The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds is an early science fiction novel first published in 1898 by HG Wells. It was notable for being the first story about an alien invasion, involving a species of large brain-like creatures from Mars invading Victorian England using massive tripedal fighting machines armed with heat rays and chemical weapons. The invading Martians, while able to quickly defeat the British military's attempt to repel them, eventually succumbed to Earth's diseases. The story itself focuses on an unnamed survivor of the invasion who observes the destruction and effects on the English countryside wrought by the invading Martians. The story of The War of the Worlds is primarily a criticism of 19th-century Imperialism.
Being the first well-known story to involve invaders from space, The War of the Worlds is commonly referenced thematically or storywise in fiction relating to alien invasions. As it is well known, The War of the Worlds is the subject of the occasional versus or RAR! scenario on SD.net's forums. The Martians from War of the Worlds ranks rather low in this regard. Their spacecraft are simple projectiles. While a small number of Martians managed to devastate Victorian England, the human forces never the less managed to destroy several of their Fighting Machines using late 19th century artillery. Those forces found in film adaptations are more formidable, having to face human resistance with superior weapons, possessing shields.
Film Adaptations
- The War of the Worlds (1953, Byron Haskin)
- The War of the Worlds (2005, Stephen Speilberg)