First published in 1898, H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds was a veritable literary and cultural revolution. It laid the foundations for modern sci-fi by telling the first- ever story of an alien invasion. A political and moral fable, the novel uses science fiction as a tool to raise our awareness and alert the modern world to the dangers and risks inherent in industrial, scientific and technological progress. It is high time to rediscover this seminal book.