War of the Worlds, The, H. G. Wells
War of the Worlds, The, H. G. Wells
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War of the Worlds, The

Author: H. G. Wells

Narrator: Simon Prebble

Unabridged: 6 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/05/2019

Categories: Fiction, Classic


Synopsis

A shooting star seen in the skies over Victorian England heralds an alien invasion. The Martians, in need of resources, have been shot from Mars via a huge space gun and have landed in Southern England, where they quickly overwhelm its inhabitants. As the battle for Earth begins, our unnamed narrator struggles to return to his wife amidst the fighting and devastation. One of the most widely-read and influential science-fiction novels, The War of the Worlds touches on interplanetary travel, evolutionary theory, British imperialism, and the fears and prejudices of Victorian times. First serialized in 1897, it has been adapted many times, most famously by Orson Welles and company in the form of a prank radio news alert in 1938 that caused panic among listeners.

About H. G. Wells

Herbert George Wells, better known as H. G. Wells, was a novelist, journalist, sociologist, and historian who wrote over 100 books. His novels are among the classic works of science fiction. His works, which go beyond ordinary adventure stories, are thought-provoking, forcing the reader to examine the future of mankind.

Wells was born in Bromley, Kent, in 1866. His father was a shopkeeper and a professional cricketer until he broke his leg. Wells studied biology at the Normal School of Science in London and later taught in several private schools. In 1893, he became a full-time writer. He married one of his brightest students, Amy Catherine, in 1895.

Wells earned his reputation with a string of science fiction novels, including The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and The Invisible Man. In 1938, his realistic portrayal of a martian invasion in The War of the Worlds caused a panic across the United States when it was performed as a radio broadcast by actor Orson Wells. His science fiction stories have since become some of the most filmed works of all time.

Between the two world wars, Wells lived mainly in France. Beyond his literary career, he was the president of an international peace organization (PEN) from 1934 to 1946. In this capacity, he had discussions with both Stalin and Roosevelt, trying to recruit them to his world-saving schemes. However, he later became disillusioned with the cause of peace when global war broke out for the second time in a generation. Throughout the Second World War, Wells lived in his house on Regent's Park, refusing to let the blitz drive him out of London. He died there on August 13, 1946.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Leonard on March 09, 2021

Paraphrasing Whitehead, I would say that the safest general characterisation of the science-fiction tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to H. G. Wells. Indeed, The War of the Worlds is probably the most influential novel of the whole science fiction genre, as well as a significant......more

Goodreads review by Lisa of Troy on August 19, 2024

Written in 1897, The War of the Worlds is one of the earliest stories about mankind and aliens. Many consider this book to be the inception of the science fiction genre. This story is relatively straightforward: An unknown man is going about his life in jolly old England when aliens invade, causing......more

Goodreads review by Anne on March 25, 2025

I didn't listen to the novel-novel, but I listened to a radio adaptation performed by some fan-favorite cast members of Star Trek. <--Leonard Nimoy is amazing. It was cool as hell. And hilarious. Because it doesn't really have a Big Battle or anything that humanity has to do to overcome these invaders.......more

Goodreads review by Mario the lone bookwolf on January 15, 2023

Invading aliens have never been that ridiculously incompetent That´s an often seen problem in classic sci-fi, the authors didn´t really care about thinking too much about logic or readers' problems with suspension of disbelief, they just wanted to tell their story. As long as there were no other gen......more

Goodreads review by [ J o ] on July 14, 2023

Read as part of the Infinite Variety Reading Challenge, based on the BBC's Big Read Poll of 2003. The War of the Worlds goes beyond the of-the-time popular military invasion fiction, which took away the standard protagonist/antagonist arc of single characters and popped whole countries or tribes in......more