The War of the Worlds (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: H. G. Wells
- First Published: 1897
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Science fiction
- Time of Work: Late nineteenth century
- Setting: Woking and London, England
- Genres: Long fiction, Science fiction
- Subjects: Twentieth century, Nineteenth century, Extraterrestrial life, Science or scientists, Space ships, stations, or vehicles, Emotions, England or English people, Fear, War, Death or dying, Moral conditions, London, Earth, Bacteriology, Horror, Technology, Battles, Mars, Aliens, space
- Locales: London, England, Woking, England
Characters Discussed
The narrator, a man of intellectual curiosity who is interested in observing Mars through a telescope. One day, he sees harmless-appearing creatures emerging from a projectile fallen to Earth. The Martians, left undisturbed because they seem helpless, set to work making curious machines. These finished, they begin to lay waste to the countryside. The narrator, after taking his wife to Leatherhead, returns home to find the area defenseless against the Martians’ metal monsters. The Martians move on to London, which becomes a ruined city, but at last they...
[The entire page is 517 words long]

