The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
Extraterrestrial invasion, the earth taken over by omniscient intelligences from Mars, the whole of humanity under siege and a nameless narrator who seems to be the lone survivor...
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Extraterrestrial invasion, the earth taken over by omniscient
intelligences from Mars, the whole of humanity under siege and a
nameless narrator who seems to be the lone survivor of the complete
devastation of human civilization – scenes from a Hollywood sci-fi
blockbuster? Far from it! The War of the Worlds by HG Wells was
written more than a century ago and went on to become an iconic
work in the science fiction genre, spawning a whole new genre of
literature featuring alien invaders. It was in fact the first book
to present the idea of conflict between inhabitants of different
planets. The story begins in an observatory in Ottershaw, when
scientists note a series of mysterious explosions taking place on
Mars. Some days later, the narrator who is on a walk on the Surrey
Downs notices a weird cylindrical vehicle that suddenly opens to
release a horde of hideous creatures who are later discovered to be
Martians. The creatures are unable to breathe Earth's air and
swiftly return to their vehicle. A peace delegation of humans tries
to make contact but they're ruthlessly scorched to death by Martian
heat-ray weapons. Thus begins the War of the Worlds. The British
military swings into action, but their arms and ammunition are
defenseless against sophisticated chemical weapons and heat-rays.
Events race towards calamity as the nations of the earth unite to
combat these fearful invaders to no avail. Survivors are reduced to
scavenging for food with the cities of the world reduced to mere
rubble. Can the human race survive? Will the narrator and his
family escape destruction? The author, HG Wells was a science
teacher in a small village in Somerset, England. However, he was
also a gifted writer who wrote in several genres – science fiction,
literary novels, short stories, history, politics and social
sciences. A keen student of war and combat, he created a set of
rules for playing war games with toy soldiers, which provides an
interesting glimpse of logistics, strategy and close combat
techniques. Wells' contribution to our ideas of science fiction
remains unparalleled and the book has been widely filmed, staged
and televised. The War of the Worlds was immortalized as a
Halloween prank in a radio show that aired on CBS on October 30,
1938, causing widespread panic and chaos as listeners across the
United States tuned in and began fleeing from their homes! The
enduring appeal of this book makes it a must read classic for
readers of all ages.
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