Art by Alvim Corrêa for War of the Worlds (1906)

War of the Worlds’ was written in 1898 by H.G. Wells. The novel, in which Martians land in the English county of Surrey, is widely credited as having popularized the alien-invaders concept. Science fiction is effective in its delivery of satire and social commentary as it provides authors with an imaginary canvas that is safer for criticizing society. The 1898 novel is no exception, often interpreted as a commentary on evolutionary theory, British imperialism, and generally Victorian superstitions, fears, and prejudices. Wells vision of a war bringing total destruction without moral limitations – a total war – was not taken seriously by readers at the time of publication, but would later become fully realized in the Second World War. Artist Henrique Alvim Corrêa was chosen to illustrate the novel in 1906. Wells himself approved of these wonderful drawings, praising them before their publication and saying, “Alvim Corrêa did more for my work with his brush than I with my pen.” Corrêa was a Brazilian artist living in Brussels struggling to make a living. His break seemed to come when the War of the Worlds illustrations were printed in a large-format for the French edition of the book, with each of the 500 copies signed by the artist himself. Although, he would never know, as he died of tuberculosis only four years later. ------------------------------------------- Visit the below link for more concept art: ------------------------------------------- Music: No Copyright...