The War of the Worlds: Plot Summary (Edexcel A-Level English Literature): Revision Notes

The War of the Worlds: Plot Summary

1. In 1894, during the astronomical opposition, flashes of light are observed on Mars, witnessed by the narrator and his friend Ogilvy.
2. Ogilvy believes it's unlikely there are living beings on Mars despite the excitement.
3. A greenish flame crashes into a sandpit near Ogilvy's house in Horsell, England, which Ogilvy initially thinks is a meteor.
4. Upon investigating, Ogilvy finds a cylindrical object embedded in a crater and sees something moving inside.

5. Ogilvy alerts journalist Henderson, who sends a telegraph to London.
6. The cylinder attracts crowds, and as it opens, a large creature with tentacles emerges, causing panic.
7. The Martians attack, using a Heat-Ray to incinerate everything in their path, including people and trees.
8. The narrator returns home to his wife, reassuring her that the Martians won't be a threat due to Earth's gravity.

9. The next day, life in England continues as usual, with soldiers setting up a perimeter around the pit.
10. Another cylinder lands, and fighting between humans and Martians begins, revealing the ineffectiveness of human weapons.
11. The narrator and his wife flee to Leatherhead, but he returns to Woking to return a borrowed horse, witnessing a Martian fighting machine.
12. The narrator meets an artilleryman who describes the Martians' destruction and their advanced technology.

13. They set out together, encountering chaos and narrowly avoiding the Martians' Heat-Rays.
14. The narrator hides in his house and later with a curate, who becomes increasingly hysterical.
15. They hide in a partially destroyed house, witnessing Martians feeding on human blood.
16. The narrator eventually escapes, finding the curate dead.
17. He encounters the artilleryman again, who describes his plan to live underground and resist the Martians.

18. The narrator finds London desolate, with Martian machines standing tall and silent.
19. He discovers the Martians have died from a bacterial infection, as their immune systems couldn't handle Earth's bacteria.
20. Humanity begins to rebuild, but the narrator warns against complacency, fearing the Martians might return.