The War of the Worlds

The narrator tells of witnessing the unstoppable onslaught of invaders from Mars, leading toward the seemingly inevitable downfall of mankind in this landmark of the literary imagination and foundational novel of the science fiction genre.

First published in 1897 and never out of print since, The War of the Worlds is told in a lucid, almost documentary, style. The realistically depicted setting, with cities and streets accurately described, gives the Martian attack, and the subsequent collapse of order in Victorian England, unforgettable impact. The British Empire brings its mightiest war machines to bear to no avail as the fleeing narrator is reduced to hiding in the ruins of civilization while being stalked by an inhuman enemy. Adapted repeatedly to film and television, the novel's central concept of humanity under attack by extraterrestrials has never ceased resonating in pop culture and may have inspired more imitations than any other trope in the science fiction genre. It is a tribute to the capacious imagination of H.G. Wells that this novel retains both a sense of otherworldly wonder and a harrowing intensity to this day.

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With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

H.G. Wells (1866-1946) was an English author, social critic, historian, futurist and biographer, but will always be known as one of the founding fathers of science fiction. His novels The First Men in the Moon, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine and others all offer powerful visions of the future that not only remain relevant but continue to be adapted to film and television well over a century after their initial appearance.