Skip to Main Content (Press Enter)

The War of the Worlds

By H. G. Wells

By H. G. Wells

By H. G. Wells
Introduction by Arthur C. Clarke

By H. G. Wells
Introduction by Arthur C. Clarke

By H. G. Wells

By H. G. Wells

By H. G. Wells

By H. G. Wells

Best Seller

Part of Modern Library Classics

Paperback $9.00

Nov 06, 2018 | ISBN 9780525564164

Paperback $8.00

Mar 12, 2002 | ISBN 9780375759239

Mass Market Paperback $8.99

Nov 01, 1988 | ISBN 9780553213386

Ebook $7.99

Oct 19, 2011 | ISBN 9780307808035

All Formats
+
    The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
    Paperback $9.00
    Nov 06, 2018 | ISBN 9780525564164

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    See All Formats (3) +

    Paperback (3)
    –

    • Paperback $9.00

      Nov 06, 2018 | ISBN 9780525564164

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Paperback $8.00

      Mar 12, 2002 | ISBN 9780375759239

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Mass Market Paperback $8.99

      Nov 01, 1988 | ISBN 9780553213386

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Ebook
    +

    • Ebook

      Oct 19, 2011 | ISBN 9780307808035

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy the Ebook:

    About The War of the Worlds

    The seminal masterpiece of alien invasion, The War of the Worlds (1898) conjures a terrifying, tentacled race of Martians who devastate the Earth and feed on their human victims while their voracious vegetation, the red weed, spreads over the ruined planet. After the novel’s hero finds himself trapped in what is left of London, despairing at the destruction of human civilization, he discovers that life on Earth is more resilient than he had imagined. Adapted by Orson Welles for his notorious 1938 radio drama and subsequently by many filmmakers, H. G. Wells’s timeless story shows no sign of losing its grip on readers’ imaginations.

    About The War of the Worlds

    Introduction by Arthur C. Clarke
    Commentary by Jules Verne and an anonymous reviewer from The Critic

    “No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own.” Thus begins one of the most terrifying and morally prescient science fiction novels ever penned. Beginning with a series of strange flashes in the distant night sky, the Martian attack initially causes little concern on Earth. Then the destruction erupts—ten massive aliens roam England and destroy with heat rays everything in their path. Very soon humankind finds itself on the brink of extinction. H. G. Wells raises questions of mortality, man’s place in nature, and the evil lurking in the technological future—questions that remain urgently relevant in the twenty-first century.

    Includes a Modern Library Reading Group Guide

    About The War of the Worlds

    H.G. Wells’s science fiction classic, the first novel to explore the possibilities of intelligent life from other planets, it still startling and vivid nearly after a century after its appearance, and a half-century after Orson Wells’s infamous 1938 radio adaptation. The daring portrayal of aliens landing on English soil, with its themes of interplanetary imperialism, technological holocaust and chaos, is central to the career of H.G. Wells, who died at the dawn of the atomic age. The survival of mankind in the face of "vast and cool and unsympathetic" scientific powers spinning out of control was a crucial theme throughout his work. Visionary, shocking and chilling, The War Of The Worlds has lost none of its impact since its first publication in 1898.

    About The War of the Worlds

    This year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of H. G. Wells’s famous novel about a Martian invasion. To celebrate, we are reissuing our adaptation of this sci-fi classic with brand-new cover art.  

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Also by H. G. Wells

    The War of the Worlds
    The Invisible Man
    The Time Machine
    The Rights of Man
    The Time Machine
    See all books by H. G. Wells

    Also by H. G. Wells

    The War of the Worlds
    The Invisible Man
    The Time Machine
    The Rights of Man
    The Time Machine
    See all books by H. G. Wells

    Also by H. G. Wells

    The War of the Worlds
    The Invisible Man
    The Time Machine
    The Rights of Man
    The Time Machine
    See all books by H. G. Wells

    Also by H. G. Wells

    The War of the Worlds
    The Invisible Man
    The Time Machine
    The Rights of Man
    The Time Machine
    See all books by H. G. Wells

    About H. G. Wells

    H.G. Wells was born in Bromley, Kent, in 1866. After an education repeatedly interrupted by his family’s financial problems, he eventually found work as a teacher at a succession of schools, where he began to write his first stories. Wells… More about H. G. Wells

    About H. G. Wells

    H.G. Wells was born in Bromley, Kent, in 1866. After an education repeatedly interrupted by his family’s financial problems, he eventually found work as a teacher at a succession of schools, where he began to write his first stories. Wells… More about H. G. Wells

    About H. G. Wells

    H.G. Wells was born in Bromley, Kent, in 1866. After an education repeatedly interrupted by his family’s financial problems, he eventually found work as a teacher at a succession of schools, where he began to write his first stories. Wells… More about H. G. Wells

    About H. G. Wells

    H.G. Wells was born in Bromley, Kent, in 1866. After an education repeatedly interrupted by his family’s financial problems, he eventually found work as a teacher at a succession of schools, where he began to write his first stories. Wells… More about H. G. Wells

    Product Details

    Category: Science Fiction & Fantasy

    Paperback | $9.00
    Published by Vintage
    Nov 06, 2018 | 192 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780525564164

    Category: Fiction Classics | Science Fiction & Fantasy

    Paperback | $8.00
    Published by Modern Library
    Mar 12, 2002 | 224 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780375759239

    Category: Fiction Classics | Science Fiction & Fantasy

    Mass Market Paperback | $8.99
    Published by Bantam Classics
    Nov 01, 1988 | 208 Pages | 4-3/16 x 6-7/8 | ISBN 9780553213386

    Category: Fiction Classics | Science Fiction & Fantasy

    Ebook | $7.99
    Published by Bantam Classics
    Oct 19, 2011 | 208 Pages | ISBN 9780307808035
    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    Praise

    “The creations of Mr. Wells . . . belong unreservedly to an age and degree of scientific knowledge far removed from the present, though I will not say entirely beyond the limits of the possible.” —Jules Verne

    Looking for More Great Reads?
    21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
    Get the latest updates about H. G. Wells
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    By clicking SIGN UP, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
    Dismiss
    Thanks!
    Something awesome is on its way.
    Back to Top

    Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

    Raise kids who love to read

    Brightly

    Raise kids who love to read
    Today's Top Books

    Today's Top Books

    Want to know what people are actually reading right now?
    An online magazine for today’s home cook

    TASTE

    An online magazine for today’s home cook