. The language is archaic, but that is to be expected for its time. Once you get past that though, it is an action-packed and sometimes humerous read on the Martian invasion. It wastes no time in the actual invasion taking place. The descriptions are quite vivid and lengthy, providing a detailed view of the devastation and what the character has to face to survive. It's also not afraid to comment on the theme of imperialism and colonialism, citing how easy it is to judge the aliens for their actions when we do the same thing to our own people. In some cases, it becomes a humerous take. I also still find the tripods to be so terrifying and unique. I still adore the horn sound they made in the films, and I imagined them making that noise in this book too. For all the alien invasion stories we've had since this one, I feel like few really had weapons of war that were as scary as the tripods. The red vines are another thing that I think are so unique and gross and horrifying.
I can only imagine how groundbreaking it was for its time (let alone the radio drama that was done in 1938 that made Americans panic). I know many criticize the ending, but from what I understand, we knew so little of microbial life at the time that it makes much more sense than it would in this day and age. And honestly, I thought it was kind of an interesting end to how the invasion is stopped. I can't say The War of the Worlds is a new favorite, but I understand why it is so beloved and important to the history of science fiction. I think for me, besides the language being archaic, I felt like the story hit a bit of a lull in the middle. And, I didn't really care that much for the brother's version of events, but maybe that's just me.
If I could, I would give this a 3.5 instead of just 3 stars. It's a solid read, and I think anyone who loves sci-fi should read it.
I can only imagine how groundbreaking it was for its time (let alone the radio drama that was done in 1938 that made Americans panic). I know many criticize the ending, but from what I understand, we knew so little of microbial life at the time that it makes much more sense than it would in this day and age. And honestly, I thought it was kind of an interesting end to how the invasion is stopped. I can't say The War of the Worlds is a new favorite, but I understand why it is so beloved and important to the history of science fiction. I think for me, besides the language being archaic, I felt like the story hit a bit of a lull in the middle. And, I didn't really care that much for the brother's version of events, but maybe that's just me.
If I could, I would give this a 3.5 instead of just 3 stars. It's a solid read, and I think anyone who loves sci-fi should read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Blood
Minor: Child death, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts