The War of the Worlds (novel)

An early science fiction novel, The War of the Worlds (1898), by H.G. Wells, describes the fictional 1895 invasion of Earth by aliens, from Mars, who use chemical weapons, Heat-Rays, and robots. The book as been viewed as an indictment of European colonial actions in Africa, Asia, and The Americas. Wells seems to have taken great pleasure in the fictional devastation of locations where he had spent an unhappy childhood.

Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilers.

The book has been adapted as a famous radio play, as a movie, and as a bestselling record album, all of which have played some part in maintaining the public's interest in the original novel.

This theme of an alien invasion has remained a popular one ever since, some recent examples being Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, the "Worldwar" series by Harry Turtledove, and the film Independence Day.

External Link

• The book is public domain, and can be downloaded here or from any other Project Gutenberg archive under the filename warw12.txt or warw12.zip
• Study Guide for The War of the Worlds