The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The War of the Worlds by Herbert George Wells would have been an alternative future when it was published, much like the short story “Second Variety” or the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, both by Philip K. Dick.
Published in 1898, the story accounts of Martians landing in England and slowly emerging from large capsules, having been shot from Mars.
These aliens begin to construct immense vehicles to commence their bloodshed through a Heat-Ray which incinerates all living things in an instant.
The plot is much similar as to the current human endeavor of NASA since the 1980s to place a human being on Mars.
Wells writes of this natural tendency of intelligent forms “to carry warfare sunward is, indeed, their only escape from the destruction that, generation after generation, creeps upon them” (8).
Much like Global Warming is now enacting on our needs of a race and civilization to explore other alternatives of sustenance once this planet has been raped of its abilities to nourish and protect its inhabitants.
What I repeatedly noticed in Wells’s writing was the correlation with mankind to lesser creatures on Earth.
To be succinct I will give an outline of the many quotes connecting the abuse of the Martians to the abuses of Mankind upon his own terrain:
“The Martians took as much notice of such advances as we should of the lowing of a cow.” (Wells 35)
“It’s bows and arrows against the lightening, anyhow,” said the artilleryman. “They ‘aven’t seen that fire-beam yet.” (Wells 50)
“But the Martian machine took no more notice for the moment of the people running this way and that than a man would of the confusion of ants in a nest against which his foot has kicked.” (Wells 53)
“Through the reek I could see the people who had been with me in the river scrambling out of the water through the reeds, like little frogs hurrying through the grass from the advance of a man, or running to and fro in utter dismay on the towing path.” (Wells 55)
“Did they grasp that we in our millions were organized, disciplined, working together? Or did they interpret our spurts of fire, the sudden stinging of our shells, our steady investment of their encampment, as we should the furious unanimity of onslaught in a disturbed hive of bees?” (Wells 72)
“This isn’t a war,” said the artilleryman. “It never was a war, any more than there’s a war between man and ants.” (Wells 125)
Wells could have been trying to convey mankind’s blatant disregard for his fellow creatures upon Earth, a sharing colony of life forms.
And in the wise words of H.G. Wells: “Surely, if we have learned nothing else, this war has taught us pity – pity for those witless souls that suffer our dominion” (123).
“Since 1900 more species than ever before have become extinct and scientists think we may even be losing one species a day at the moment” (Peoples Trust for the Environment Web).
Bibliography:
Peoples Trust for the Environment Web. “Endangered Wildlife.”
Link: http://www.ypte.org.uk/environmental/…
Accessed on September 19, 2010.
Wells, H.G. The War of the Worlds. Kentucky: World Classics Books, 2009. Print.
List of Extinct/Endangered Animals:
http://www.animalport.com/extinct-ani…
(You might be surprised…)
CG FEWSTON
The American novelist CG FEWSTON has been a Visiting Scholar at the American Academy in Rome (Italy), a Visiting Fellow at Hong Kong’s CityU, & he’s a been member of the Hemingway Society, Americans for the Arts, PEN America, Club Med, & the Royal Society of Literature. He’s also a been Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) based in London.
He’s the author of several short stories and novels. His works include A Father’s Son (2005), The New America: A Collection (2007), The Mystic’s Smile ~ A Play in 3 Acts (2007), Vanity of Vanities (2011), A Time to Love in Tehran (2015), Little Hometown, America (2020); A Time to Forget in East Berlin (2022), and Conquergood & the Center of the Intelligible Mystery of Being (2023).
He has a B.A. in English, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Leadership (honors), an M.A. in Literature (honors), and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Fiction. He was born in Texas in 1979.
A TIME TO FORGET IN EAST BERLIN
BREW Book Excellence Award Winner
BREW Readers’ Choice Award Winner
“A spellbinding tale of love and espionage set under the looming shadow of the Berlin Wall in 1975… A mesmerising read full of charged eroticism.”
~ Ian Skewis, Associate Editor for Bloodhound Books, & author of best-selling novel A Murder of Crows (2017)
“An engrossing story of clandestine espionage… a testament to the lifestyle encountered in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War.”
~ Lone Star Literary Life Magazine
“There is no better way for readers interested in Germany’s history and the dilemma and cultures of the two Berlins to absorb this information than in a novel such as this, which captures the microcosm of two individuals’ love, relationship, and options and expands them against the blossoming dilemmas of a nation divided.”
~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“A Time to Forget in East Berlin is a dream-like interlude of love and passion in the paranoid and violent life of a Cold War spy. The meticulous research is evident on every page, and Fewston’s elegant prose, reminiscent of novels from a bygone era, enhances the sensation that this is a book firmly rooted in another time.”
~ Matthew Harffy, prolific writer & best-selling historical fiction author of the “Bernicia Chronicles” series
“Vivid, nuanced, and poetic…”
“Fewston avoids familiar plot elements of espionage fiction, and he is excellent when it comes to emotional precision and form while crafting his varied cast of characters.”
“There’s a lot to absorb in this book of hefty psychological and philosophical observations and insights, but the reader who stays committed will be greatly rewarded.”
“Readers of The Catcher in the Rye and similar stories will relish the astute, critical inspection of life that makes Little Hometown, America a compelling snapshot of contemporary American life and culture.”
“Fewston employs a literary device called a ‘frame narrative’ which may be less familiar to some, but allows for a picture-in-picture result (to use a photographic term). Snapshots of stories appear as parts of other stories, with the introductory story serving as a backdrop for a series of shorter stories that lead readers into each, dovetailing and connecting in intricate ways.”
~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“The American novelist CG FEWSTON tells a satisfying tale, bolstered by psychology and far-ranging philosophy, calling upon Joseph Campbell, J. D. Salinger, the King James Bible, and Othello.”
“In this way, the author lends intellectual heft to a family story, exploring the ‘purity’ of art, the ‘corrupting’ influences of publishing, the solitary artist, and the messy interconnectedness of human relationships.”
~ Lone Star Literary Life Magazine
GOLD Winner in the 2020 Human Relations Indie Book Awards for Contemporary Realistic Fiction
FINALIST in the SOUTHWEST REGIONAL FICTION category of the 14th Annual National Indie Excellence 2020 Awards (NIEA)
“Fewston’s lyrical, nostalgia-steeped story is told from the perspective of a 40-year-old man gazing back on events from his 1980s Texas childhood…. the narrator movingly conveys and interprets the greater meanings behind childhood memories.”
“The novel’s focus on formative childhood moments is familiar… the narrator’s lived experiences come across as wholly personal, deeply felt, and visceral.”
This is my good friend, Nicolasa (Nico) Murillo, CRC, who is a professional chef & a wellness mentor. I’ve known her since childhood & I’m honored to share her story with you. In life, we all have ups & downs, some far more extreme than others. Much like in Canada, in America, the legalization of marijuana has become a national movement, which includes safe & legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic use & research for all.
“This is a wellness movement,” Nico explains. The wellness movement is focused on three specific areas: information, encouragement, & accountability.
In these stressful & unprecedented times, it makes good sense to promote & encourage the state or condition of being in good physical & mental health.
To learn more you can visit: Americans For Safe Access & Texans for Safe Access, ASA (if you are in Texas).
The mission of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is to ensure safe and legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic use and research.
Link: https://www.safeaccessnow.org/
TEXANS FOR SAFE ACCESS ~ share the mission of their national organization, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), which is to ensure safe and legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic use and research, for all Texans.
Link: https://txsafeaccess.org/about-1
Stay safe & stay happy. God bless.
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