Resumo de War Of The Worlds

H.G.Wells classic, 'War of the Worlds' provides fodder to the imagination of every one of us who believe that we are not alone in this universe & that intelligent life forms reside on other planets too. The story is a first person account, the narrator describes himself as a well known writer on 'philosophical themes'. Except for a small part set in London, where the events are seen through the eyes of his brother, our writer is the man at the helm throughout.In the beginning of the story the author sets the stage for an alien invasion. He argues that since Mars is older than earth, & is just 1/7th of the total volume of our planet, it must have cooled much earlier & while life on Earth has now reached its cresendo, gathering snow crust on the surface of Mars is gradually ebbing its life force away. The inhabitants, far advanced in intellect as well as gadgetry, have no option but to seek out greener pastures for survival. Earth being the nearest planet is the obvious choice. So the Mars attack which created such havoc was very much in the offing. If only we had enough foresight to recognise the pointers early on -fluctuating marks appeared on the surface of the red planet, & UFOs were sent towards the surface of the earth for ten consecutive nights, detected as reddish flashes on the telescope- we would have been better prepared & not the sitting ducks the martians found us to be.The first of these objects, in the form of a huge cylinder, landed near Woking, England. Ogilvy, a famous astronomer detected it, gradually a curious crowd gathered around the object. The top of the cylinder was finally unscrewed from inside, revealing the first ET. It was about the size of a bear, all head & no body, with projecting tentacles. Heavy weight, coupled with the greater gravitational pull of the earth made their movement cumbersome. However from this very first meeting the writer is filled with a sense of foreboding, all is not well, there was something very cold & icy in their gaze. It is evident soon enough, after an initial heist the martians reemerge with weapon of mass destruction, the Heat-Ray -'flashes of actual flame', which destroy everything in vicinity. Before panic sets in, the writer sends his wife to a safe haven at Leatherhead, but himself could not stay away from the thick of things. The damage has begun. Cylinder follow cylinder from yonder like falling stars, bringing continuous reinforcements. The martians let loose their advanced weaponery on the hapless masses. Human army in battle gear seem like puny tin soldiers with toys before these formidable enemies. They have Tripods-'a walking engine of glittering metal'- about 100ft tall, with a martian inside to manuover. These gaints have metallic arm mounted with heat-ray gun. Then there are the tube guns shooting canisters which discharge poisonous gases causing death to all who inhale. If the martians were bent on annihilation they could have easily wiped us clean, but they had other plans. Humans were part of their larger scheme. The writer observes death & destruction all around him. Mass hysteria has set in, houses are burnt, panic stricken crowd has no option but to flee, there are flames everywhere. He himself lives like a fugitive to avoid detection & survives on stale & tinned food from abandoned houses. All around him the topography of our planet is changing. Gaint redweed have replaced the cover of green vegetation. Their monstrous growth have chocked the sweet flowing rivers. Even the mighty Thames have been reduced to a puddle.On emerging, the writer finds an alien land, the earth as he recognized have ceased to exist. In the course of his adventure he meets an artilleryman, a survivor like himself. The man ultimaltely turns out to be a braggart. Then there is the mad curate whose ravings turns the martians to their hiding place, the writer escapes by a hair breadth. Throughout his escapade he is worried about his wife. Is s, or life has been too cre fate of the whole humanity hangs in balance. Have man struggled in vain for these millions of years only to succumb to these grosteque creatures from another planet?Many writers since Herbert GeorgeWells have suggested the coming of doomsday, mankind meeting its nemesis, but none can match the thrill & the excitement, the sheer pleasure of reading 'War of the Worlds'. This immortal book has also been adapted for a blockbuster movie starring Tom Cruise.

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