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The War of the Worlds (Barnes & Noble…
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The War of the Worlds (Barnes & Noble Classics) (original 1898; edition 2004)

by H. G. Wells, Alfred Mac Adam (Introduction)

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18,241306269 (3.76)724
As life on Mars becomes impossible, Martians and their terrifying machines invade the earth.
Member:kjslaughter
Title:The War of the Worlds (Barnes & Noble Classics)
Authors:H. G. Wells
Other authors:Alfred Mac Adam (Introduction)
Info:Barnes & Noble Classics (2004), Mass Market Paperback, 272 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:Fiction, science fiction, British literature

Work Information

The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (1898)

1890s (28)
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» See also 724 mentions

English (284)  Danish (5)  Spanish (5)  French (5)  Dutch (4)  Portuguese (Brazil) (1)  Italian (1)  All languages (305)
Showing 1-5 of 284 (next | show all)
1st Edition, Gorey's name spelled incorrectly on page 255. Spelled as Corey.
  michlee309 | Jan 14, 2024 |
Surprised that the book was not very good. Prose is solid, but the boring story is solely about survival. It is interesting that the content largely differs from the movies and Jeff Wayne's musical version. Will still read a few more Wells books though, but his success is down to 2/3. ( )
  MXMLLN | Jan 12, 2024 |
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. ( )
  Edwin_Oldham | Sep 28, 2023 |
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. ( )
1 vote NurseBob | Jul 26, 2023 |
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 ( )
  brp6kk | Jul 18, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 284 (next | show all)
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.
 

» Add other authors (122 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Wells, H. G.primary authorall editionsconfirmed
Aldiss, Brian W.Introductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Asimov, IsaacAfterwordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Barrett, SeanNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Burnett, VirgilCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Card, Orson ScottIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Clarke, Arthur C.Introductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Crüwell, G. A.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Delgado, TeresaCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Edwards, LesCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Fredrik, JohanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Frost, Adam H.Editorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gemme, Francis R.Introductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Goble, WarwickIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gorey, EdwardCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gunn, JamesAfterwordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Harewood, DavidNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hurt, ChristopherNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Θωμόπουλος… Γιάννης Γ.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kidd, TomIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Parrinder, PatrickEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Santos, DomingoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sawyer, AndyNotessecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schmölders, ClaudiaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Spencer, AlexanderNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Targete, J.P.Illustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ungermann, ArneCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
But who shall dwell in these worlds if they be inhabited? ... Are we or they Lords of the World? ... And how are all things made for man?-- KEPLER (quoted in The Anatomy of Melancholy)
Dedication
TO
MY BROTHER
FRANK WELLS
THIS RENDERING
OF HIS IDEA
First words
No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.
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Disambiguation notice
This is the main work for The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Please do not combine with any abridgements, adaptations, annotated editions, etc.
ISBN 1402552459 is an unabridged audio version of the novel
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As life on Mars becomes impossible, Martians and their terrifying machines invade the earth.

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Haiku summary
Mars attacks England.
Earth's defenses are no match,
But-- ah, ah, ACHOO!
(MJMunn)

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Penguin Australia

4 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia.

Editions: 0141441038, 0451530659, 0141045418, 0141199040

NYRB Classics

An edition of this book was published by NYRB Classics.

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Tantor Media

An edition of this book was published by Tantor Media.

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Recorded Books

An edition of this book was published by Recorded Books.

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