The War of the Worlds

By: H. G. Wells

Narrated by: Michael Ward

This is the timeless science fiction classic, depicting man's struggle against technologically superior invaders from Mars.

Public Domain (P)2017 Michael Ward

Didn't live up to my expectations

As a science fiction fan, I had expected much more from this all-time classic. It sits at #39 on NPR's Top 100 Sci-Fi/Fantasy books list and it was the original alien invasion story. Wells had little to go on for inspiration from previous works. He was the first, and for that I credit him with a masterstroke of genius. But... as a literary work, it's just not that well-written to be honest. Did anyone else notice the repetition of certain words and phrases? The overuse of the word "headlong" in particular sticks out to me but there were others. One thing about great writers that impresses me (and I am certainly NOT one) is their ability to create a story where words and phrases seem specifically crafted for each scene and never borrowed from another. Wells seems unable to do that. Maybe it's just me. I have to judge this in comparison to all the other fantastic books out there and not allow it to stand taller just because it appeared early. To me it's just okay. To make matters worse, the reading performance on this recording, while bearable, managed to add nothing to a 2-star story. So it only gets 1-star.