Book of the Week

The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
Recommended by Archie Rowland 

The War of the Worlds is, by any measure, a classic. As the first book to ever describe an alien race and their invasion of Earth, how could it be otherwise? Nonetheless, one has to ask whether it still delivers as fiction in 2021. The answer is a resounding yes. 

It is in equal measure enthralling science fiction and horror with a wonderfully crafted atmosphere of fear and panic pervading its pages. Alien invasions juxtaposed with horse-drawn carts may seem incongruous but there is no reason why they should – there is, after all, no rule that a hostile alien species needs to wait until the twenty-first century to invade! It is also intimate and engaging, being told as a village-by-village and person-by-person account rather than as a narrative of global struggle.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is simply how human it is. The narrator’s journey from amazement to anger, fear and the verge of madness is an unsettling yet entirely believable one. Even in his intolerance it is difficult not to have sympathy for his plight and it is, of course, far more believable that his journey ends in breakdown than in a spirit of hope and optimism. There are no heroic presidents, generals or superheroes here, just ordinary people trying to survive and, as a story, the book is all the better for it. 

As a book it does, of course, also offer you a rare opportunity to create an image of the beautifully described Martians in your mind’s eye rather than having it rendered for you in stunning CGI. And, as a final enticement for a St Paul’s boy, it features skirmishes in locations as familiar as Richmond Park, Sheen and the River Thames itself. You don’t get that in Independence Day!

If you're interested in science-fiction, have a look at the blog's sci-fi reading list here, and if you'd like to find out more about the London locations that feature in The War of the Worlds, writer Rob Lordan has a fascinating post about them on his blog here.