The War of the Worlds (Penguin Clothbound Classics)
The first modern tale of alien invasion, H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds remains one of the most influential science fiction novels ever published.
The night after a shooting star is seen streaking through the sky from Mars, a cylinder is discovered on Horsell Common in London. At first, naïve locals approach the cylinder armed just with a white flag - only to be quickly killed by an all-destroying heat-ray, as terrifying tentacled invaders emerge. Soon the whole of human civilisation is under threat, as powerful Martians build gigantic killing machines, destroy all in their path with black gas and burning rays, and feast on the warm blood of trapped, still-living human prey. The forces of the Earth, however, may prove harder to beat than they at first appear. The War of the Worlds has been the subject of countless adaptations, including an Orson Welles radio drama which caused mass panic when it was broadcast, with listeners confusing it for a news broadcast heralding alien invasion; a musical version by Jeff Wayne; and, most recently, Steven Spielberg's 2005 film version, starring Tom Cruise.
This Penguin Classics edition includes a full biographical essay on Wells, a further reading list and detailed notes. The introduction, by Brian Aldiss, considers the novel's view of religion and society.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
The night after a shooting star is seen streaking through the sky from Mars, a cylinder is discovered on Horsell Common in London. At first, naïve locals approach the cylinder armed just with a white flag - only to be quickly killed by an all-destroying heat-ray, as terrifying tentacled invaders emerge. Soon the whole of human civilisation is under threat, as powerful Martians build gigantic killing machines, destroy all in their path with black gas and burning rays, and feast on the warm blood of trapped, still-living human prey. The forces of the Earth, however, may prove harder to beat than they at first appear. The War of the Worlds has been the subject of countless adaptations, including an Orson Welles radio drama which caused mass panic when it was broadcast, with listeners confusing it for a news broadcast heralding alien invasion; a musical version by Jeff Wayne; and, most recently, Steven Spielberg's 2005 film version, starring Tom Cruise.
This Penguin Classics edition includes a full biographical essay on Wells, a further reading list and detailed notes. The introduction, by Brian Aldiss, considers the novel's view of religion and society.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Community Reviews
Sooo fascinating to read such an important book in the history of science fiction. I'll admit as a Wells fan, I may have entered in already biased, but this was a fun and incredible read. Wells social commentary in this book was so well construed thru his chosen theme, and I could see the beginning of tropes that are now classics forming. (I may be mistaken, but I think this is the earliest mention of a heat ray device in a book that I've personally read). Classic for a reason!
This was the chosen Big Damn Classic of 2019. I listened to it on Librivox by an excellent reader and really enjoyed it. There were a few spots in the older language that threw me (A man comes out of his apartment ejaculating. Obviously that means something different NOW than then. Or I just have a dirty mind.)
Most excellent classic to read! It's nice to know I have the full power to stop a martian invasion just by coughing on them.
Most excellent classic to read! It's nice to know I have the full power to stop a martian invasion just by coughing on them.
This is a fun apocalypse narrative. It's written in such a way that it makes perfect sense that people listening to it on the radio thought it was real. The ending seems a little weak in terms of believability but keeps the story fairly enjoyable.
The most amazing part is that this was written in the 1890s before human aviation.
The most amazing part is that this was written in the 1890s before human aviation.
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