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Loading... The War of the Worlds (original 1898; edition 2013)by H. G. Wells
Work InformationThe War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (1898)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. 1st Edition, Gorey's name spelled incorrectly on page 255. Spelled as Corey. The prose was abysmal, and the characters were so insipid that they might as well have been Martians themselves. The underlying message was painfully apparent, the science was silly, and the narrative crawled at an agonizingly sluggish pace with a wooden post for a protagonist. Even after ten chapters, the story had yet to find its footing. The only reason this is deemed a classic is that it had some novelty factor over a century ago. Truly a classic from one of the grandfathers of science fiction, but one which hasn't aged entirely well. It is an exciting premise delivered with a frankness (death and destruction) I usually associate with more contemporary writing. However the non-stop mentioning of place names---towns, roads, hills, forests, intersections, suburbs---ad nauseam eventually grates, as does the very long passages describing the narrator's wanderings. The visuals of a blasted landscape ring clear though, and the sometimes dry philosophizing occasionally hits a nerve as when a disillusioned soldier envisions a glorious future for mankind in which dog eats dog and only the fittest survive. I'm glad I read the source material but I think I'll stick to the movies. Story of a Martian attack on Britain, told from the perspective of a survivor who is documenting the ordeal. Wells did a good job of conveying the narrator's emotions as he grapples with both the aliens & his fellow humans. The Martians' technology is fascinating, especially since this book was written before the twentieth century. Ending was extremely anticlimactic. But overall a fun read, & a quick one too
Mr. Wells's dramatic power is of the strongest, and through "The War of the Worlds" deals with death, destruction, and ruin, he has known how to manage a terrible topic in a clever and ingenuous way. Is contained inThe War of the Worlds A Dream of Armageddon The Land Ironclads. Heron Collected Works of Wells by H. G. Wells Seven Famous Novels of H. G. Wells: Time Machine / Island of Dr. Moreau / Invisible Man / War of the Worlds / First Men in the Moon / Food of the Gods / In the Days of the Comet by H. G. Wells Is retold inHas the (non-series) sequelThe Martian War: A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Alien Invasion as reported by Mr. H.G. Wells by Gabriel Mesta Has the adaptationIs abridged inIs parodied inIs replied to inInspiredHas as a reference guide/companionHas as a studyHas as a student's study guideHas as a teacher's guideAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
As life on Mars becomes impossible, Martians and their terrifying machines invade the earth. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.912Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1901-1945LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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