The War of the Worlds (H.G. Wells)

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The War of the Worlds
by H.G. Wells

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I'm not really a fan of H.G. Wells, but the influence this book had on the world is unmistakable. It was the first book to introduce the alien-invasion concept, and the certainly the first to make use of the Martians as our extraterrestrial enemies (now a somewhat outdated cliché.)

There isn't much to go on story. Humankind is on the doorstep of early twentieth century. The Martians invade, and with their giant mechanical robots and laser guns, begin leveling entire cities and taking over the world. Resistance is attempted, but human technology is still far too weak to defend against the aliens' might. Like good ol' Independence Day, but original.

Wells was quite ahead of his time when he wrote this novel—I don't believe there were lasers during his time period, and his imagination really shines during his explanations of Martian biology. Like The Time Machine, this was also something of an ‘idea' novel, in that the primary focus seems to be the presentation of new concepts, as well as the story's overall message (which is reiterated several times) rather than the story itself. The War of the Worlds, of course, is the author's criticism on European arrogance—as Isaac Asimov's notes indicate, H.G. Wells wanted to speak for the underdogs, and by submitting the entire human race to that role he fulfilled that goal. There's also a fair bit of religion bashing as well. And if you didn't pick up Wells' audacity against religion in The Time Machine, you'll probably pick it up here. I gather Wells doesn't exactly like the Church very much. :-)

As for the book itself, it's reasonably enjoyable. Wells' lack of subtelty does bother me from time to time (which is one of the reasons why his novels haven't received the highest ratings.) All the highlights lie in the first half, which chronicles the arrival of the Martians and the public's initial conviction that nothing ‘big' would come of it. The good stuff happens when they start attacking the bigger cities, and all the river scenes involving the Martian vehicles wading through the water, unstoppable in their conquest, are immensely terrifying and thrilling. The second half is dull in comparison; a series of lengthy episodes depicting the narrator trapped inside a ruined house provide no real reading interest for me. In the end, as far as entertainment value goes, I've read better books; but this is a must-read for fans of our genre's father. As with novels like The Lord of the Rings, The War of the Worlds is a prominent staple of our culture, and will add to your ever-expanding pool of wisdom and knowledge. (It will also help you get through one of the Otherland simulations in The River of Blue Fire... :-)