The War of the

Worlds
By: H. G. Wells
Presented by: Charlton
Musselman
5
th
hour
H. G. Wells
Born in Bromley, England on
September 21, 1866
Was bedridden as a child, because
of poor health, this allowed him to
read many books by authors such as
Charles Dickens and Washington
Irving
He published The Island of Doctor
Moreau in 1896, The Invisible Man in
1897, and The War of the Worlds in
1898 as well as several other books
He died in London, on August 13,
1946
Summary
Several Meteorites are spotted coming from Mars
The Martian cylinders land on earth and Martians begin
attacking London and the surrounding towns using heat-
rays and poisonous gases
The civilians flee for their lives
The English artillery has a hard time destroying the
Martian machines
The harsh bacteria of earth kills the Martians
The civilians return to their destroyed homes
Reviews
. . . .It is the granddaddy of alien invasion stories and still holds up
rather well. Wells foresaw a number of science fiction themes in this
book, alien invasion, post-apocalyptic, he even toys with the idea of
terra-forming. His descriptions of the Martians and their ensuing
carnage stays tight and suspenseful. . . .- Marvin


This was not only the genre's first alien-invasion yarn, but remains
one of the most gripping and realistic treatments of the theme.
Personally, I would rank it as Wells' best novel. . . .- Werner
Conflicts
Man vs. man People fighting for priority in
escaping the Martians destruction
Man vs. greater power the narrator fighting for
survival in very harsh conditions with almost no
food or water
Man vs. greater power mankind fighting against
the Martian invasion
Characters
Major Characters
The narrator
The narrators brother tells of the evacuation of London
The artilleryman his commander and fellow soldiers were
killed in combat against the Martians

Minor Characters
The narrators wife
Ogilvy

Plot development
Inciting Moment The Martians land on earth
Climax The Martians destroy London
Moment of final suspense The Martians are found dead
killed by diseases caused by the earths harsh bacteria
Denouement The narrators family reunites
Favorites
Favorite Quote For a moment I believed that the
destruction of Sennacherib had been repeated . . . that the
Angel of death had slain them in the night.
Favorite part When the Thunder Child, a ramming vessel,
destroys two Martian machines
Credits
http://actionforspace.com/
http://www.bbc.com/news/
http://www.biography.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/
http://www.paulmudie.com/