The War of the Worlds

Θα αφήσω στην άκρη το πόσο διαχρονικό είναι αυτό το βιβλίο, με πόσο ωμές περιγραφές, αλλά και ότι κατέχει μακράν ένα απ'τα πιο old-fashioned storytellings που έχω συναντήσει.

Αν προσπαθήσεις να πας ένα βήμα πιο πέρα όμως απ'τα συμβάντα που περιγράφονται και δεις λίγο την όλη ιδέα της ιστορίας από λίγο πιο ψηλά (δεν λέω τυχαία “πιο ψηλά”), τότε μιλάμε για κάτι αμιγώς mind-blowing:

Έχουμε από τη μία πλευρά την ανθρωπότητα όπως την ξέρουμε μέχρι λίγο πριν το 1900 -δηλαδή πριν τους μεγαλύτερους πολέμους της ιστορίας, με όλη τη σχέση ανθρώπου/τεχνολογίας και ανθρώπου/ζώων που συνεπάγονται- κι από την άλλη μία νέα ζωή να εμφανίζεται από το πουθενά και να αντιμετωπίζει τους ανθρώπους όχι σαν υποδεέστερους, όχι σαν ζώα, αλλά σαν να μην τους υπολογίζει ούτε στο ελάχιστο. Έρχονται στη γη με σκοπό αυτή να αποτελέσει μία στάση προς ένα άσχετο ταξίδι, και χωρίς να ιδρώσει τ'αυτάκι τους αφανίζουν τα πάντα. (Χαρακτηριστικό που αναφέρεται και στο βιβλίο, ότι οι άθρωποι τελικά νόμιζαν πως οι Martians τους έβλεπαν σαν ζώα μπροστά τους, αλλά στην ουσία η αξία του είδους ήταν μικρότερη από ένα μυρμήγκι).

Και πόσο ειρωνικό κι αριστοτεχνικό ότι τελικά το μόνο που εμπόδισε τους πανίσχυρους αυτούς οργανισμούς δεν ήταν η απλιστία, η έλλειψη τεχνογνωσίας, δύναμης, στρατηγικής, ψυχολογίας ή οτιδήποτε άλλο, αλλά ΕΝΑ ΒΑΚΤΗΡΙΟ. Κάτι που ο ανθρώπινος οργανισμός ‘έμαθε' να αντιμετωπίζει χωρίς γνώση -απλά από τη φύση του- γιατί είναι κάτι που πάντα υπήρχε στη γη.

Ανέκαθεν μου άρεσαν οι μεγάλες ιδέες, οι αντιφάσεις, τα οξύμωρα και οι συγκρίσεις πραγμάτων που απέχουν τόσο ώστε να μην μπορούν να αποτελέσουν μέτρο κατανόησης -γι'αυτό λατρεύω τόσο και το διάστημα μάλλον- κι αυτό το πετυχαίνει ο Wells με έναν απροκάλυπτο κι εντυπωσιακό τρόπο.

4.5 ⭐️
6 hours and 30 minutes audiobook
I enjoyed War of the Worlds by H.G Wells. The plot is lovely for the time that it was written in. Granted, I find plot issues but I enjoyed how you have to fill in the some blanks instead of being told everything. Characters are done correctly for this story. Not over or under written.
The narrator Steve Parker did a wonderful job.

This book surprised me. It's far from being a cheesy look at ray guns, flying saucers, and beings who say lines like, “Take me to your leader.” No, The War of the Worlds reads like, dare I say, realistic fiction. There is an aura of believability throughout its pages. An academic or elevated take on the genre, so as it was in 1898.

The story? Well, it's pretty straight-forward. Martians crash land on Earth and destroy everything and everyone in their wake. But it's much more than that. The narrator deals in speculative philosophy, so it reads like a bloke questioning what he is seeing and inferring what he knows about science and the world to arrive at logical conclusions. Now, if this sounds sort of drab, I understand. Some readers might want more bits of action or survival sequences, and although this has them, they are not the focus of the story. The focus is on the overarching reason why the Martians are here and what their goals are, rather than just trying our best to obliterate them and move on.

I really appreciate the focus on using street names and locations around England to paint the picture. The words are detailed and succinct, but they also have a bit of literary whimsy to make the writing not feel overtly wooden. The Martian description is fairly unique as well. Again, everything is more or less driven by technical details, so that may be a turn-off for some seeking something a bit more sensational or dramatic. The characters are pretty sparse as well. I enjoyed the framing on the theme of human vulnerability, survival, and the limits of knowledge at the time, even if the singular relationships suffer a bit.

|| “The chances of anything manlike on Mars are a million to one.””

Save it for a rainy day, in-between an X-Files sesh, or when you get a hankering for a classic. It will surely not disappoint.

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells is a fascinating novel that feels ahead of its time. The story comes to life with vivid and immersive detail, making it easy to feel as though you’re right there alongside the characters. Wells’s ability to create such a lifelike atmosphere is remarkable. The descriptions of the Martian invasion are so detailed that you can almost feel the tension and fear. His insight into human nature adds depth to the story, making it both thrilling and thought-provoking. Overall, The War of the Worlds is a novel that entertains while also making you think. Despite being written over a century ago, it feels surprisingly modern and has sparked my interest in exploring more books in this genre.

It's great, of course, except... would the hunger REALLY become that bad in less than a month? Really?

I have read a few "classics" in my time and TBH I have found many of these older classics to be dry in the writing style with lack of good characters and often while great ideas, not told in a really entertaining way.

War of the worlds stands apart from that, and I would argue this book has the feel of a cosmic horror. The unexpected arrival of aliens in london and the world is at war. The devastation, terror and destruction is told in a way that keeps you reading wanting to know how the world survives and ultimates "wins" this war of the worlds

I really enjoyed this read and its a scifi classic I would highly reccomend for any scifi fan

it’s a tough and dense read throughout the whole thing with some parts being so convoluted that it’s like a word jumble. And I think I wouldn’t notice this as much if I hadn’t just read the norm biography where he writes with a simplistic elegance, wells writes more like he’s trying to bash you over the head with a word jumble just to fill out a pretty mediocre story

cool read
a little slow , with passages that i really liked , and other that bored me a little
i found it quite funny to see an english man living in the peak of imperial britain complain about being conquered and his people killed
i also liked the end
it was surprising in a pleasant way

Una obra increíblemente adelantada a su tiempo.

Sería mucho más corto decir lo que me ha disgustado del libro, pero haré el esfuerzo y hablaré de lo bueno también.

El libro es un clásico de la ciencia-ficción, como todos sabemos, y esa es la sensación que te da al leerlo. Lo que a uno se le puede olvidar fácilmente a medida que lo lee es el año en el que esta obra está escrita, ya que no estamos hablando de ciencia-ficción clásica de los 50 ni de los 40, estamos hablando del 1898. El nivel de detalle con el que ideó a los marcianos y su fisionomía, las máquinas, las plantas marcianas... en fin, no podría enumerarlo todo sin hacer esto tediosamente largo, pero sabiendo la época en la que se escribió la novela, es fácil darse cuenta lo apasionado que estaba Wells con la biología y la ciencias de la naturaleza en general.

La filosofía es otro de los puntos fuertes, que predomina muchas veces ante la cara más científica de la novela, en la que se critica la sociedad del momento y se pone en duda muchas veces la capacidad de resolución de problemas que tenemos los humanos.

El estilo de Wells me ha sorprendido por su sencillez, y en parte es otro de los motivos por el que la obra me enganchó desde el primer momento. Quizás me esperaba una prosa mucho más intrincada, y una novela que no se centrara tan abiertamente en la narración de un suceso tan ficcional (por algún motivo). Pero afortunadamente, me equivocaba por completo.

En cuanto al final de la novela, que no revelaré, diré que me ha resultado muy convincente, y no sobreexplota lo ficcional, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta el año en el que está escrita.

Ahora bien, vayamos a lo que menos me ha gustado del libro. La narrativa de H.G. Wells me ha sorprendido gratamente en los momentos en los que el protagonista o el personaje en cuestión está quieto, sin dirigirse a ningún lugar. Sí, puede parecer una tontería lo que digo, pero tiene sentido. Cuando Wells se centra en contarte lo que te quiere contar, hablarte sobre los marcianos, sobre el humano, sobre cómo sería una invasión marciana en la Tierra... engancha muchísimo. PERO cuando el personaje se mueve de localización, cuando va vagando por las calles o en un coche, el ritmo narrativo muere por completo, ya que al estar la novela contada a modo de crónica, el narrador se centra constantemente en hablarte sobre todas y cada una de las calles, barrios, colinas y ríos del mapa. Es soporífero leer diez páginas seguidas sobre calles de Londres o ciudades de Surrey tan poco relevantes para la historia. Vamos a ver; sí, obviamente este modo de contarlo es parte de lo que hace que esta obra haya sido lo que ha sido, no por nada Orson Wells formó la que formó adaptando las localizaciones a lugares de USA y retransmitiendo aquel mítico programa. Pero a día de hoy, leyendo esto en 2024 y sin saberme el callejero de Londres, no me aporta demasiado y me ha dificultado un poco la lectura. Por suerte, la narración final me ha gustado tantísimo que no le restaré una estrella a la puntuación que le doy al libro por ese motivo. Por eso, y porque sé lo importante que es que la novela esté contada a modo de crónica.

Así que, en conclusión, es una novela que me ha encantado, y que me ha dado ganas de leer más de la obra de H.G. Wells y más ciencia-ficción clásica. Ha sido todo un acierto como lectura del mes de nuestro club de lectura.

Format read: Paperback
Reading time: 5-7h
Tags: apocalypse, alien invasion, war, military, humanity, horror, psychological, philosophical, biology, evolution, science fiction, speculative
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 10/10

I felt the first inkling of a thing that presently grew quite clear in my mind, that oppressed me for many days, a sense of dethronement, a persuasion that I was no longer a master, but an animal among the animals, under the Martian heel. With us it would be as with them, to lurk and watch, to run and hide; the fear and empire of man had passed away.
—The War of the Worlds p. 116

Review

The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds

Surely if we have learned nothing else, this war has taught us pity–pity for those witless souls that suffer our dominion.
—The War of the Worlds p. 120

Wells' unnamed protagonist is an unsympathetic narrator. He acts in ways that count as lacking in humanity and compassion, despite the need to survive preceding all other needs. He is detached from what happens around him, and when he sees people dying all around him in horrible ways, he disengages emotionally and continues to move forward with the single idea of survival dominating his mind. This makes for a cold narrator who observes the world around him in a stoic and scientific way. Although he gives in to his emotions on a few occasions, he is disaffected for the better part of the novel. His companion for half the book, the curate, quickly becomes a nuisance to him rather than a friend and source of comfort. The narrator would rather be on his own than with the curate, yet when he does end up alone, he suffers from bone-deep melancholy and loneliness. Interestingly, none of the important characters are named in the narrative. The narrator, the narrator's brother, and the artilleryman are central characters in this story, yet their lack of identity makes it easier for the reader to ‘become' the survivalist in this tale. In an unusual twist, the named characters, such as the astronomers and scientists at the beginning, are the ones to die and do not add much value to the story.Perhaps it's because I'm currently reading a lot of SFF, but I saw an immediate relationship between the artilleryman's plan for humanity and the post-apocalyptic and dystopian society of E. M. Forster's [b:The Machine Stops|4711854|The Machine Stops|E.M. Forster|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347943820l/4711854.SY75.jpg|4776249]. Reading the two texts side by side, they provide a chilling and terrifying perspective on the future of humanity should we continue to go on the path of destruction we are currently on. Wells' writing in The War of the Worlds is impeccable, and there are many beautiful philosophical thoughts scattered throughout, and his evident support of peaceful cohabitation with Nature comes across on every page. The literature itself is beautiful and entrancing just as much as the plot is bone chilling and eerily accurate.There's a reason why this novel is considered to be a foundational text in SFF literature, and the explanation for it is obvious. Wells' story about an alien invasion may seem farfetched, but it is ultimately a cautionary tale about the evils of Man wrought against Nature and fellow men. The story acts as a social comment on humans' rights to impose their will on other living beings and, should the tables be reversed, humans would have no right to cry foul. Another species' supremacy and control over mankind would only be rightful karmic retribution.And before we judge them too harshly we must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as the vanished bison and the dodo, but upon its own inferior races. The Tasmanians, in spite of their human likeness, were entirely swept out of existence in a war of extermination waged by European immigrants, in the space of fifty years. Are we such apostles of mercy as to complain if the Martians warred in the same spirit?—The War of the Worlds p. 3

Colocándose en el contexto de cuándo fue escrita, es una obra muy buena, futurista y con un gran mensaje.

I can't even apologize - this was dull.

But this story and movie was pivotal in my childhood, made me discover a love for the unknown, and with that I'm happy to of finally read this.

A true science fiction first contact classic. Fast paced and well written, it is so forward thinking that it is hard to remember that this was written before the invention of powered flight.

7/10

DNF not a huge fan of sci fi so i only got like 20 pages in i think

J'avais essayé de lire ce classique de H.G. Wells il y a quelques années et je n'avais pas réussi à aller au bout. Je viens de terminer ma seconde tentative, avec succès cette fois. Si je comprends ce qui a pu me rebuter à l'époque, j'ai plus de mal à comprendre comment j'avais pu passer à côté des grandes qualités de ce roman. Certes, le rythme est un peu lent, mais le récit est tout de même captivant et offre une réflexion sur la question de l'impérialisme, qu'il soit strictement britannique ou plus généralement occidental.

Pour mémoire et comparaison, je laisse ci-dessous ma critique lors de ma première lecture inachevée :

Je n'aime pas ne pas terminer un livre que j'ai commencé. C'est comme un double échec, échouer dans le choix du livre et échouer dans la tentative de le lire malgré un début difficile. “La Guerre des mondes” est un classique de la science-fiction, si ce n'est LE classique de la science-fiction. J'ai tenu bon jusqu'au début de la deuxième partie, sans enthousiasme après m'être passablement ennuyé pendant toute la première partie. J'ai finalement renoncé après avoir longuement insisté, au début de la deuxième partie. Je passe peut-être à côté d'un grand classique, mais je n'ai pas réussi à entrer dans l'histoire ni à m'attacher aux personnages. Triste.

This is a pretty amazing story. I won't rehash it, it's a quick read. But this book is both an amazing sci-fi story and the terror communicated by the story teller comes through still today.

I knock it a star because of the ending. I feel like it's a bit cheap. I'd give it 4.5 if I could though.

Man, I really thought I would enjoy this story. But every single thing about it bored me; I could not find a single route into it that would make me interested. I recognize it's a product of its time and that it influenced a lot of sci-fi, but I guess my tastes in the sci-fi genre have moved past this story. I wouldn't dismiss anybody for enjoying this novella more than I did, but definitely did not work for me.

It was ok.
Estuvo bien.

This story is set at the beginning of the 20th century, with the arrival of Martians to Earth. The whole story is narrated - or better said, recapitulated - by an unnamed philosophy writer who escaped the chaos at the beginning, taking his wife to his cousin's, but who got tangled in the wreckage again when going back to return a lended cart. His entire account considers his trying to go back to his wife, while including stories an data recollected after the invasion.
La historia se ubica al inicio del siglo XX, con la llegada de los Marcianos a la Tierra. Toda la historia es narrada - o mejor dicho, recapitulada - por un escritor de filosofía sin nombre que escapa del caos en un inicio, llevando a su esposa con su primo, pero que se ve envuelto de nuevo en el desastre cuando regresa a entregar un carro prestado. Toda su cuenta considera su intento de regresar con su esposa, mientras incluye historias y datos recolectados después de la invasión.

Meh.
Meh.

Definetly not what I expected. There's a tiny bit of what could be called “action” scenes where the Martians are involved, but all is mostly a combination of what was witnessed and the narrator's reflections over the events and people's clothing. And a lot of “to and fro”s.
Definitivamente no es lo que esperaba. Hay un poco de lo que pudieran llamarse escenas de “acción” donde se involucran los Marcianos, pero todo es en su mayoría una combinación de lo que se fue testigo y las reflecciones del narrador sobre los eventos y las vestimentas de la gente. Y muchos “vaivén”.

Nevertheless, I'd like to note that Mackie's answer to one goodreads' user question helped me a with getting perspective when I was half through the book and thinking of whether or not finishing it:
No obstante, me gustaría notar que la respuesta de Mackie a la pregunta de un usuario de goodreads me ayudó a obtener perspectiva cuando ya estaba a la mitad del libro y pensando si terminarlo o no:

“H.G Wells is trying to make a point about British Imperialism through his book. His goal is to show people how England's colonies might feel by having the peaceful English countryside razed and innocent people slaughtered and the peoples inability to fight back against an immense foreign power. The normality the Narrator feels with all of the violence holds a parallel to the violence used in colonies to keep the people under control, and how it became a common occurrence.”
“H.G Wells está tratando de hacer un punto sobre el Imperialismo Británico a través de este libro. Su meta es mostrar a la gente cómo las colonias de Inglaterra se sentirían si su pacífica campiña inglesa fuera arrasada y gente inocente masacrada y la incapacidad de la gente para defenderse contra un inmenso poder extranjero. La normalidad que siente el narrador con toda la violencia sostiene un paralelo con la violencia usada en las colonias para mantener a la gente bajo control, y cómo se volvió algo común.”

And also, I did find two quotes that stuck with me and I liked very much:
Y además, encontré dos citas que me atraparon y me gustaron mucho:

“And before we judge of them too harshly we must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as the vanished bison and the dodo, but upon its inferior races. The Tasmanians, in spite of their human likeness, were entirely swept out of existence in a war of extermination waged by European immigrants, in the space of fifty years. Are we such apostles of mercy as to complain if the Martians warred in the same spirit?”
“Y antes de que los juzguemos severamente debemos recordar la destrucción total y despiadada que nuestra especie ha forjado, no sólo contra animales, como el bisonte desaparecido y el dodo, pero contra sus razas inferiores. Los tasmanos, a pesar de su semejanza humana, fueron completamente borrados de la existencia en una guerra de exterminio librada por inmigrantes europeos, en el espacio de cincuenta años. ¿Somos tales apóstoles de la misericordia como para quejarnos si los Marcianos hicieran la guerra en el mismo espíritu?”

“For that moment I touched an emotion beyond the common range of men, yet one that the poor brutes we dominate know only too well. I felt as a rabbit might feel returning to his burrow and suddenly confronted by the work of a dozen busy navvies digging the foundations of a house. I felt the first inkling of a thing that presently grew quite clear in my mind, that oppressed me for many days, a sense of dethronement, a persuasion that I was no longer a master, but an animal among the animals, under the Martian heel. With us it would be as with them, to lurk and watch, to run and hide; the fear and empire of man had passed away.”
“Por ese momento tuve una emoción más allá del rango común de los hombres, sin embargo una que nosotros los pobres brutos dominamos demasiado bien. Me sentí como un conejo debería sentirse al regresar a su madriguera y repentinamente ser confrontado por por el trabajo de una docena de trabajadores excavando los cimientos de una casa. Sentí el primer indicio de algo que actualmente se hizo bastante claro en mi mente, que me oprimio por varios días, un sentido de destronamiento, una convicción de que ya no era un maestro, sino un animal entre animales, bajo el talón Marciano. Con nosotros sería como con ellos, acechar y observar, correr y esconderse; el miedo y el imperio del hombre habían muerto.”

Con todo dentro de consideración, estoy contenta de que pude leer otro clásico y no desalentaría a nadie de darle una oportunidad.

(read as part of an omnibus edition)

Este clásico me ha sorprendido gratamente. Cuando lo lees te das cuenta de que Wells es realmente el padre primigenio de las historias de ciencia ficción, sobre todo de invasiones alienígenas. Hay una crítica enorme a la sociedad de la época y la insostenibilidad de la misma.

Inicia la mentalidad, que Lovecraft recalca tanto: los marcianos no son malos en sí, simplemente existen ¿nosotros somos malos cuando pisamos las hormigas al andar?

This book, for the most part, is slow, pedantic, and technical. Yet, there is just something about it that I can't quite put my finger on which kept me reading. I was empathetic to the main character despite knowing much about him, which in itself, is a feat for any author to do.

The themes of the story were relatable, and the struggles of the characters came off genuine. I think good fiction has the ability to make you believe that all of the made-up stuff is or can be true, and Wells definitely did that.

The most interesting thing about this book was thinking how the radio show of it caused mass panic. But written before 1900 I love the ideas Wells had and was able to bring to life.

This is the third time, I think, that I have read this book and the first time I have really enjoyed it. In my younger years, I found it too “talky” and lacking in action. I have, clearly, changed in my taste/appreciation.

Un clásico de la ciencia ficción que aborda, por primera vez, la invasión de una raza alienígena en la Tierra. Publicada inicialmente en 1898, la obra de Wells ha servido de inspiración para muchos, muchos autores.