The War of the Worlds (Collins Classics) H. G. Wells 9780008190019

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"For a time I believed that mankind had been swept out of existence, and that I stood there alone, the last man left alive."

When a strange, meteor-like object lands in the heart of England, the inhabitants of Earth find themselves victims of a terrible attack. A ruthless race of Martians, armed with heat rays and poisonous smoke, is intent on destroying everything that stands in its way. As the unnamed hero struggles to find his way across decimated wastelands, the fate of the planet hangs in the balance . . .

H. G. Wells was a pioneer of modern science fiction. First serialised in the UK in 1897, The War of the Worlds is one of the earliest stories to depict conflict with an extraterrestrial race, and has influenced countless adaptations and sequels.

H. G. Wells was a prolific author and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times. He is best remembered for his science fiction novels, and is considered a founding father of the genre. His most notable works include The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds. He died in 1946.

'groundbreaking ... a true classic that has pointed the way not just for science-fiction writers, but for how we as a civilisation might think of ourselves' Guardian

'[Wells' work is] astonishingly rich in human and historical interest ... he foresaw the invention of, among other things, television, tanks, aerial warfare and the atom bomb' David Lodge

'I personally consider the greatest of English living writers [to be] H. G. Wells' Upton Sinclair