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hrwarak's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
thaurisil's review against another edition
4.0
The War of the Worlds tells of the invasion of England by Martians. When they first arrive, the people gather in interest trying to make communication with them, but in time the Martians prove to be fiercesome creatures, destroying towns and people with a Heat Ray and Black Smoke, eating humans, and, towards the end, building flying machines that would allow them to conquer the world. The humans fight back, and small victories occur when they destroy only three of the Martians' tripods, and the Red Weed that the Martians bring with them dies from bacteria. All England is in chaos and London is deserted. However, just when things get helpless, the Martians suddenly die, invaded by bacteria that cause their rapid death, given their lack of exposure to bacteria in Mars.
I first read this when I was 14 and I remember thinking it dull. On this reread, I don't understand how I could have had that idea. This is a thrilling adventure story, and a brilliant work of speculative fiction of the time it was published. Wells makes many predictions, some of which have come true, like the Black Smoke which resembles chemical warfare, the flying machines that predated the first airplane by about a decade, space travel, and the outbreak of total war on earth. Other predictions have not been realised, like the Heat Ray or the existence of Martians, but they were progressive for that time, and have certainly inspired many books and movies since.
Wells tackles the issue of the unreliability of the media. First the Martians don't appear in the news, then when they do appear, the descriptions of them are all wrong, and then when they get the descriptions right, their dangerousness is downplayed. At one point Wells even criticises the illustrators of his own book for not portraying the aliens as menacingly as they actually were. This was in the days when communication networks weren't as efficient as they are today, but it's interesting that you can still see the same things happening today.
I want to talk a bit about the narrator. In one sense, the narrator is secondary to the plot, as can be seen from the fact that we never find out his name. He's just a guy who happens to be at the right places at the right time, and to be relatively intelligent, so he's a good choice as a narrator. On the other hand, he can get emotional, and he has some extreme mood swings, thus allowing the reader to get a sense of how the Martians affect people and create fear and confusion.
I first read this when I was 14 and I remember thinking it dull. On this reread, I don't understand how I could have had that idea. This is a thrilling adventure story, and a brilliant work of speculative fiction of the time it was published. Wells makes many predictions, some of which have come true, like the Black Smoke which resembles chemical warfare, the flying machines that predated the first airplane by about a decade, space travel, and the outbreak of total war on earth. Other predictions have not been realised, like the Heat Ray or the existence of Martians, but they were progressive for that time, and have certainly inspired many books and movies since.
Wells tackles the issue of the unreliability of the media. First the Martians don't appear in the news, then when they do appear, the descriptions of them are all wrong, and then when they get the descriptions right, their dangerousness is downplayed. At one point Wells even criticises the illustrators of his own book for not portraying the aliens as menacingly as they actually were. This was in the days when communication networks weren't as efficient as they are today, but it's interesting that you can still see the same things happening today.
I want to talk a bit about the narrator. In one sense, the narrator is secondary to the plot, as can be seen from the fact that we never find out his name. He's just a guy who happens to be at the right places at the right time, and to be relatively intelligent, so he's a good choice as a narrator. On the other hand, he can get emotional, and he has some extreme mood swings, thus allowing the reader to get a sense of how the Martians affect people and create fear and confusion.
spooky_steven's review against another edition
3.0
Eh, this was overall pretty dry and not particularly engaging to read. None of the characters are interesting, or even named, so it's hard to connect or identify with any of them (not that there's a lot of them). A lot if time is also spent detailing geography and routes taken to different places surrounding London. Worth reading once I guess, but not one I'll probably revisit.
ohsu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
marcus_bines's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Forcing an 1890s British reader to reckon with the concept that they might not be the masters of the universe is the genius of this short novel. The unnamed main character, while sympathetic, is a white male British cipher through which to explore the idea that maybe what humans do to animals, and what the Empire did to hundreds of countries around the world, might not actually be all that great. In the late Victorian era, it must have been shocking to read Wells comparing us to the heartless, disembodied Martians who invade little England in this story, blasting London and its suburbs to smithereens and bringing suffering to thousands. But that is clearly his point - see this? We did this to Africa and India, and all the others - and it is superbly made in this highly influential, fast-paced sci-fi, to which almost every alien invasion / apocalyptic story we've come up with since owes at least a small debt. It may not stand up to modern storytelling expectations - there are precious few women featured, for example - but its impact can't be denied.
astrickson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
cookiedoof's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bryanmiranda's review against another edition
4.0
Un clásico de ciencia ficción muy recomendado. El punto fuerte es como describe a los marcianos, hace muy fácil imaginarlos, lo malo es la mención a un montón de ciudades, calles, etc que complica la lectura al desconocer dichos lugares
rissasreading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
3.7 - The War of the Worlds is such a staple to the sci-fi genre, but also alien invasion stories as a whole. This book holds so much of the inspiration that so many people have used to write their own stories and make their own works, it's really fun to read. Especially because the action in this book starts from page one and never really subsides. I absolutely loved how we were thrown into the story with the martians leaving their planet and crashing onto ours. The descriptive writing to really help you imagine everything going on was a blast. This book also has an interesting message about how we treat our environment, animals, and even each other.