HarperCollins The War of the Worlds

A brilliantly original tale of alien invasion done through the eyes of two brothers at the turn of the 20th century. The book is pretty horrifying in some of it's detail and the scale of devastation that unfolds, it's also a sort of survivor story too. There's gratefully no forced love story thrown in, as if people would care about stuff like that during something like this. The story feels terrifyingly plausible and is a masterful blend of science and fiction.

Absolutely brilliant book. Having been in Jeff Wayne's musical version, it was a treat to read the book and see just how similar the show is to the original. Despite it being a classic, it is certainly not a difficult read. I would 100% recommend this to anyone, with any reading preferences, as this will tick all boxes. I'm not a fan of the sci-fi genre in any way, however, this has managed to become one of my favourite books.

So many editions of this classic available on Amazon, so I've specified which one I'm reviewing above.I already have a number of different editions of The War of the Worlds, also some graphic novels and the Orson Welles and BBC Radio presentations, and film adaptations.This Sea Wolf edition does mention that some of the text has been changed to American spellings...so in my opinion that means it's not really a facsimile of the 1898 edition! I was, however, more interested in the illustrations from that period. They are scattered throughout the text sometimes quite small, sometimes half a page or so. They are of their time, and the depictions of the Martian war machines actually look as if they're from an early Disney cartoon film...they even appear to have cartoon eyes! There are a number I hadn't seen before...one of the other copies of the novel that I have contains some of the illustrations from this original period, plus others from later editions.The font used adds to the impression of it being a early edition.For the price this is a very good addition to any H G Wells collection...or a great book to give to someone who has never read it, as it gives a flavour of the actual time the book...and the invasion...happened.The only flaw was that the thin cardboard of the large envelope it was delivered in didn't stop the book getting a little battered in transit. I definitely don't think it would have survived a Martian heat ray!

An amazing story, So completely different from the Movies made based on the book. The language can be hard at times because it was written in 1924, however in many ways it is more terrifying as a story about how humans struggle against the Martians as in those days there was none of the technology that was available as shown in the later films based on the book . The book is set in England rather than the USA so again gives a different slant on things. I am glad I purchased this and it is a good read for those interested in Science Fiction and HG wells. What an Incredible imagination this man had.

Excellent piece of writing particularly of its time, late 1800's, the imagination of the man. You may have seen the films but the book is a must read. The descriptions really brings the story to life. It is quite a short book and a page turner. Highly recommended.