Herbert George Wells 
The War of the Worlds 

One of the most famous science-fiction stories ever written, „The War of the Worlds” helped launch the entire genre by exploiting the concept of interplanetary travel. Thirty-five million miles into space, a species of Martians sets eyes on planet Earth. With their own planet doomed for destruction, the Martians prepare to invade. Their weapons are ready and their aim is ruthless. The war of the worlds is about to begin. „The War of the Worlds” describes the fictional 1895 invasion of Earth by aliens from Mars who use laser-like Heat-Rays, chemical weapons, and mechanical three-legged ’’fighting machines’’ that could potentially be viewed as precursors to the tank. After defeating the resistance the Martians devastate much of eastern England, including London… The novel demonstrates Wells’ typical pessimistic outlook on human nature and offers a good deal of criticism on society and people’s ignorance and vanity.