H. G. Wells · 1898
The War of the Worlds is a novel by H. G. Wells, serialized in 1897 and published as a book in 1898. Martians land in the south of England and, with their giant tripod fighting machines and heat-rays, crush all human resistance. One of the first stories of alien invasion, it has inspired countless books, films and radio plays.
The invasion
A cylinder falls on Horsell Common, near Woking. The Martians emerge, build huge three-legged machines and destroy everything with a heat-ray and a black poison gas.
The narrator flees through the ruined countryside while London is evacuated in panic. His brother witnesses the flight of millions of people towards the coast.
The end
Just when humanity seems doomed, the Martians die, killed by Earth's bacteria, against which they have no defences.
The novel ends with a reflection on how fragile human confidence is, and how humans had treated other peoples as the Martians treat them.
A warning
Wells wrote partly in reaction to European colonialism, inviting his readers to imagine being on the receiving end of a superior power.
The novel was an early example of science fiction used to question politics and human pride.
Anecdotes
The radio broadcast
On 30 October 1938, Orson Welles's radio adaptation, presented as news bulletins, was heard across the United States. Newspapers reported panic among some listeners.
Real places
Wells cycled around Woking, where he lived, to choose the places to be destroyed by the Martians in his story.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the Martians land?
On Horsell Common, near Woking, in Surrey.
What finally kills the Martians?
Earth's bacteria.
When was the book published?
In 1898, after a serialization in 1897.