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Summary

The War of the Worlds

The science fiction novel ‚The War of the Worlds‘ written by Herbert George Wells in 1898,which has been described as a powerful and apocalyptic vision of the world invaded by Martians, tells the story of  Martians, fleeing their own planet because its resources are depleted, invading our Earth, landing in England, sweeping through the countryside, destroying or capturing everything in their path. Any effort by the humans to hold up the Martians advance is crushed; the alien invaders seem unstoppable until the very end of the book when a common germ eliminates the Martian menace.

In the beginning of the book the narrator,  a philsoph and writer of scientific texts, explains why the Martians invaded Earth. Furthermore he mentions how the appearance of gas explosions are observed on Mars at regular 24 hour intervals. Later the first projectile, considered to be a meteorite, impacts between Horsell, Ottershaw and Woking. The lack of interest in this celestial body by the inhabitants of the surrounding area disappears as the
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meteorite is identified as a  hollow cylinder,whose top begins to unscrew. This is then linked with the gas explosions on Mars. It is imagined that a peaceful conversation with the Martians is possible and there is great excitement when suddenly the Martians begin to emerge from the cylinder.  Then, as a mass of people press around the pit made by the cylinder, a metallic tentacle sticks out of the cylinders opening and kills the majority of the people by using an unknown heat-ray. The narrator, who is a witness of this happening, flees and, arriving home, tells his wife the things that have happened. Until this time, he had thought that Martians could not survive on earth because of the differences in gravity. After the heat-ray incident the common where the cylinder is situated, remains deserted and guarded by some army troops. The interest in the unusual projectile calms down and the people go back into their daily lives. Then a second cylinder impacts. Suddenly, as the narrator sits with his wife on the terrace, gunshots and  loud thunder are heard. The army is fighting against the Martians who ignite, everything in their range with their heat-rays. The narrator and his wife, whose house would also soon be in the range of the heat-ray, flee to the narrator‘s cousin in Leatherhead. Leaving his wife  in the cousins house the narrator heads back to Woking where he wants to help his neighbours and friends to escape. He sees the landing of the third cylinder and observes for the first time the Martian tripods which are gathering around it. Back in the narrator‘s house an artillaryman appears and sums up what has happened since the narrator had left for Leatherhead. The next morning the narrator and the artillaryman decide, against the plan to return to Leatherhead because this would lead them directly across the Martians path. Therefore they head for Weybridge via Byfleet. Arriving in Byfleet they find total confusion, noting that still more army troops are arriving.  At midday  near  where the rivers Thames and Wey join, four Martian tripods appear striding towards the river and fortunately one tripod is destroyed by the army. After the destruction the narrator and the artilleryman get split up and the narrator escapes by boat in the direction of London where he meets a curate.

 The narrators brother, who is a London medical student, working for an imminent examination, takes up the tale. The fact that London is far situated from where the Martians landed means that the people in London do not recognize the threat and remain unperturbed. Only when the newspapers start to print the truth do people recognize the immensity of the menace and begin to evacuate the city. When the fourth cylinder impacts, the mention of the poison-gas, sprayed by the martians over all the fields and villages, brings another weapon into the story. The next day the narrator‘s brother flees London rescuing two woman and their cart. Together, they try to cross the Great North Road, but it is swarming with panic-stricken crowds. As the three eventually arrive at the coast and board a paddlesteamer they witness the destruction of two other Martian tripods by the torpedo-ram „Thunder Child“.

As the story gets back to the narrator‘s situation he sets out for Leatherhead  to save his wife, but, accompanied by the curate, they take refuge in an empty house and are trapped when the fifth cylinder lands. Imprisoned in the ruined house the narrator describes the Martians‘ machines and creatures that operate them. For the first glance they look rather like animals than like machines. Hours later the narrator witnesses the Martians‘ treatment of captured humans and resolves to escape. The martian suck out the humans blood as their nutrition . Unfortunately the curate loses his reason and his shouts attract a Martian machine which kills him with its tentacles while the narrator hides in the coal cellar of the house. After days without food and water the narrator risks using the water pump and discovers that the Martians have left the pit in front of the house. Later he escapes from the house, wanders through the woods  and meets the artillaryman again , who expounds his exaggerated plans for mankind’s survival. Finding the artillaryman’s plans bizzare, he sets off alone to find other survivors. Onb    reaching London he hears an unearthly howling and discovers it comes from a dying Martian tripod. On Primrose Hill he finds the Martians‘ base which has now become their grave. Human germs have anhiliated them. When the news of the Martians death is published, the suvivors return to London, but the narrator‘s delight is inhibited, because he hears that Leatherhead has been destroyed. He returns home, desolate; but his cousin and wife are fortunately waiting for him.

The last chapter of the book is a reflection by the narrator on the effects on mankind of the Martians‘ invasion.