The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds is a landmark science fiction novel published in 1897 by English author H. G. Wells. Its nameless narrator provides a firsthand account of the arrival of Martians in the area surrounding London and their subsequent devastation of central England. Vastly outmatched by Martian technology, human civilization is brought entirely to its knees in a matter of days, although the Martians are totally eradicated by terrestrial bacteria before they can expand their devastation beyond Great Britain. Although other novels had featured a hostile alien invasion before, The War of the Worlds is the first widely successful example of this genre, and it remains a core text in the science fiction canon.

American director Orson Welles adapted The War of the Worlds and narrated the famous radio broadcast in 1938. Welles posed the fictitious episode as a news broadcast and allegedly incited panic among listeners that Martians were invading.

Other works by this author include The Island of Doctor Moreau, When the Sleeper Wakes, and The Time Machine.

This study guide refers to the 2007 Signet Classics paperback edition.

Plot Summary

The novel is divided into two books, each of which is subdivided into chapters.