The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds

Summary

THE SCIENCE FICTION CLASSIC, NOW A MAJOR BBC DRAMA

"For a time I believed that mankind had been swept out of existence, and that I stood there alone, the last man left alive."

When an alien capsule lands on Horsell Common, Woking, crowds of astonished onlookers gather. But wonder soon turns to terror when the Martians emerge. Armed with deadly heat rays, the aliens begin their conquest of earth. Confronted by powers beyond our control, a technology far in advance of our own, and a race of alien invaders which regard us as no more than ants, humankind faces extinction.

While the world crumbles under the shadow of the Martian menace, one man sets out alone across the desolate wasteland to find his wife. . .

'Groundbreaking. A true classic' Guardian

'The classic tale of alien invasion, and still the best'
The Times

Reviews

  • A true classic that has pointed the way not just for science-fiction writers, but for how we as a civilisation might think of ourselves
    Guardian

About the author

H G Wells

H.G. Wells was a professional writer and journalist who published more than a hundred books, including pioneering science fiction novels, histories, essays and programmes for world regeneration. He was a founding member of numerous movements including Liberty and PEN International - the world's oldest human rights organization - and his Rights of Man laid the groundwork for the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Wells' controversial and progressive views on equality and the shape of a truly developed nation remain directly relevant to our world today. He was, in Bertrand Russell's words, 'an important liberator of thought and action'.
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