July 2020 Book Club: War of the Worlds by HG Wells

[Matt H.]

Didn't mean everyone was expected to be finished. I'm just thinking we should get a jump on the next one, rather than say finish end of July and then look around saying what next?

Ok, understood. Would love to sync this even partially with my other reading/review list... Just depends on feelings here.

 

[Trollheart]

Inclined as I am to read DOTT (ah, really? That's the acronym? ) I think we'd be better doing what I said and making the next one a newer novel. Maybe even a current one, from 2019/2020. Anyone got any ideas?

 

[Hobbit]

Well, we didn't have a full month on this one, so we may want to give it a little longer than the month we'll be aiming for, as its a first effort. These dates can be fluid anyway - IMO it is important to give people chance to read the book. We might want to look at the next one starting mid -August to the end of September, whilst these things are settling in?

 

[Westy]

Well, we didn't have a full month on this one, so we may want to give it a little longer than the month we'll be aiming for, as its a first effort. These dates can be fluid anyway - IMO it is important to give people chance to read the book. We might want to look at the next one starting mid -August to the end of September, whilst these things are settling in?

Makes sense to me.

 

[Trollheart]

Yup I'll go with that

 

[Windshadow]

I've been reading this now, and that's one thing I noticed, how specific and detailed the narration is on all the places the Martians are and are going - would make reading it a lot more immediate for someone from London (and yes especially as a kid from London reading it!)

Ben in his rivers books also gets me to dig out my Ordnance Survey land-ranger 1 inch to one-mile maps. but I have been a map hoarder most of my life and I have a full shelf of these maps covering the whole of the UK collected by me on various extended holidays going far enough back to the point that the oldest are priced in old money that I bought in the mid-60s on my first walking holiday in the Cotswolds... when I read a book set in the UK of any sort I get out the OS maps of the areas covered in the book. it is sometimes a bit depressing to see authors who are somewhat lazy in their geographic skills... I dimly recall one murder mystery where Oxford had somehow ended up in the author's mind being east of Cambridge! For a page or two, I thought he might somehow be referring to Cambridge Massachusets! He wasn't but he was very confused and this was just the most egregious geographic error. I never did finish that book.

 

[Hobbit]

Might be worth reminding that we're thinking about the next book already.... we'll start putting together suggestions soon.

 

[pogopossum]

But what's the protocol? I very much appreciate Windshadow's map hoarder comment. Unique perspective.
Westy actually seems to have started the discussion - with incisive commentary. The initial post seemed to suggest chiming in as the spirit moved - - -
Conversation is starting re new titles. Appropriate if this is a continuing discussion. Ya gotta read ahead.
But we need a decider for how we should proceed. I nominate Trollheart as the initiator to set dates
& pick a new title based on suggestions. Suggest a timeline for which book we should center on.
Hobbit's month seems good, with the addition of a week to obtain it?
A modest proposal.

 

[Hobbit]

Yeah: last time I looked, Trollheart is aware. No real protocol: as it's Trollheart's suggestion to try this, I believe he'll get some ideas together and then we'll discuss one. Please let him know any ideas, but it is Trollheart that will make the final choice.

My point was that people might like to make further comments on War of the Worlds before moving on. The thread will be left open and people can of course contribute afterwards.

 

[Trollheart]

Well I guess the idea is that when everyone has read the book we can begin discussion in earnest, but I don't mind it starting whenever. I read it quite recently and also researched it for another project quite extensively so it's all fresh in my mind. With reference to conversation starting on new titles, that would be the next book we're going to be reading, and that, so far as I understand, will be in a new thread, linked loosely to this one, which is why this is titled "Book Club: War of the Worlds" and not just "Book Club". I'm certainly open to anyone talking about it whenever they like; I just don't want those who haven't re-read it (I'm assuming we've all read it at least once, or at least seen/heard one adaptation) feeling left out in a kind of "wait for me! I haven't got to that part yet!" sort of thing.

 

[Hobbit]

hat, so far as I understand, will be in a new thread, linked loosely to this one, which is why this is titled "Book Club: War of the Worlds" and not just "Book Club".

Thought that was the idea.

 

[Trollheart]

Yeah I thought so too. I was just addressing Stanley's concern that, as I read his post, we were going to be discussing multiple club books in the one thread.

 

[Windshadow]

why not have a thread called "bookclub housekeeping" or similar perhaps in the general section then each working book club thread could go into either the Science fiction section or fantasy section as it is decided on?
Named in the way this one was July 2020 Book Club: War of the Worlds by HG Wells

 

[Hobbit]

I was just addressing Stanley's concern that, as I read his post, we were going to be discussing multiple club books in the one thread.

Yup. We have done that before (the Reading in... threads are a bit like that) but it would get confusing as time went on, I think.

 

[Windshadow]

How about we alternate Fantasy reads with Science Fiction the idea would be that we have a few folks here who never or almost never read "the other one" outside of Tolkien I almost never read any of that silly fantasy (the exception would be when a Science fiction author would dip their pen into the Fantasy inkwell as when Heinlein wrote Glory Road or Niven did The Magic Goes Away ) Stuff until one day in the early 80s I had a train trip from London to Aberdeen and grabbed a copy of the latest Prattchet from the W H Smiths at the station in London and found my new favorite author... That was a typically Windy way of suggesting we read something by Pratchett for the next book club selection here.

 

[Trollheart]

Yeah I already suggested near the beginning that we alternate between sf and f, but I can't remember who was for or against it. I think it would be a good idea, as though I read both, I'm aware some people are firmly holding their places in front of magic portculli and would not leave this planet or entertain a robot guest if their lives depended on it. Well, maybe if it was a magic robot...

 

[Trollheart]

It's August, boys, girls and assorted lifeforms. Should we try to get the discussion going now and start thinking of next month's book?

 

[pogopossum]

Remembering the book, it seems that the Martians are more of a Malificent Ex Machina than anything really examined by the author. A mechanism to occasion a story of humanity rather than anything intended to explore outside Homo Sapiens.
The Martians are a MacGuffin to make the people scurry.
This is not a put down. As compared to Things To Come and other works, it is an adventure story rather than something that speaks to Wells' political/social views. As that, it is very well done. The characters and experiences are gripping. The SF pretty unique for the time. (I do not know enough to compare it to much of anything contemporary to Wells. I do know that with Verne they were thought to be unique.).) But it's a psychological adventure story, not really an examination of what might be out there.
The landscape and adventure caught me when I read it, even though I was already into more sophisticated stuff.
Apology: Y'all have loaded me up with so much to read that I did not re-read. This is based on partial memories. Even back then the Martians seemed more to be boojums than real beings. Although the physical description of them and of the hero's journey were elegant.

edit: After writing the above, I researched. Quote. "In the end, the major takeaway—for the narrator and the reader—is compassion for animals: " Not what I remember. But it does put us into a less than superior place.

 

[pogopossum]

Next book? I would like something a little more exploratory of human nature than anything Heinlein: Puppet Masters or The Door Into Summer.
(Both of which I have read many times) I would suggest something pithy and short like This Immortal. Myth and adventure. (I have made clear here how I feel about Zelazny). Or perhaps The Stars My Destination? As a precursor to entire waves of later exploration? Or Old Man's War as a fairly recent easy read? Or Timescape if folks want something more challenging? As we all do, I am obviously larding my suggestions with personal favorites. I would love a suggestion of something that I do not know - but would be willing to read - preferably without a real slog. I do have priorities. I still need time to help reject the US idiot-in-chief.

 

[Trollheart]

Nice comments pogo! It's a little late here for me to go into my thoughts but I will post tomorrow. As for a new book, I'd still be on the side of going for something totally new, maybe only just released in the last few months, and maybe even a debut novel (although I don't know whether that would work) - ideally something nobody can come into this with preconceptions about. Thoughts?