The War of the Worlds
9 journalers for this copy...
Hope you enjoy it!
Rules: Not many. Please journal the book's arrival and departure. And please keep it moving by keeping it no longer than 4 weeks. The last person is free to release the book as they wish.
1. criminologeek - Hong Kong (Intl)
2. whiskeyjane - US (US) - asked to be skipped
3. peacejunkie84 - US (Intl) - not answering PMs
4. Danielle23 - UK (UK)
5.
Beginning its journey on May 23rd. Happy travelling!
I am sorry that I have totally forgotten about the book as I was very busy the end of last month.
I have just realized about the book after reading your message. The book has not arrived when I left Hong Kong this month. It must have arrived, but I am not able to check because I will only be back to Hong Kong in September. I hope you wouldn't mind about that. I apologize that I have overlooked the arrival of the book. Should have it sent to where I am now to be on the safe side.
Will go look for it as soon as I get back to the city.
With sincere apology,
criminologeek
Sorry for the delay. I will mail the book to the next person as soon as I got the address.
*** whiskeyjane asked to be skipped in the list so I will mail the book to peacejunkie84 soon.
The descriptions of the Martians were really chilling and the pure industrious nature of them highlighted the vulnerability of the human race. How pleased am I now for the common cold, lol.
Thank you so much for sharing this book and I will try to start it off on another ring if there is any interest xx
Bookring; normal rules apply.
ayntastic US (Intl)
silvia-pco POR (EU)
Simson-Shilitoe GER (EU)
abigailann UK (UK)
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mysticalzoe USA (USA) (depending on shipping)
Released 14 yrs ago (2/8/2010 UTC) at Sunderland, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Starting this small continued ray of mine. I hope you all enjoy the book. We're starting with ayntastic, happy travels little book xx
Released 14 yrs ago (3/11/2010 UTC) at -- BookRing, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sent this book out Wednesday the 10th. Postal worker estimated that the book will take around 12 business days to arrive in Portugal. Happy reading Silvia-PCO!
April 21st - I'm almost done with the book; I have already asked for Simson-Shilitoe's address and I'll pop it on the mail probably on Monday or Tuesday.
This was one of the rare cases where I saw the movie before reading the book - and also one of the very, very rare situations where I liked the movie better.
The book is obviously very different from the movie, and I guess I found the second one more exciting; it did a better job at keeping me hooked on the story. The book was a pleasant read nonetheless, and it was interesting to compare both versions of the story. The original was just not what I was expecting it to be.
I already have Simson-Shilitoe's adress, and I plan to pop this on the mail tomorrow or on Thursday. Thanks for sharing!
At the moment I am reading "Lord of the flies" by William Golding, a bookring from "EmgeeNl". I hope to start with "The War of the Worlds" in two weeks so that the book will travel as soon as possible to the next participant.
Thank you "silvia-pco" for posting.
Thank you "Danielle23" for sharing.
In the novel, the conflict between mankind and the Martians is portrayed as a struggle of natural selection. It is a survival of the fittest, with the Martians whose longer period of successful evolution on the older Mars, has led to them developing a superior intelligence, able to create weapons far in advance of humans on the younger planet Earth, who have not had the opportunity to develop sufficient intelligence to construct similar weapons.
The novel also suggests a potential future for human evolution and perhaps a warning against overvaluing intelligence against more human qualities.
At the time of the novel's publication the British Empire was in its most aggressive phase of expansion, having conquered and colonised dozens of territories.
While Invasion Literature had provided an imaginative foundation for the idea of the heart of the British Empire being conquered by foreign forces, it was not until "The War of the Worlds", that the reading public of the time was presented with an adversary so completely superior to themselves and the Empire they were part of. A significant motivating force behind the success of The British Empire was its use of sophisticated technology; the Martians, also attempting to establish an empire on Earth, have technology superior to their British adversaries. In writing "The War of the Worlds", Wells turned the confident position of a reader in the British Empire on its head, putting an imperial power in the position of being the victim of imperial aggression and thus perhaps encouraging the reader to consider the nature of imperialism itself.
The novel also dramatises the ideas of race presented in Social Darwinism, an ideology of some prominence at the time it was written. The Martians exercise over humans their 'rights' as a superior race, more advanced in evolution.
The novel and the used language was easy to understand because I read the story in German language last year. And it was an advantage of listening to a radio play (spoken by Richard Burton) some years ago, watching some motion pictures about the novel, especially a movie created in 1953, which was shown many times on TV and which is very close to the original story.
At wikipedia I found an article about a TV-Series similar to "War of the Worlds":
The "Tripods" is a series of novels written by Samuel Youd (under the pseudonym "John Christopher") beginning in the late 1960s. The first two were the basis of a science fiction TV-series, produced in the United Kingdom in the 1980s (it was aired between September 1984 and December 1985).
The story of "The Tripods" is post-apocalyptic. Humanity has been conquered and enslaved by "the tripods", unseen alien entities who travel about in gigantic three-legged walking machines (the unsophisticated humans believe the walking machines themselves to be their living overlords). Human society is largely pastoral, with few habitations larger than villages, and what little industry exists is conducted under the watchful presence of the tripods. Lifestyle is reminiscent of the Middle Ages, but artifacts from later ages are still used, giving individuals and homes an anachronistic appearance.
Humans are controlled from the age of 14 by implants called "caps", which suppress curiosity and creativity and leave the recipient placid and docile, incapable of dissent. The caps cause them to adore the tripods as their saviours. Some people, whose minds are broken (instead of successfully being controlled) under the pressure of the cap's hypnotic power become vagrants, who wander the countryside shouting nonsense.
Posting to "abigailann" as soon I get an address.
Apologies for taking so long to journal the arrival of this book. Received in the mail a few days ago, will put on my TBR pile and get round to it ASAP.
Oh, and thanks for the surprise as well :)
Started reading and am PMing next reader
Surprised myself at how quickly I read this- must be a good sign. I finally understand now about all the panic when the radio-version was first broadcast. H.G.Wells writes in a realistic and gripping manner which makes you want to read on and on. Even knowing what would happen from TV productions, I found the book hard to put down. A true classic!
Will post on as soon as I can get to teh post office
07-06-10 ~ Starting this today!
07-11-10~ This book was okay. It dragged in so many parts that getting through it was mundane. I did see a lot of the movie i the book, and some parts were entertaining. I just couldn't imagine being in a carriage and trying to run from the tripods. Overall it was alright. Thanks for sharing, and it seems I may have to ship it back to Danielle.