The War of the Worlds

In The War of the Worlds (1898) H.G. Wells invented the myth of invasion from outer space. Martians land near London, conquering all before them and destroying the metropolis: the fate of civilization remains in doubt until the final pages. Disturbingly realistic and peopled with believable characters, the novel exemplifies the mixture of scientific scepticism and vivid imagination that made Wells the father of modern science fiction.