Review - War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells -

Post Reply

Thread Rating:

0 Votes - 0 Average
1
2
3
4
5

JamesWinterbottom Reading Rip It Up - Richard Wiseman

14 Sep 2012, 01:16 PM | Post: #1

Junior Member

Posts: 40
Joined: Dec 2011

Thanked 0 times

What I Read

Review - War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

With Curiosity Rover recently landing on Mars it made me want to read this book about people from Mars coming to visit us. Like a lot of older books I started reading this expecting that I would probably find it too old fashioned to properly enjoy. I found that I soon forgot about the time and was absorbed by the story.

The story of aliens coming to land on earth has been covered many times since this book has been written but I can't think of any such story that has the depth of imagination on display in this book. Wells seems to have a knack for telling a huge story from a personal viewpoint that makes you feel like you are there, hiding the hedges while the Martians are stomping about with their heat-ray.

The central character is perhaps a little bit fusty compared to modern action heroes but I found him likeable and authentic. I particularly enjoyed the section of the book where he teams up with a Curate, which goes quickly sour and ends in ... well it ends interestingly anyway.

The descriptions of the Martians and their habits are fascinating but the reaction of the people of England in the wake of the invasion is perhaps a bigger part of the story. While communication methods might have moved on a lot since this book was written I can imagine that reaction from the general population might be very similar.

This is a short book that doesn't dwell much on character but does provide a fascinating insight into how society might react if we were to be invaded by Martians. The writing is excellent and the pace zips along right until the end.

Blog, Facebook, Twitter

Website Find

Thank (0)

Reply

Katherine Roberts Reading Katherine by Anya Seton

14 Sep 2012, 02:37 PM | Post: #2

children's fantasy author

Posts: 194
Joined: Feb 2012

Thanked 6 times

What I Read

RE: Review - War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

I read this book as a teenager because it looked interesting on my parents' bookshelf, and loved it. The writing might be rather old-fashioned now, but the story is great. I believe that when it was first serialised on the radio, it caused a panic because people thought it was REAL!

Didn't enjoy the 2005 film so much, when they transported the plot to America...
http://en.wikipedia.org...

http://www.katherineroberts.co.uk
http://reclusivemuse.blogspot.com

Website Find

Thank (0)

Reply

MartinLake Reading The Forgotten Legion

14 Sep 2012, 03:23 PM | Post: #3

Senior Member

Posts: 217
Joined: May 2011

Thanked 0 times

What I Read

RE: Review - War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

It's a brilliant book and ahead of its time.

If you want a fantastic homage to it and The Time Machine read 'The Space Machine' by Christopher Priest.

He is a brilliant writer and has gone on to write many other excellent books including 'The Glamour' and 'The Prestige'. (I think that's the right title.)

'The Space Machine' is one of my favourites.

Martin Lake

The Lost King: Resistance
Wasteland: The Lost King by Martin Lake
Artful by Martin Lake
Nuggets by Martin Lake
Mr Toad's Wedding
For King and Country by Martin Lake
The Big School by Martin Lake

martinlakewriting.wordpress.com
Twitter: @martinlake14

Martin Lake
Visit my Amazon Author page
[Image: 51L4pq6rQUL._SX160_.jpg]

Website Find

Thank (0)

Reply

Daphne Reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

14 Sep 2012, 05:29 PM | Post: #4

Veteran Kindle Owner

Posts: 886
Joined: Sep 2010

Thanked 2 times

What I Read

RE: Review - War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

This post was last modified: 14 Sep 2012 05:33 PM by Daphne.

Great review, James - and I'm so glad you have highlighted War of the Worlds. I agree with you that H.G. Wells is a wonderful storyteller and his books have lost nothing with the passage of time. Some people consider him to be the father of the post apocalyptic genre, and I think that even John Wyndham (Day of the Triffids - another great book) was inspired by his stories. The Kindle version I have is combined with The Time Machine, which I re-read recently and is another novella length book which tells a gripping tale. I also have an audio version of the Orson Welles radio dramatisation of War of the Worlds (1938) on my Kindle (Audible) - the version which famously had people so convinced by the invasion of Martians that they started evacuation. Brilliant!

The Claresby Collection: Twelve Mysteries

Find

Thank (0)

Reply

davidwailing Reading The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov

14 Sep 2012, 05:29 PM | Post: #5

Auto

Posts: 1,867
Joined: Sep 2011

Thanked 38 times

What I Read

RE: Review - War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

I'm a serious War Of The Worlds fan, so can only agree that this is a timeless classic, and considering it's over a hundred years old, stands up very well today. It's literally the grand-daddy all alien invasion stories. At the time, stories of 'canals' across the surface of Mars were commonly believed, so it must have felt disturbingly possible to many!

HG Wells himself was keen for the story to be updated as time went by, so he would probably have enjoyed the 2005 movie (as I did, much more than I was expecting to). His basic theme - of our society being completely overturned by a superior invading force in the same way the British Empire was treating the rest of the world - remains intact.

I also agree with Martin that The Space Machine is a superb book. It's both a sequel to Time Machine and a prequel to War of the Worlds, and written in the same 'scientific romance' style - great fun. Annoyingly not available for the Kindle, though!

www.davidwailing.com

Website Find

Thank (0)

Reply

NeedMoreTime Reading Trust Me, I'm a Vet - Cathy Woodman

14 Sep 2012, 07:58 PM | Post: #6

Junior Member

Posts: 13
Joined: Aug 2012

Thanked 0 times

What I Read

RE: Review - War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

I first read this book many years ago when I was about 13. It left a lasting impression on me and to this day i still say it is my favourite book of all time.
The funny thing is that I have only ever read it 3 times!

Find

Thank (0)

Reply

frogplate Reading Scar Night - Alan Campbell

14 Sep 2012, 10:52 PM | Post: #7

Senior Member

Posts: 298
Joined: Jan 2012

Thanked 3 times

What I Read

RE: Review - War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

I love "War of the Worlds" too. It must be one of the first "hard" Sci-Fi books in that all the Science was realistic given what was known at the time. As mentioned, it also bears comparison to many of John Wyndham's books in that the main character is an ordinary person caught up in extraordinary and frightening events.

This was the very first book I read on an e-reader - the Palm Pilot Personal in about 1998. I still keep a Palm Tungsten powered up as convenient access to certain data. I just found and launched Tibr e-reader app on it and it read:

Chapter Seven
The Man on Putney Hill
...

Find

Thank (0)

Reply

Subscribe to this thread Post Reply

Currently Reading:Rip It Up - Richard Wiseman Last Book I Read:The Secret Footballer - By ? Favourite Genres:General Fiction

Currently Reading:Katherine by Anya Seton Last Book I Read:The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Favourite Genres:fantasy, historical, science fiction, YAFavourite eBooks:
See my recommendations

Currently Reading:The Forgotten Legion Last Book I Read: Favourite Genres:Historical, comedy, science fiction

Currently Reading:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Last Book I Read: Favourite Genres:Eclectic ReaderFavourite eBooks:
See my recommendations

Currently Reading:The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov Last Book I Read:Crowley's Rival by Alex Roddie Favourite Genres:Contemporary fiction, humour, mystery, thriller, SFFavourite eBooks:
See my recommendations

Currently Reading:Trust Me, I'm a Vet - Cathy Woodman Last Book I Read:Flings and Arrows - Debbie Viggiano Favourite Genres:Since I got my Kindle I've read all types of books!Favourite eBooks:
See my recommendations

Currently Reading:Scar Night - Alan Campbell Last Book I Read:The Lantern Bearers - Rosemary Sutcliff Favourite Genres:Cyberpunk, Hard Sci-Fi, European DetectiveFavourite eBooks:
See my recommendations