The War of the Worlds

Originally published in December 1897, ‘The War of the Worlds’ is an early thrilling science fiction novel by H.G. Wells, an English writer. Prolific in many genres, he wrote dozens of novels, short stories, and works of social commentary, history, satire, biography, and autobiography.
The novel begins with humans watching the skies closely, fascinated with the worlds beyond Earth’s atmosphere. As astronomers and scientists hone in on some bizarre occurrences on Mars, their observations soon become terrifying– humans are not the only intelligent beings, and those other beings are also curious about humans.
Alien spacecraft starts crashing into England and as Martians emerge from the ships, they begin intimidating the Earth and bringing destruction with every step. Cities are burned, families are torn apart, and human military power proves weak in the face of an unknown enemy. This story is about surviving in the face of destruction, the human desire to protect one’s home and loved ones, and a fascinating glance at how a harmful alien invasion could play out on Earth.

• Science Fiction
• American Literature