The War of the Worlds

By: H. G. Wells

Narrated by: Flo Gibson

Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Hostile invading Martians wreak havoc and destruction in England. This science-fiction classic has terrified generations of readers!

Public Domain (P)2014 Audio Book Contractors, LLC

Awesome classic!

Flo Gibson is an amazing reader, really setting the tone and feel. At first I wasn't sure but now I can't imagine another reader.

Ulla la!

Would you listen to The War of the Worlds again? Why?

Yes, but not with that reader! The story is great, and I've read it at least twice before - it is one of those highly rereadable books. I've long wanted a straight reading, as opposed to the infamous Orson Welles version (which is a pleasant enough listen but only really interesting because of the panic it provoked) and one BBC radio adaptation from the 1960s (which is actually very good).
The only problem with the book, from my point of view, is that Wells doesn't describe the locations in much detail. I've actually been to some of the places destroyed by the Martians (and even seen the sculpture of the tripod in Woking) but I've no idea what they looked like in the 1890s.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The War of the Worlds?

There are many. The slow unfolding from the flashes seen on Mars to the cylinder landing, unscrewing, the emergence of the first Martians, the heat ray and so on is so effective that I found myself gripped even though I could have recited a synopsis of it myself. The rivers choked with the red weed. The all-too-few minor victories by the humans. Dead London. It's great!
I was more of a Time Machine man before, as time travel offers more potential than an alien invasion. But now I love this book, despite the sound quality.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

To be fair it's not just her. The sound quality reminds me of a recording made in a bathroom onto a cassette tape that has since been stretched. The narrator character is a man, but the narrator reader is a woman, so her references to "my wife" jar a bit, though not that much as she actually sounds like an old man inhaling helium.
But some words are oddly pronounced. At one point I was wondering why the narrator was swimming after "an abandoned boot" in the Thames. Turns out it was actually a boat! Elsewhere she several times pronounces "ants" (as in the insect) to sound like "aunts" (as in the sister of a parent). Three or four times I had great difficulty in working out what she had just said, even after rewinding twice.
I nearly asked for a refund on this, but I was too caught up in the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Some of the evacuation scenes were quite harrowing. The sense of losing the Earth is done well.

Any additional comments?

There have been an uncountable number of alien invasion stories. I don't know if War of the Worlds is the first, but it is the definitive.

Excelent Story ruined by the poor narration

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A different narrator. I found the way that the Narrator varied the speed and pitch of her delivery of EACH sentence very distracting. Also following the text on my Kindle was difficult because some sentences and even paragraphs were skipped.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The War of the Worlds?

How much the narration got on my nerves

How could the performance have been better?

See above!

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

A good story and with a message about racial superiority that is still relevant today

Any additional comments?

Listen to the whole free sample before you buy