One of the most revered and analyzed works in the science-fiction canon, The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells was first serialized in 1897 by Pearson's Weekly in the UK and Cosmopolitan in the USA. Upon its publication, The War of the Worlds was utterly unique in its scope and the first of its kind, depicting a conflict between humans and an extraterrestrial race.

Among its many interpretations, the novel has been viewed as a commentary on evolution theory, British imperialism, and Victorian superstitions, fears, and prejudices. H.G. Wells once said the plot arose from a conversation with his brother Frank about the British colonization of Tasmania, and its effects on the indigenous Tasmanians. "How would it be with us," Wells wondered, "if some creatures of a vastly superior power came down upon us and behaved like a drunken man-of-war's crew let loose among gentle savages?"

The War of the Worlds has spawned half a dozen feature films, radio dramas, a record album, comic books, television series, and several sequels by other authors. It was most memorably adapted as a radio drama by Orson Welles in 1938, the broadcast of which caused widespread panic among listeners who believed the Martian invasion to be real. The novel is also credited with popularizing the term "Martian," and influencing the work of scientists, leading to the invention of the liquid fueled rocket which resulted in the Apollo 11 Moon landing 71 years later.