H.G. Wells is one of my favorite (semi)-realistic fiction writers mainly because of his novels that explore the future. The War in the Air is one of these, as it explores the end of civilization during World War II (The War in the Air). What sets this book apart is that it was written before World War II actually occurred.
"I do not propose to add anything to what has already been written concerning the loss of the Lady Vain. As everyone knows, she collided with a derelict when ten days out from Callao. The long-boat with seven of the crew was picked up eighteen days after by H.M. gun-boat Myrtle... It has hitherto been supposed that the four men who were in the dingey perished, but that is incorrect. I have the best of evidence for this assertion – I am one of those four men."
Recently I downloaded about one hundred classic, public domain, eBooks onto my Palm handheld and have been rereading several of my favorites (some of them for the first time in an unabridged format). The War of the Worlds is one of these. Though I don’t personally believe in space aliens’ existence as being probable or even possible, because of conflicts with what the Bible says, I still find War of the Worlds a refreshing read. The story, quite simply, constitutes of an account of a man who is faced with the Martian invasion of England, and how he himself survived that invasion. As with many of his books, Wells writes this one in the first person, which is always nice, especially if the author can do it well.