The War of the Worlds
H.G. Wells
This review here might be a bit shaky, since it's been a while since I read the book and even then I was lying on a beautifully sun-soaked Myrtle Beach strand of sand, but I took notes and I will try my best. I'm going to assume that most of you are familiar with the basic plot of the novel, too. I think this is one book whose allure is not quite in how it ends, but in how it gets there.
What I found most striking about this book was the formal tone. This is so different than the last book I read, which was a very emotional and personal account (being composed mostly of letters, after all). It's rather dry and scientific, and though it's a personal account it retains an air of strict narration, the detached language of the omniscient narrator. There is only one occasion of note where the narrator becomes human, and even then he comes across as rather harsh and uncaring. The book is really more of a news account than a novel.
Along those lines, it bears mentioning that the novel shines in the science aspects, while lacking in the strictly literary ones. There aren't any fleshed out characters to speak of; even the narrator remains aloof, remarkable only for his stoic air and wonderful powers of detached observation. The characters that do share the spotlight only come in momentarily and are viewed with a certain condescension, leading me to believe that our narrator is of the upper class. It's interesting that in such a tragedy as a murderous alien invasion bourgeois class consciousness still shines through in olde Britain.
What's even stranger, though, is that the narrator seems to take the side of the Martians through most of the book. The Martians come across as a superior life form, treating humans as most humans treat animals (the exception, I suppose, would be vegans). Now that I think of it, that may have something to do with the much-touted correlation to imperialism. Strangely enough, my quasi-socialist, history-minded brain didn't pick up on a lot of imperialist vibes, though the final demise of the tripods did strike a chord. Interestingly enough, it made me think more of Columbus than of Stanley, but that's just me.
Overall, I'd say this book is worth a quick weekend read. It's an interesting vision of alien invasion that manages to put human affairs in perspective in more than one new way. It's heavy on the descriptive side and isn't too emotionally engaging. A strange blend of scientific description and a dash of storytelling ability make this book a good addition to a shelf of classics.
Grade: A-
H.G. Wells
This review here might be a bit shaky, since it's been a while since I read the book and even then I was lying on a beautifully sun-soaked Myrtle Beach strand of sand, but I took notes and I will try my best. I'm going to assume that most of you are familiar with the basic plot of the novel, too. I think this is one book whose allure is not quite in how it ends, but in how it gets there.
What I found most striking about this book was the formal tone. This is so different than the last book I read, which was a very emotional and personal account (being composed mostly of letters, after all). It's rather dry and scientific, and though it's a personal account it retains an air of strict narration, the detached language of the omniscient narrator. There is only one occasion of note where the narrator becomes human, and even then he comes across as rather harsh and uncaring. The book is really more of a news account than a novel.
Along those lines, it bears mentioning that the novel shines in the science aspects, while lacking in the strictly literary ones. There aren't any fleshed out characters to speak of; even the narrator remains aloof, remarkable only for his stoic air and wonderful powers of detached observation. The characters that do share the spotlight only come in momentarily and are viewed with a certain condescension, leading me to believe that our narrator is of the upper class. It's interesting that in such a tragedy as a murderous alien invasion bourgeois class consciousness still shines through in olde Britain.
What's even stranger, though, is that the narrator seems to take the side of the Martians through most of the book. The Martians come across as a superior life form, treating humans as most humans treat animals (the exception, I suppose, would be vegans). Now that I think of it, that may have something to do with the much-touted correlation to imperialism. Strangely enough, my quasi-socialist, history-minded brain didn't pick up on a lot of imperialist vibes, though the final demise of the tripods did strike a chord. Interestingly enough, it made me think more of Columbus than of Stanley, but that's just me.
Overall, I'd say this book is worth a quick weekend read. It's an interesting vision of alien invasion that manages to put human affairs in perspective in more than one new way. It's heavy on the descriptive side and isn't too emotionally engaging. A strange blend of scientific description and a dash of storytelling ability make this book a good addition to a shelf of classics.
Grade: A-
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