Scan barcode
A review by melsage1823
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
An Over Hyped Classic That Will Leave You Feeling Heavily Underwhelmed And Disappointed.
Considering this was the basis of alien invasions stories I was really excited to pick up this story but ended feeling immensely disappointed and let down. For a supposed basis of science fiction it was very bland and boring. I did appreciate the creativity and philosophical elements but other than I found myself bored and almost in a reading slump. I was barley hooked. Perhaps I needed to consume it in another format but either way it wasn't for me.
Okay so let's get into why this novel felt so dry before I try give at least a few positives about this mystical alien invasion story.
First the writing style. After how many science fiction I've consumed I can whole heatedly declare that a tell not show writing style does not suit the premise of this story. This is suppose to be a spectacular early period alien invasion story but instead feels dull and anti climatic due to all of it being narrated in a diary like style. It takes all of the excitement and enjoyment of what a good science fiction story should be. I also feel like it takes away the threat of the Martians and the proper world building of the story. We are only told the scale of the Martians destruction we don't get to witness the full invasion. I would have rather had multi povs then a memoir from a nameless underdeveloped main character.
The poor writing style links into my second and third point. The side characters are very poorly fleshed out due to being in a diary like format so it just leaves you feeling numb and apathetic for any characters that die. No backstory or proper motivations there just there to briefly interact with the main character and his brother before leaving. It also seems to go discarding characters left and right as if there nothing but puppets to fill in plot. Although the main characters Brother felt like he was there to tell the story of the destruction of London his story is immediately discarded as if we didn't just spend several chapters with him.
Again it all links but the ambiguity of the main character. It's bad enough having boring pointless side characters but having a main character with no name and proper backstory makes it hard for me to sympathise with the character. I only understand his need to survive but not who he is as a person. In a story with such a spectical of an idea it feels really insulting to follow a character recounting alien invasion when we barley know anything about him including his family. The main character narrating in past tense also foreshadows the happy ending of the story making everything feel pointless. A story with an ambigous identity does not work at all and distracts from the Martians.
Okay with all the main negatives out of the way I'll get into the very positives of this novel in my opinion.
First the creativity. As much as I don't understand the hype, you can clearly tell in Wells writing that he layed the brick works for much science fiction to come. It was very bold risk to have the story told first person in a memoir like format and as a result allowed for very cool ideas. I loved the idea of the Martians pods and lazerbeams they used to act as it was especially a good contrast to such an industrial time period. It's also very cool to show although Martians are very inhumane they can be like humans in many ways. I also loved the build up to the Martians arrival and attack as it felt generally horrific to read. For what it is, it's pretty good.
Finally the philosophy. Having been someone who witnessed a pandemic in their lifetime the most interesting aspect of this novel was seeing Wells break apart the definition of survival and what it means to be a Survivor of Humanity. There's huge character moments based solely on this premise and we see what the main characters and others do to survive the carnage of the Martians. There's also the fact that the Martians can be seen as parallels to other humans through colonialism and how we act, destroy and steal the land of others. Not only that but there's also the aspect of hope and how much humanity can push through.
Other than that though this is a very underwhelming where I expected more and better. Not me for me but I recommend you make up your own mind.
Considering this was the basis of alien invasions stories I was really excited to pick up this story but ended feeling immensely disappointed and let down. For a supposed basis of science fiction it was very bland and boring. I did appreciate the creativity and philosophical elements but other than I found myself bored and almost in a reading slump. I was barley hooked. Perhaps I needed to consume it in another format but either way it wasn't for me.
Okay so let's get into why this novel felt so dry before I try give at least a few positives about this mystical alien invasion story.
First the writing style. After how many science fiction I've consumed I can whole heatedly declare that a tell not show writing style does not suit the premise of this story. This is suppose to be a spectacular early period alien invasion story but instead feels dull and anti climatic due to all of it being narrated in a diary like style. It takes all of the excitement and enjoyment of what a good science fiction story should be. I also feel like it takes away the threat of the Martians and the proper world building of the story. We are only told the scale of the Martians destruction we don't get to witness the full invasion. I would have rather had multi povs then a memoir from a nameless underdeveloped main character.
The poor writing style links into my second and third point. The side characters are very poorly fleshed out due to being in a diary like format so it just leaves you feeling numb and apathetic for any characters that die. No backstory or proper motivations there just there to briefly interact with the main character and his brother before leaving. It also seems to go discarding characters left and right as if there nothing but puppets to fill in plot. Although the main characters Brother felt like he was there to tell the story of the destruction of London his story is immediately discarded as if we didn't just spend several chapters with him.
Again it all links but the ambiguity of the main character. It's bad enough having boring pointless side characters but having a main character with no name and proper backstory makes it hard for me to sympathise with the character. I only understand his need to survive but not who he is as a person. In a story with such a spectical of an idea it feels really insulting to follow a character recounting alien invasion when we barley know anything about him including his family. The main character narrating in past tense also foreshadows the happy ending of the story making everything feel pointless. A story with an ambigous identity does not work at all and distracts from the Martians.
Okay with all the main negatives out of the way I'll get into the very positives of this novel in my opinion.
First the creativity. As much as I don't understand the hype, you can clearly tell in Wells writing that he layed the brick works for much science fiction to come. It was very bold risk to have the story told first person in a memoir like format and as a result allowed for very cool ideas. I loved the idea of the Martians pods and lazerbeams they used to act as it was especially a good contrast to such an industrial time period. It's also very cool to show although Martians are very inhumane they can be like humans in many ways. I also loved the build up to the Martians arrival and attack as it felt generally horrific to read. For what it is, it's pretty good.
Finally the philosophy. Having been someone who witnessed a pandemic in their lifetime the most interesting aspect of this novel was seeing Wells break apart the definition of survival and what it means to be a Survivor of Humanity. There's huge character moments based solely on this premise and we see what the main characters and others do to survive the carnage of the Martians. There's also the fact that the Martians can be seen as parallels to other humans through colonialism and how we act, destroy and steal the land of others. Not only that but there's also the aspect of hope and how much humanity can push through.
Other than that though this is a very underwhelming where I expected more and better. Not me for me but I recommend you make up your own mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Self harm, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Misogyny, and Cannibalism