As I sit here writing this blog, the sky has gone dark, the wind is howling and it has started to snow! It almost feels like the end of the world, which is how the narrator of The War of the Worlds expresses his feelings after he experiences an invasion by Martians. Written in 1898 by H.G. Wells, this book provides the graphic first person account by a civilian who witnesses the arrival of a mysterious vessel close to his home. He, like others, are fascinated by the metallic object that sits within the pit created by its landing. The object starts to unscrew and excitement mounts as people are eager to greet these visitors from Mars. But the excitement soon turns to terror when the thing that finally emerges starts blasting a Heat-Ray at everyone and anything near it. Any attempt at communication by humanity is dealt with in the same way. More vessels land and panic increases with the realisation that the weapons of the military just cannot compete against such a force. The Martians cause devastation as they move on London, firing waves after wave of black smoke which kills everything it touches ... as if the Heat Ray wasn't enough. Within days, humanity is on the brink, with the Martians starting to capture people to use as food. The red weed that has travelled with them from their home planet also starts to thrive and overrun the countryside. It is all our narrator can do just to keep out of their way and survive without going insane. This book is very dark, holding nothing back from the reader as it describes the Martians and their activities, as well as the impact their invasion has upon humanity which pretty much goes to pieces both physically and mentally. However, this book is a great read and hard to put down. So ahead of its time, it still holds up today and, quite frankly, I feel is much more realistic in terms of the final outcome than something like the ridiculously gung-ho Independence Day (as enjoyable as that is). I heartily recommend this book which, if, like me, you only know parts of the story from the epic Jeff Wayne musical interpretation of it, will help to fill in some of the detail and get you closer to the action. The daddy of science fiction!
POPSUGAR Challenge 2018 prompt 22: A book with alliteration in the title.
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 180 print pages.
Price I paid: free.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, MP3-CD, ebook.
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