Science fiction classics

The War of the Worlds

H. G. Wells

The original invasion classic, eerie, fast and unsettling.

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Details

Genre

Science fiction

Subgenre

Alien invasion

Original publication

1898

Original publisher

William Heinemann

Pages

192

Format

Paperback, hardcover and ebook editions

Language

English

Setting

Southern England during a Martian invasion

ISBN

9780141441030

Original title

The War of the Worlds

science fiction aliens invasion apocalypse survival mars machines panic

About the book

Martians invade Earth with devastating machines, forcing Victorian society to confront terror, helplessness and survival.

A foundational pick for readers who want alien invasion, apocalypse, social panic and early science fiction with real tension.

Wells makes the invasion feel immediate by grounding the impossible in ordinary roads, towns and crowds.

It works for readers asking for science fiction, disaster, survival, imperial reversal or a short speculative classic.