One of the most famous science fiction books to date is H. G. Wells' classic War of the Worlds, which has become national paranoia in the late 30's with Orson Welles over the radio. And later in the 50's become a national hit with the movie goers. Well, neither the radio broadcast or movie rendition really took the book to its letter by letter copy, but rather improvised like most non-literal entertainers. The book begins with suspicion, suspense and wonder as a meteor passes the sky without any real notice to anyone. While the book is told in the perspective of the scientist (whose name I cant seem to recall at the moment), later, somewhere after the mid-point the gears switch and we learn what the scientists brother is doing elsewhere. For the majority of the book, once the aliens have control over the earth, which is within the first 4 chapters, things calm down and become a bit stale. Only after we come back to the scientist from the brothers story, things pick up, but mind you, they pick up slowly. I am happy I got the chance to read this book, but was a little dissapointed in how the story unfolded which is why I gave this book 4 stars. Nonetheless, certainly a required reading for science fiction fans, and even now, amongst those persuing literature.

War of the Worlds has been around since 1898. I first read the book more than 50 years ago. I have read it again many times since and still marvel at the superb descriptive narrative by Mr. Wells of a county in England (Surrey) that was "ground zero" for the Martian Invasion. A most important factor in the story is the Martian's ability to manufacture the raw materials to build their invasion machines here on Earth. They were, in effect, made from Aluminum - a metal that, before the 20th century, was considered more precious than gold because of the enormous cost of extracting it from the ore. This made the novel very prophetic, and even more so the description of the Martian's "Heat Ray" further advanced Mr. Well's technologial prophecy. Nowadays, we use both aluminum and lasers daily. The book's charm, with regard to the "invasion", was described in detail by Herbert Wells of the evacuation of London and surround areas with nothing more technologically advanced than the railway to escape the advance of the invadsion force. I still find it hard to travel to Leatherhead by train without wondering how it would have been a century ago if it had really happened. A full 5 stars to the man who was a true visionary of technology. A MUST to read. Forget the 1950's movie of the same name. No comparison. Will anyone out there make a TRUE period movie of this event?! I hope so.

Okay folks, this is it. The very first alien invasion novel and it's 101 years old this year. That's right, over a century.

Yet this is still a wonderful book to read. Sure, we know there aren't any real Martians. Put that aside. The straight forward Victorian narrative style is odd and strangely formal by today's standards. But that's part of what sets the scene.

Here is a book that has all the basic elements of the genre - and Wells got them right the very first time. Better, in fact than most modern writers. There aren't any heroic moves we can make to save ourselves. There's no hero that defeats the Martians through cleverness and clean living. The Martians are centuries ahead of us technologically and we're going to lose. Period. Is that realistic enough for you?

How about a writer that predicts tactical battlefield lasers, chemical weapons, armored mechanical fighting vehicles, interplanetary spaceflight and computer controlled robots up to ninety years ahead of reality. Pretty impressive stuff that STILL hasn't come to pass in some cases, even though we can understand such things now. Imagine someone who takes a horse-drawn carriage to town conceptualizing battlefield lasers. That's what Wells did when he wrote this novel.

But most of all this book is there for its commentary on humanity - Victorian imperialism and lack of humility, the arrogance of invulnerability just waiting to be burst. Watch a cultured society crumble in the face of harsh reality. Watch us devolve into elemental things once more, as we learn what it means to be dominated as we have dominated other, less advanced cultures. Wells' book was meant as a commentary on English Imperialism and arrogance, but that lesson still has relevance today, whether you apply it to superpower politics or global environmentalism.

Take the time for this book. It's worth it.

Interesting combination historical fiction/romance. Enjoyed this as light reading of the period of the American Revolution. However, the author seems to have run out of paper or time at the very end. The conclusion is brief, matter of fact and disappointing.