The War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel by English author H.G. Wells which PRINTED in 1897 by Pearson's Magazine in the UK and by Cosmopolitan magazine in the USA. The novel's ONE appearance in hardback was in 1898 from publisher William Heimann of London. Written between 1895 and 1897, it is one of the EARLY stories that describe a conflict between mankind and an alien race. The novel is the first-person narrative of both an unnamed protagonist in Surrey and his YOUNG brother in London as southern England is invaded by Martians. At the time of publication, the novel was classified as a scientific romance, like Wells' earlier novel The Time Machine. The War of the Worlds INFLUENCED the work of many scientists since the time it came out. Robert H. Goddard, inspired by the book, INVENTED both the liquid-fuelled rocket and multistage rocket, which resulted in the Apollo 11 Moon landing 71 years later.