# The War of the Worlds — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells.

- [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/dedication.md): The author dedicates the book to his brother Frank Wells, acknowledging that the story is based on his idea.
- [Epigraph](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/epigraph.md): The epigraph quotes Kepler's meditation on the possibility of inhabited worlds and humanity's place in the universe, questioning whether humans or other beings are the lords of creation.
- [The War of the Worlds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/the-war-of-the-worlds.md): The chapter introduces the Martian invasion of Earth, beginning with observations of explosions on Mars and the landing of the first cylinder on Horsell Common. The narrator witnesses the emergence of the Martians and th
- [Book I: The Coming of the Martians](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/book-i-the-coming-of-the-martians.md): The chapter introduces the Martian invasion of Earth, beginning with strange explosions on Mars and the landing of the first cylinder on Horsell Common. The narrator witnesses the emergence of the Martians and the devast
- [The Eve of the War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/i-the-eve-of-the-war.md): The chapter sets the stage for the Martian invasion, describing how Earth was being watched by superior intelligences from Mars. It details the scientific observations of Mars, the launching of projectiles toward Earth, 

> 27 more chapter companions — [open a free preview](https://www.betterreads.dev/reader?bookId=the_war_of_the_worlds_se_810kb&preview=1) to unlock the rest.

- [II: The Falling Star](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/ii-the-falling-star.md)
- [On Horsell Common](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/iii-on-horsell-common.md)
- [IV: The Cylinder Opens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/iv-the-cylinder-opens.md)
- [V: The Heat-Ray](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/v-the-heat-ray.md)
- [VI: The Heat-Ray in the Chobham Road](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/vi-the-heat-ray-in-the-chobham-road.md)
- [VII: How I Reached Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/vii-how-i-reached-home.md)
- [Friday Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/viii-friday-night.md)
- [IX: The Fighting Begins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/ix-the-fighting-begins.md)
- [X: In the Storm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/x-in-the-storm.md)
- [XI: At the Window](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/xi-at-the-window.md)
- [XII: What I Saw of the Destruction of Weybridge and Shepperton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/xii-what-i-saw-of-the-destruction-of-weybridge-and-shepperton.md)
- [XIII: How I Fell in with the Curate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/xiii-how-i-fell-in-with-the-curate.md)
- [In London](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/xiv-in-london.md)
- [XV: What Had Happened in Surrey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/xv-what-had-happened-in-surrey.md)
- [XVI: The Exodus from London](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/xvi-the-exodus-from-london.md)
- [XVII: The Thunder Child](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/xvii-the-thunder-child.md)
- [Book II: The Earth Under the Martians](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/book-ii-the-earth-under-the-martians.md)
- [Under Foot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/i-under-foot.md)
- [II: What We Saw from the Ruined House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/ii-what-we-saw-from-the-ruined-house.md)
- [III: The Days of Imprisonment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/iii-the-days-of-imprisonment.md)
- [IV: The Death of the Curate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/iv-the-death-of-the-curate.md)
- [V: The Stillness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/v-the-stillness.md)
- [VI: The Work of Fifteen Days](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/vi-the-work-of-fifteen-days.md)
- [The Man on Putney Hill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/vii-the-man-on-putney-hill.md)
- [Dead London](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/viii-dead-london.md)
- [Wreckage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/ix-wreckage.md)
- [X: The Epilogue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters/x-the-epilogue.md)

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_war_of_the_worlds_se/chapters