Book Review: The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
★★★

Synopsis: The science fiction classic that proposed the possibility of intelligent life on other planets — written over 100 years ago, this compelling tale describes the Martian invasion of Earth and man's struggle to survive.
H.G. Wells's science fiction classic, the first novel to explore the possibilities of intelligent life from other planets, is still startling and vivid nearly after a century after its appearance, and a half-century after Orson Wells's infamous 1938 radio adaptation. The daring portrayal of aliens landing on English soil, with its themes of interplanetary imperialism, technological holocaust and chaos, is central to the career of H.G. Wells, who died at the dawn of the atomic age. The survival of mankind in the face of "vast and cool and unsympathetic" scientific powers spinning out of control was a crucial theme throughout his work. Visionary, shocking and chilling, The War Of The Worlds has lost none of its impact since its first publication in 1898.
In A Sentence: Glad I read this, but not a favorite

My Thoughts: So I finally read this book! The War Of TheWorlds has been on my TBR for ages, ever since I watched the Tom Cruise modern movie adaptation. I figured that I have now seen two movie adaptations of this story, so I had better read this novel!
Now I’m glad I read this. It really is a noteworthy classic. The story reads like a non-fiction memoir or history book, where one man talks about his own personal experience during the Martian invasion. I should warn that the story is a little bit on the monotonous side, without much emotion or intense action. But that doesn’t detract much from the book.
I think the main thing that makes this story such a classic is the creativity. H.G. Wells published this in 1898! Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think H.G. Wells was the first to write about alien invasions, and this was back before there were rocket missiles and the first airplanes. Cars weren’t even a major source of transportation yet! Knowing this, it is amazing that H.G. Wells came up with this story with such immense detail. What’s even more impressive is that he didn’t let the humans defeat the aliens. No siree, we humans were losing the war! What ends defeating the aliens is….well I won’t spoil it for you, just in case you’re one of the few who aren’t familiar with the story.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely! It’s a classic that everyone should read. I would recommend actually reading it though. Don’t listen to the audiobook narrated by James Spencer. I think it was because of him that I didn’t rate this story higher. I listened to the audiobook thinking that it would help save time, but I think I drifted at certain crucial points because of the narration. James Spencer spoke in an American accent the whole time. This is a British book that takes place in and around London, and they chose an American to narrate this. He didn’t even bother trying to speak with a British accent! To top it off, he spoke in a monotone the entire time, making this story more boring to listen to. So word of warning: read it, don’t listen to it.


View all my reviews