War of the Worlds

On 30 October 1938, the US was in a state of terror and chaos. People were certain that it was under siege by hostile Martian forces. Thousands of people called the police, many fled their homes in terror and several sought medical attention for shock and hysteria. The truth was, Martians weren't really invading. Orson Welles, a famous actor, was in fact performing a dramatization of The War of the Worlds, effectively convincing listeners that an alien invasion could happen anytime, anyplace.

The story starts off with the author analysing the planet Mars and the possible existence of life on it. He is at an observatory located in Ottershaw studying Mars and observes a strange fiery flash from Mars. Several similiar flashes occur following it, and a suggested theory was that the inhabitants of Mars were signaling humans.

One day, an odd falling meteor leaving a glowing green streak behind it lands on Horsell Common, where it is discovered not to be a meteorite, as suspected, but instead a metal cylinder containing grotesque, octopus-like, bear-sized Martian invaders, which emerge shortly after. A party bearing a white flag approaches the Martians, but are incinerated by a heat ray the Martians construct.

The Martians then use their long-range Heat Ray to vaporize buildings from afar and engage the military in battle. The author takes his wife to Leatherhead to temporarily stay with relatives. Upon returning home, he realizes, to his horror, that the Martians have managed to create a metal, tripod-like battle machine equipped with the Heat Ray and the Black Smoke, a chemical weapon contained in rockets fired from a black tube attached to the war machine. The Smoke is apparently toxic and is more of an dense, inky vapour than a smoke, spreading easily through towns.

More cylinders start landing all over England, and civilians begin a panicked exodus from London, including the author's brother and two female travelling companions. They witness the fall of two tripods, destroyed by a torpedo ram, the Thunder Child, which is later obliterated by the Martians. The trio makes a successful escape via boat.

The next book tells of the author's experiences while taking refuge in a ruined building with a mentally unstable curate who is traumatised by the Martian invasion and believes the Martians to be heralds of Armageddon. Shortly after, a Martian cylinder lands nearby. For a period of time, the author studies and observes the Martians' daily routines and life. However, the curate's outbursts inevitably expose them. The writer escapes detection while the body of the curate is dragged away.

The writer travels to London, where he decides to commit suicide. However, he then realises that the Martians have been slain by bacteria , to which they possessed completely no immunity. He is reunited with his wife, and humanity walks towards a hopeful future with more open minds.

Notably, Wells has written several science-fiction novels, which he is famous for, such as The Island of Dr Moreau, The Time Machine, and The Invisible Man. I recommend this novel to science-fiction novel lovers, specifically young people.