The War of the Worlds
H.G. Wells · 1898
Wells invented the alien invasion narrative as an explicit reversal of British colonialism. The Martians do to England what England did to Tasmania. Every alien invasion story since descends from this 1898 novel.
The case against
Wells's narrator has no name and barely a personality; he exists to walk and observe. The famous ending arrives by microbe, not by anyone doing anything, which still reads like an author closing the lid. Long stretches with the cowering curate test your patience, and the brother's parallel escape chapters are reportage, not story.
Science Fiction & Fantasy · the Pro canon
The case for it and the rest of the canon open with Pro.
if this one calls to you, so will these →
