War of the Worlds

Considered one of the best science fiction novels ever written and a classic, H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds is a first-person account of an alien invasion from Mars. Wells wrote this story in 1898 when the British Empire spanned nearly a quarter of the globe and was at its apex. After reading about the impact British expansion had on Tasmanian Aboriginals, Wells wondered how the British would react if a technologically superior force invaded their country. War of the Worlds is the result of this musing. When aliens begin attacking towns throughout the British countryside, the British are outmatched and outgunned. The Martians quickly dominate the forces sent against them and all seems hopeless for humanity until a surprise twist occurs at the end of the story.  

Other than being one of the first alien invasion stories in print, War of the Worlds is a fascinating look into how people at the turn of the century viewed Mars and space at large. In the late 1890s, many people believed they saw canals on Mars through their telescopes which they considered obvious evidence of a civilization on the red planet. The idea of space travel was not taken seriously considering humans had not yet mastered flight – the Wright brothers first flight happened several years after the first printing of War of the Worlds, in 1903. Reading the War of the Worlds with these past assumptions in mind provides a fascinating context on the story.

The story itself is essential reading, but the 1938 radio broadcast adaptation done by actor and director Orson Welles is required listening. Welles adapted, directed, and performed War of the Worlds in a radio drama on Halloween night in 1938 which used live bulletins to describe an alien invasion happening in real time. The one-hour broadcast was so convincing that many people who tuned to the program without hearing the disclaimer at the beginning thought the alien invasion was real. It caused widespread hysteria throughout the country and solidified Orson Welles’ fame (and infamy directly following the broadcast).

Thankfully, the War of the Worlds radio drama is available on YouTube. Regardless of the medium, I highly recommend checking out this timeless classic.

The War of the Worlds by Coralie Bickford-Smith (Illustrator); H. G. Wells; Patrick Parrinder (Editor); Brian Aldiss (Introduction by); Andy Sawyer (Notes by)

ISBN: 9780241382707

Publication Date: 2019-09-17

The first modern tale of alien invasion, H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds remains one of the most influential science fiction novels ever published. The night after a shooting star is seen streaking through the sky from Mars, a cylinder is discovered on Horsell Common in London. At first, naïve locals approach the cylinder armed just with a white flag - only to be quickly killed by an all-destroying heat-ray, as terrifying tentacled invaders emerge. Soon the whole of human civilisation is under threat, as powerful Martians build gigantic killing machines, destroy all in their path with black gas and burning rays, and feast on the warm blood of trapped, still-living human prey. The forces of the Earth, however, may prove harder to beat than they at first appear. The War of the Worlds has been the subject of countless adaptations, including an Orson Welles radio drama which caused mass panic when it was broadcast, with listeners confusing it for a news broadcast heralding alien invasion; a musical version by Jeff Way≠ and, most recently, Steven Spielberg's 2005 film version, starring Tom Cruise. This Penguin Classics edition includes a full biographical essay on Wells, a further reading list and detailed notes. The introduction, by Brian Aldiss, considers the novel's view of religion and society.  For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

 

Broadcast Hysteria by A. Brad Schwartz

ISBN: 9780809031610

Publication Date: 2015-05-05

On the evening of October 30, 1938, radio listeners across the United States heard a startling report of a meteor strike in the New Jersey countryside. With sirens blaring in the background, announcers in the field described mysterious creatures, terrifying war machines, and thick clouds of poison gas moving toward New York City. As the invading force approached Manhattan, some listeners sat transfixed, while others ran to alert neighbors or to call the police. Some even fled their homes. Butthe hair-raising broadcast was not a real news bulletin-it was Orson Welles's adaptation of the H. G. Wells classicThe War of the Worlds. InBroadcast Hysteria, A. Brad Schwartz boldly retells the story of Welles's famed radio play and its impact. Did it really spawn a "wave of mass hysteria," asThe New York Timesreported? Schwartz is the first to examine the hundreds of letters sent to Orson Welles himself in the days after the broadcast, and his findings challenge the conventional wisdom. Few listeners believed an actual attack was under way. But even so, Schwartz shows that Welles's broadcast became a major scandal, prompting a different kind of mass panic as Americans debated the bewitching power of the radio and the country's vulnerability in a time of crisis. When the debate was over, Americanbroadcasting had changed for good, but not for the better. As Schwartz tells this story, we observe how an atmosphere of natural disaster and impending war permitted broadcasters to create shared live national experiences for the first time. We follow Orson Welles's rise to fame and watch his manic energy and artistic genius at work in the play's hurried yet innovative production. And we trace the present-day popularity of "fake news" back to its source in Welles's show and its many imitators. Schwartz's original research, gifted storytelling,and thoughtful analysis makeBroadcast Hysteriaa groundbreaking new look at a crucial but little-understood episode in American history.