panguitch's Full Review: Robert Blaisdell et al - The War of the Worlds Boo...
In 1938 12 million people heard the radio announce an invasion from Mars. It was Orson Wells' adaptation of H.G. Wells' 1898 novel War of the Worlds. Radio had never been used in such a way before. Hundreds of thousands of listeners actually believed the world was under attack. The government initiated an investigation and the episode has become a case study in mass hysteria.
The "Panic Broadcast" helped create an immortal place for War of the Worlds in our cultural identity. Countless B-movies and derivative science-fiction of varying quality have completed the process. All this baggage makes it difficult to evaluate this novel as a novel.
PLOT
Let me begin with my obligatory tribute to Wells: He had most of the best ideas, and almost all of the original ideas, decades before the 'greats' of the genre were out of diapers. In War of the Worlds, Wells again is depicting a turning point in the historical development of mankind. In this instance, the change is catastrophic, and caused by the invasion of turn-of-the-century England by Martians.
Seeking to escape their dying world, the Martians identify Earth as an ideal replacement and send an preparatory party to eradicate the vermin that is humanity. Their mode of transport is a giant canon which lofts their capsules through space toward the countryside around England. A more plausible method than it would at first seem.
They set up housecleaning upon arrival, devastating the greatest city in the world and its environs in a matter of days. England, the nineteenth-century superpower, is helpless in the face of superior Martian technology. The surviving humans find themselves taking on the role of vermin after all, scurrying underfoot of the Martians, scrabbling for an existence. In the end, however, the Earth defends her own in a manner which gives meaning to the quote I've taken as the title of my review.
CHARACTERS
The story is told in first person, and the narrator manages to witness most of the important events himself. This conceit is aided by the contrivance of the narrator reporting the experiences of his brother, who witnessed the remaining important events. Perhaps not the most polished approach to the first person point of view, but if you're not willing to suspend a few modern literary expectations you shouldn't bother reading this book anyway.
The narrator, not to my recollection ever named, is realistic in his reactions to his experiences. The trauma even pushes him toward insanity, a concept well treated by Wells. The narrator also at one point is driven to harm a companion, the effects of which on his mental and emotional state is believably depicted. All in all, this is one of Wells' best performances in characterization.
There are no other major characters (the narrator's wife is almost a shadow). But the portrayal of a populace reacting to extra-terrestrial visitors is credible, and only becomes more so when those visitors become invaders. Wells also does well depicting the post-apocalyptic survivors.
STYLE
In a day of epic fantasies when it seems the longer the book, the more copies it sells, Wells is refreshingly concise. His diction is simple, and he rarely falls into flowery language that would belie his narrator's voice. The tale is grim, and Wells only pulls the most gruesome of punches. Thus, while we don't actually see what the Martians do with their captives, we do see refugees trampling each other mercilessly as they flee. Only the stretch to cover all events with a first person point of view is disappointing.
SCIENCE
If Wells' science, or at least his seemingly prophetic foreshadowing of science, was not as accurate as it is, he would not sit the throne he now does. Not only is inter-planetary travel contemplated in this novel, but lasers and chemical and biological warfare are also employed. The battle is even taken to the air with a Martian flying machine.
THEME
If invasion by extra-terrestrials doesn't get you piqued, know that the dual focus of this book also includes the reactions of both society and individuals to life-changing catastrophe. As already mentioned, the psychological impact of an end to human civilization is believably outlined.
War of the Worlds also addresses religious themes. In refusing to morally condemn the Martians for destroying what they see as vermin, the question is also raised whether they also pray to God. Superficial vs. intimate religiosity is also examined in the difference between prayers muttered in extremity, and deep prayers "face to face with the darkness of God."
The problem of evil is also somewhat addressed. To a curate driven over the edge by the destruction of his parish, the narrator exclaims that no one is invulnerable to the disasters of life, God not being an insurance salesman.
PERSONAL REACTIONS
One of the more didactic messages of this novel is the cruelty shown by 'superior lifeforms'. It is very easy to compare the Martians to humans dealing with animals. And it also follows to consider the treatment of the weak by the powerful, whether on the scale of nations or individuals. Reading this novel prompts one to re-examine themselves.
While it is not my favorite novel, I would recommend it to anyone. A quick, easy read (yes, those can be virtues in literature), it is entirely relevant to modern human society. Also, I'd like to say that I wasn't excited to read this book. I figured I already knew the story. But although awareness of this story and its premise permeates our culture, familiarity doesn't. You won't be bored.
- Panguitch
"By the toll of a billion deaths man has bought his birthright of the earth, and it is his against all comers."
First published in 1898, The War of the Worlds begins ominously, as the lone voice of a narrator tells readers, No one would have believed in the last...More at Buy.com
First published in 1898, The War of the Worlds begins ominously, as the lone voice of a narrator tells readers, No one would have believed in the last...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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