Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 –
13 August 1946)
—known as H. G. Wells—was a prolific English writer in many
genres, including the novel, history, politics, and social commentary, and
textbooks and rules for war games. Wells is now best remembered for his science
fiction novels, and is called the father of science fiction, along with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback. His most
notable science fiction works include The
Time Machine (1895), The Island of
Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible
Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898). He was nominated for the Nobel
Prize in Literature four times.
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| Wells died 70 years ago today. |
The War of the Worlds is a science
fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells first serialised in 1897 in the UK
by Pearson's Magazine and in the US by Cosmopolitan magazine. The novel's first
appearance in hardcover was in 1898 from publisher William Heinemann of London.
Written between 1895 and 1897, it is one of the earliest stories that detail
a conflict between mankind and an extraterrestrial race. The novel is the
first-person narrative of both an unnamed protagonist in Surrey and of his
younger brother in London as southern England is invaded by Martians. The novel
is one of the most commented-on works in the science fiction canon.
