The War of the Worlds

By H. G. Wells

Narrated by Graham Scott, Andy Harrington, Denis Daly, and Lillian Rachel

First published in 1898, The War of the Worlds has become probably the most influential of Wells' science fiction novels. It has been adapted as a basis for several feature films, radio dramas, graphic novels, video games, and television series. One of the most famous of these was the 1938 radio play version by Orson Wells, which is reputed to have started a panic among listeners who believed that the invasion was actually happening.

The plot is very straightforward. The Martians, finding the resources on their own planet dwindling dramatically, decided to invade and colonize Earth. They land in England and quickly establish control through their vastly superior military technology. The narrative focuses on the wanderings and deliberations of the narrator as he wanders around the country seeking refuge from the remorseless invaders. Two of the most significant characters he encounters are a curate and an artilleryman, neither of whom has an effective approach to dealing with the crisis.

Eventually, the invaders are defeated and exterminated, not by military opposition, but by exposure to Earth's pathogens, to which they have no immunity.

After a near descent into madness, the narrator returns to his home and discovers that, against all odds, his wife has also survived the invasion. In the Epilogue, he reflects ruefully on man's newfound sense of insecurity and ponders on the likelihood of alien invasions in the future.