A review by eatingfiction
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

dark tense medium-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

4.5

 
"Since the night of my return from Leatherhead I had not prayed. I had uttered prayers, fetish prayers, had prayed as heathens mutter charms when I was in extremity; but now I prayed indeed, pleading steadfast and sanely, face to face with the darkness of God. Strange night! Strangest in this, that so soon as dawn had come, I, who had talked with God, crept out of the house like a rat leaving its hiding place -- a creature scarcely larger, an inferior animal, a thing that for any passing whim of our masters might be hunted and killed. Perhaps they also prayed confidently to God. Surely, if we have learned nothing else, this war has taught us pity -- pity for those witless souls that suffer our dominion."


Fantastic story, tense through and through. The invading Martians bring pure terror with them, to the city of London and its inhabitants, and to the reader -- the detailed descriptions of the ghastly creatures bring them to life, viscerally.
A great book, one I can see myself returning to again and again. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings