Who Wrote “The War of the Worlds”

“The War of the Worlds” is a science fiction novel first published in 1898. The basic plot of the story involves an alien invasion of Earth and it is written as a factual account in the first person. This popular story has been adapted many times for film, television, radio, stage and more. The 2005 film, of the same name, made over $700 million at the Box Office and was one of the most popular movies of the 2000′s. However, the most famous adaptation took place on the radio in 1938 when it was presented as a news bulletin and it caused widespread panic to many who thought it was real! Let’s find out who was the author of this famous novel.

Who wrote “The War of the Worlds”?
H. G. Wells reading one of his books.
“The War of the Worlds” was written by Herbert George Wells, best known simply as H. G. Wells. He trained as a science teacher in the 1880′s and much of his fascination with science can be seen throughout the novel. The idea for the novel came in 1985 from his brother as they walked one morning in the countryside. They had a discussion about what might happen if an alien suddenly appeared and began attacking them!

The novel was written relatively quickly and was published in serial form in Pearson’s Magazine in 1897. Wells was paid ?200 for his work and his publisher would not begin to print the novel without knowing the ending! The complete edition was published a year later. The story was a hit with both readers and critics and it has remained in print to this day.

Did you know?
An unauthorized version of the novel, including a Martian landing in New England, was published by the Boston Post in 1898 and a year earlier another unauthorized serial version was printed in New York. Wells protested these printings, but was unable to stop them.