Book Review – “The War of the Worlds”

Five Stars out of Five

The War of the Worlds holds a special place in my heart because it was the first science fiction work I ever read. I first read an abridged, illustrated version (cover pictured right) for kids when I was ten, but I loved the story so much, I wanted to read the “grown up” version (cover pictured left) soon afterwards. I did and The War of the Worlds remains one of my favorite novels to this day. Not to mention, for me, this remains the alien invasion gold standard. If you want to pen an alien invasion story, you must peruse this novel first.

Thus, I can’t find too many faults with it. The writing is tight, the plotting is perfectly paced, and the narrator is genuine and authentic. His first-hand account of the Martian assault is further personalized as he fears for himself, his wife, and what is becoming of the world he’s always known. His encounters with complacent, ignorant onlookers only heighten his frustrations in that these folks are headed straight into danger and nothing he can do will save them.

Speaking of which, part of what inspired Wells to pen this novel was a wish to condemn social complacency. The novel, which was originally written in serialized form, takes on the topic of colonialism. Wells wasn’t entirely against British expansion but he did disagree with some of the methods, such as killing off “primitive” natives of a land that colonizers sought to possess. Thus, The War of the Worlds turns this on its head: the colonizers, who believe they are too high and mighty to be taken, are the ones being invaded and slaughtered.

As much as I like the narrator (who, I believe, is a foil for Wells), I also find appeal in two other characters, the artilleryman and the curate. These figures serve as contrasts in extremes: while the artilleryman assumes mankind will have to restart civilization to escape the Martian oppressors, the curate has given up all hope on humanity.

The artilleryman’s bold predictions for the fate of mankind paint a desolate image that even the narrator seems to have a hard time wanting to grasp. But his character serves to show that, through hard times, he has become more bitter than emboldened. Contrast his more determined view of humanity with the curate’s wishy-washy whining. This is a bit ironic seeing as the curate is a religious figure but his personal faith is weak. While I can’t say what Wells’ religious views were, it’s clear that he had no tolerance for folks who purported to be religious but didn’t live or act like what their teachings taught.

I love to hate the curate; not because he’s a poor character, but because he’s the antithesis of everything his faith stands for. Rather than acting charitable and compassionate, the curate is a whining, selfish man who can only lament over God’s “judgment.” Contrast this with the narrator who is compassionate, hopeful, and gains a renewed glimpse of faith later on in the novel. Under his light, the curate becomes a religious imposter who cares only for himself and his pious ways that, in truth, mean nothing to him. Plot-wise, the novel is basic – the Martians come and the narrator tries to survive. And that’s okay. The story didn’t need a ton of subplots or complex characters. Its beauty is in its simplicity, and I give Wells credit that he avoided the soapbox technique of trying to preach to his audience.

Overall, The War of the Worlds is not a classic by accident. It is a well-crafted novel with a simple premise but not a simple message. To anyone who has never read this defining work of science fiction, jot this one down as a need-to-read. And to anyone who enjoys a good, old fashioned sci-fi classic, you can’t go wrong with this novel.

Content:
Language – Essentially none, save for a few sporadic uses of God’s name and some PG-level profanities (including mild British profanities) spouted in some tense situations but nothing pervasive.

Violence – Nothing in terms of any blood or gore other than a passing reference of the Martians draining a human body of blood (but no graphic details are given). People get vaporized and (off-page) devoured by Martians but nothing is described with gory details. Thus, much of the book’s scare factor comes from what we don’t see through tense moments of looming death.

Sexual Content – None. The narrator tells readers that the Martians lack genitals and produce asexually by “budding,” but his comments are intended to inform, not titillate.