It is a terrifying book about Martians landing on Earth and attacking people with their superior technology. The great cities of the world, including London, fall under the scorching destruction of Martian "heat rays." The human race is on the verge of extinction when, in one of the great plot twists of science fiction, the Martians begin dying out. The invaders have been infected by earth germs, of which they have no natural defense. Humanity is saved by the smallest, humblest of creatures.
Jules Verne wrote adventure stories filled with technological marvels. By contrast, Wells focused on how the future would affect mankind. He foresaw how the world of the 20th century would change society. He worried about overcrowding and pollution, and he felt uneasy about the rapid rise of technology and scientific knowledge.
When he was 7 years old, Wells broke his leg. It was a bad injury, and it took many weeks for him to recover. To pass the time, young Bertie (Wells) read books -lots of them. He soon fell in love with the world's great works of fiction, and dreamed of someday being a writer himself. Wells later wrote that his broken leg was "one of the luckiest events of my life."