H.G. Wells' Classic Sci-Fi Novel "The War of the Worlds"

frank Lester: Despite the fact that this book was written more than a century ago, I found it as enjoyable as any science fiction written today.

United States on Sep 19, 2023

Angeline Beryl: The media could not be loaded.  Book arrived just now. No damage. Good condition. Print & paper quality is good. Can't wait to read it.

India on Sep 15, 2023

Jessica Jones: This was free so it's a must read!
Made me sit at the edge of my seat!
I love having the ability to alter between paperback books and ebooks!

United Kingdom on Aug 07, 2023

Declan,Ireland: HG Wells book is a seminal work of science fiction.

United Kingdom on Jul 28, 2023

Mr C.: Not sure how many times I've read this book. I've also got both films on DVDs and the musical version on DVD and CD. Perhaps it's time to let it rest for bit, but there again, maybe not. Whatever, War of the Worlds remains a firm favourite of mine. What can I possibly say about the book that hasn't been said before, nowt much really so I'll leave at that!

United Kingdom on Jul 16, 2023

Reinold F.: (The following paragraph is my explanation about why the AmazonClassics edition is extraordinary. You can skip to the other paragraph for the review of the proper book)

Kindle books are meant to mirror the experience of reading books in paper, on kindle e-readers at least. After seventeen books read in the AmazonClassics series I have to say that Amazon not only matched the experience but they have surpassed it, it would be lovely if other publishers would imitate the format of these Amazon classic editions. Usually kindle books include editorial footnotes, introductions, studies among others that, although useful, tend to spoil the adventure to discover by oneself a classic book, in some cases the editorial footnotes don't explain some things and in other cases are rather interruptions of known meanings. In AmazonClassics edition all those studies and footnotes are replaced by X-Ray, the built-in dictionary and, in extreme case with a Wikipedia search. The most relieving benefit is that the book is pure. You can check the X-Ray data only when needed. For the War of the Worlds to me, ignorant of urban names in England, was quite important to know the distance in metric...

United States on Aug 15, 2019

ewomack: "The War of the Worlds" must have seriously freaked people out in 1898. Imagine squeamish readers buckling at any unusual celestial event; the skies seemed impenetrable then. A falling star? No! It must be Martians! Augh! Run! The story retains a certain spine-tingling creepiness even today via historical imagination or present day extrapolation. It will evoke, for some, the I'd-better-look-over-my-shoulder-every-few-minutes syndrome. And though its quaint science may inspire derisive snorts today, then little was known about "the Red Planet," especially whether it supported life. Add to that, the scientific theories of the day posited a Mars that, much like Earth, would cycle through geological and biological phases that culminated in life. So, to the general reader of the time, the notion of "life on Mars" remained not only a distinct possibility, but an almost certain inevitability. Plus, the people of late 19th century England had no early warning system for astronomical events. So when, early in the book, the first Martian "cylinder" plunges into the earth outside of London, only those nearby really know it happened. To top it off, news then traveled at the speed of print and...

United States on Dec 26, 2010

Darania: Arguably the finest sf novel ever written, & a confirmed classic of world literature. Wells seminal sf tale deftly combines high adventure, clinical horror, & grand guignol tragedy to compelling effect: single handedly creating an entire sf subgenre of Alien Invasion stories (later emulated but never bettered by the acknowleged master).

Originally conceived as a savage satire against rapacious Victorian Imperialism, Wells thrilled & horrified staid Victorian society by conversely depicting themselves as the hapless victims of a vastly superior technology, rather than the opposite norm. Written in a prosaic style, the unnamed narrator witnesses the wanton destruction of the ruthless martians firsthand. We follow his chronological narrative from his witnessing the Martian firing of the 1st cylinder through a telescope, to its initial landing near Woking. Followed by the brutally shocking emergence of the repulsive martians & their subsequent destruction of Woking & Shepperton by giant metallic tripods (who after losing a single casualty to artillery fire) methodically proceed to annhilate the Home Counties with incandescent heat rays & poisonous black...

United Kingdom on Apr 28, 2006