The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells is a standalone science fiction novel that was first published in 1898. This review will be spoiler-free.

Shortly after astronomers observe explosions on the surface of Mars, meteor-like objects begin crashing into Earth. Martians emerge from their craters in large tripods, wiping out army units with heat-rays as they roam the English countryside. When the order is given to evacuate London, all seems lost. But there is one minor detail that the Martians did not plan for. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Shocking and intense. An alien story that you will not soon forget. 

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this book. I knew there was a movie out there, but I had never watched it. I am not a huge sci-fi fan no matter how hard I try to love the genre. It just doesn’t interest me as much as I want it to.

This book was crazy. It took a long time for me to really get into the story, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. I read the entire book—which is only about 150 pages—in one sitting. I picked it up on a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee in one hand and the next thing I knew it was lunchtime.

There were so many different aspects in this novel. I don’t even know where to start. The main character was nothing special. While he was intelligent, he did not stand out to me as a character I could really love. However, there is a part of the story that follows his brother and the entire time I was wishing we could go back to the main character. So I guess I did enjoy reading about him.

There was always so much going on. Several times I had to stop and reread passages to make sure I wasn’t missing vital information, but I wasn’t. The book was written in a way that it left you with unanswered questions for a while. I will say that all of my questions were answered by the end though!

I do feel like there was something missing from this novel, but I honestly don’t know what it is. I wish I couldn’t explain, but I don’t know. It might be that I wanted a more intense climax with the Martians or maybe it’s my romantic heart wanting a love story. But there was something missing.

With that being said, I did really enjoy this novel and can see myself rereading it. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it to all sci-fi lovers.

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