The book I decided to read was The War of the Worlds (1898) by H.G. Wells. I knew that this book is considered to be a classic by many, and has some funny stories surrounding it, most notably Orson Welles reading it aloud in a radio program in 1938 and causing a panic amongst listeners who did not know it was fictional. I was also very intrigued by the premise, being a martian invasion of the earth, as reading the blurb I was led to believe that it would not be a war of the worlds, but a massacre, as the martians seemed to be much more advanced than the humans.

My prediction ended up being correct, and my sentiments were echoed perfectly in a quote that stood out to me quite a bit: “This isn’t a war… It never was a war, any more than there’s war between man and ants” (Wells 146).

It is remarkable that such a book was published in the 19th century and continues to be so influential and prevalent in the SF space, as well as beyond. One cool fact that I learned is that Robert H. Goddard, the man credited with developing the first liquid-fuelled rocket, was inspired by the book.

My main issue with the book is a lack of character development, but this is generally a problem I have with most of the harder-SF I encounter. I sometimes hard it find to read through books when I am not personally invested in the characters that I am supposed to be rooting for. Despite this, there is plenty of action, and H.G. Wells’ style of writing is amazing. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for some classic SF action and adventure, but if you are looking for a literal war between worlds, you might be a bit disappointed in how pitiful the humans are.

Wells, H.G. The War of the Worlds (1898). London: William Heinemann.