The War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells about a Martian invasion of Earth. The Trope Maker for Alien Invasion stories (as well as Tripod Terror), it has been adapted into other works of media numerous times.
Original work:
- The War of the Worlds (1898), the original novel by Wells.
Adaptations and derivative works:
Audio Plays- Jeff Waynes The War Of The Worlds The Musical Drama (2018), an adaptation based on the original radio drama that combines the original book and Jeff Wayne's album exclusively on Audible.
Comic Books
- Killraven (1973), set in an alternate Marvel Universe where the Martians invaded a second time in 2001 and conquered the planet.
- Killraven (2002), a reboot of the above which makes some changes to the original cast and setting.
- Sherlock Holmes in the Case of the Missing Martian (1990)
- Superman: War of the Worlds (1998), a DC Elseworlds story taking place in 1938, where Superman is revealed to the world just as the Martians begin their invasion.
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Volume 2 (2002), re-imagines the invasion in that series' context.
- Scarlet Traces (2002), a sequel to the original story where Martian technology has been reversed engineered.
- H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (2006), a comic adaptation of the original novel, serving as a prequel to the above.
- War of the Worlds: Second Wave (2006), a comic book sequel to the original novel, by Boom! Studios.
- War of the World War One (2016—2019), a comic series where the Martian invasion happened during World War I.
Films
- The War of the Worlds (1953), by noted film producer George Pal and directed by Byron Haskins.
- War of the Worlds (2005), directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise.
- H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds (2005), the first mockbuster film by The Asylum.
- War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave (2008), a sequel to the above movie.
- H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (2005), a film by Pendragon Pictures. Notable, in that it's the most faithful film adaptation of the original novel.
- War of the Worlds: The True Story (2012), a reboot/sequel to the above. Presented as a mockumentary in homage to the Phony Newscast style of the 1938 radio program.
- War of the Worlds: Goliath (2012), a Malaysian animated film serving as a sequel to the original novel.
- The Great Martian War 1913–1917 (2013), a 2013 mockumentary In the Style of The History Channel.
Literature
- Edison's Conquest of Mars (1898), a sequel to Fighters from Mars, an unauthorized adaptation of the original novel, in which Thomas Edison leads a counterattack against the Martians on their home planet.
- The Space Machine (1976), A crossover with The Time Machine.
- The Second War of the Worlds (1976)
- War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches (1996), an anthology novel comprised of 18 short stories by different authors, edited by Kevin J. Anderson.
- War of the Worlds: The Anglo-Martian War of 1895 (2015), a faux history book expanding the overview of the war. Part of the Dark Osprey series by Osprey Publishing.
- The Massacre of Mankind (2017), an official sequel written by Stephen Baxter, authorized by H. G. Wells' estate.
- Sherlock Holmes' War of the Worlds
- Spacecraft of the First World War: A Compendium of Fighting Vessels of the Great Powers (2019), a sequel in the form of a faux guide to the spaceships humanity developed around World War 1 by reverse-engineering Martian technology.
Music
- Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds (1978), a Concept Album based on the original novel.
- Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds – The New Generation (2012), a remake of the above with different instrumentation and a new cast.
Radio
- The War of the Worlds (1938), a radio drama directed and narrated by Orson Welles. Infamous for (
allegedly) unintentionally causing mass panic among audiences who were unaware it was fictional. - Bleak Expectations (2008), parodied in the second series finale: "A Happy Life Broken and then Mended a Bit".
Tabletop Games
- The War of the Worlds (1980)
- All Quiet on the Martian Front (2014)
- Wings of Glory: Tripods and Triplanes (2019), from Ares Games. In Spring 1918, the first Martian tripods arrive on Earth, specifically in the middle of the battlefields of World War I. The Entente and the Central Powers throw together a hasty alliance to battle the invaders.
- War of the Worlds: The New Wave (2019)
- The War of the Worlds: Invasion (2020)
Television
- War of the Worlds (1988—1990), a series based on, and serving as a sequel to, the 1953 film.
- War of the Worlds (2019—2022), a British/French series co-produced by Studio Canal+ and Fox Television.
- The War of the Worlds (2019), a miniseries which aired on BBC.
Video Games
- Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds (1998), a PC Real-Time Strategy game based on the Jeff Wayne album, developed by Rage Software.
- Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds (1999), a PS1 Third-Person Shooter / Vehicular Combat game based on the Jeff Wayne album, developed by Pixelogic Limited.
- The War Of The Worlds (2011), a 2D platformer by Tiny Rebel Studios. Set in 1953, it features the voice of Patrick Stewart, and takes some inspiration from the 1953 film.
- Grey Skies: A War of the Worlds Story (2020), a stealh-based single player game by Steel Arts Software LTD, set during a Martian invasion of Britain in the 21st Century.
- Darker Skies (2021), a survival horror sequel to Grey Skies set after the Martian invasion.
- War Of The Worlds (TBA), an open world survival horror game by FlipSwitch Games. Based on the 2005 movie of the same name.
