Herbert George Wells (1866 - 1946) was an English writer. He was prolific in many genres, writing dozens of novels, short stories, and works of social commentary, but he is now best remembered for his science fiction novels. "The War of the Worlds" is an early science fiction novel which describes an invasion of England by aliens from Mars. It is one of the earliest and best-known depictions of an alien invasion of Earth, which has influenced many others, as well as spawning several films, radio dramas, comic book adaptations, and a television series based on the story.