The War of the Worlds

A beautiful new edition of the science-fiction classic, soon to be a major BBC drama"For a time I believed that mankind had been swept out of existence, and that I stood there alone, the last man left alive."When an alien capsule lands on Horsell Common, Woking, crowds of astonished onlookers gather. But wonder soon turns to terror when the Martians emerge. Armed with deadly heat rays, the aliens begin their conquest of earth. Faced with powers beyond our control, a technology far in advance of our own, and a race of alien invaders which regard us as no more than ants, humankind is challenged like never before.One man sets out alone to save his family. But with no one to save him, our unnamed hero must also face the struggle for survival across the desolate wasteland that was once his home, while the world trembles under the shadow of the Martian menace.

“Wells occupies an honoured place in science fiction - Kingsley Amis -”

A true classic that has pointed the way not just for science-fiction writers, but for how we as a civilisation might think of ourselves Guardian
The War of the Worlds remains the barometer by which all extra-terrestrial invasions are measured, from V to Independence Day to Arrival Irish Times
The classic tale of alien invasion, and still the best The Times
Wells occupies an honoured place in science fiction -- Kingsley Amis
A born story-teller -- J.B. Priestly
Wells is the Shakespeare of science fiction Brian Aldiss

H. G. Wells, the third son of a small shopkeeper, was born in Bromley in 1866. After two years' apprenticeship in a draper's shop, he became a pupil-teacher at Midhurst Grammar School and won a scholarship to study under T. H. Huxley at the Normal School of Science, South Kensington. He taught biology before becoming a professional writer and journalist. He wrote more than a hundred books, including novels, essays, histories and programmes for world regeneration.Wells, who rose from obscurity to world fame, had an emotionally and intellectually turbulent life. His prophetic imagination was first displayed in pioneering works of science fiction such as The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897) and The War of the Worlds (1898). Later he became an apostle of socialism, science and progress, whose anticipations of a future world state include The Shape of Things to Come (1933). His controversial views on sexual equality and women's rights were expressed in the novels Ann Veronica (1909) and The New Machiavelli (1911). He was, in Bertrand Russell's words, 'an important liberator of thought and action'.Wells drew on his own early struggles in many of his best novels, including Love and Mr Lewisham (1900), Kipps (1905), Tono-Bungay (1909) and The History of Mr Polly (1910). His educational works, some written in collaboration, include The Outline of History (1920) and The Science of Life (1930). His Experiment in Autobiography (2 vols., 1934) reviews his world. He died in London in 1946.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.