
The War of the Worlds
by H. G. Wells
'The War of the Worlds' Summary
After heavy firing from the common and damage to the town from the heat-ray which suddenly erupts in the late afternoon, the Narrator takes his wife to safety in nearby Leatherhead, where his cousin lives, using a rented, two-wheeled horse cart; he then returns to Woking to return the cart when in the early morning hours, a violent thunderstorm erupts. On the road during the height of the storm, he has his first terrifying sight of a fast-moving Martian fighting-machine; in a panic, he crashes the horse cart, barely escaping detection. He discovers the Martians have assembled towering three-legged "fighting-machines" (tripods), each armed with a heat-ray and a chemical weapon: the poisonous "black smoke". These tripods have wiped out the army units positioned around the cylinder and attacked and destroyed most of Woking. Taking shelter in his house, the Narrator sees moving through his garden a fleeing artilleryman, who later tells the Narrator of his experiences and mentions that another cylinder has landed between Woking and Leatherhead, which means the Narrator is now cut off from his wife. The two try to escape via Byfleet just after dawn, but are separated at the Shepperton to Weybridge Ferry during a Martian afternoon attack on Shepperton.
One of the Martian fighting-machines is brought down in the River Thames by artillery as the Narrator and countless others try to cross the river into Middlesex, and the Martians retreat to their original crater. This gives the authorities precious hours to form a defence-line covering London. After the Martians' temporary repulse, the Narrator is able to float down the Thames in a boat toward London, stopping at Walton, where he first encounters the curate, his companion for the coming weeks.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1898Genre/Category
Tags/Keywords
Authors

H. G. Wells
England
He was most prominent as a forward-looking, even prophetic social critic who devoted his literary talents to the development of a progressive vision on a global scale. A futurist, he wrote a number of...
Books by H. G. WellsDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books

The Female American by Unca Eliza Winkfield
It tells the story of a young woman named Unca Eliza Winkfield who is raised by Native Americans after being abandoned as a child. The novel follows h...

A Journey to the Interior of the Earth by Jules Verne
A historical manuscript penned by a medieval Norse poet. A mysterious code. Three intrepid explorers. A subterranean world filled with prehistoric cre...

The Pupil by Henry James
It is the emotional story of a precocious young boy growing up in a mendacious and dishonorable family. He befriends his tutor, who is the only adult...

House by the Lock by Alice Muriel Williamson
The discovery of a body in a creek near the imposing 'House by the Lock' sets Noel Stanton on a quest to unravel a perplexing mystery. He suspects Car...

Heriot's Choice by Rosa Nouchette Carey
Mildred wants to start her full life at the age of 28. She is looking forward to it until her brother asks her to come help in his home and care for h...

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
An early science fiction novel written by the second most translated author, French writer Jules Verne, the classic tale depicts an incredible sea exp...

Mauprat by George Sand
Bernard Mauprat was raised by lawless brigands and knows no other way of life until age 17. Then everything changes for him when his cousin Edmee is t...

Lost Illusions: Two Poets by Honoré de Balzac
In the captivating world of Honoré de Balzac's Lost Illusions: Two Poets, we are introduced to the contrasting lives of two aspiring poets, Lucien Cha...

Ships That Pass in the Night by Beatrice Harraden
This short novel by Beatrice Harraden, who was known for her work as a suffragist, was a bestseller in its time. In it, teacher and activist Bernardin...

Zwanzigtausend Meilen unter'm Meer by Jules Verne
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, French original title Vingt mille lieues sous les mers , is a 1869-1870 novel by the French writer Jules Verne with the...
Reviews for The War of the Worlds
No reviews posted or approved, yet...