The Poison Belt vs The War of the Worlds: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: English Science fiction, Classic Literature, Science Fiction, Fiction
The Poison Belt
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Being an account of another adventure of Prof. George E. Challenger, Lord John Roxton, Prof. Summerlee and Mr E. D. M alone, the discoverers of "The Lost World".
The War of the Worlds
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The ultimate science fiction classic: for more than one hundred years, this compelling tale of the Martian invasion of Earth has enthralled readers with a combination of imagination and incisive commentary on the…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Poison Belt is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 4 for The War of the Worlds.
- The War of the Worlds has the widest readership — 360569 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Poison Belt | The War of the Worlds | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.8 (360569) |
| Hardcover | 3.1 (17) | 3.7 (987) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (98) | 4.5 (502) |
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Reception
| The Poison Belt | The War of the Worlds | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 98 | 360569 |
| Editions | 345 | 457 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 285018 |
| Reading it now | — | 19184 |
| Written reviews | — | 16588 |
| Wikipedia attention | 770 | 41845 |
| Pages | 83 | 239 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Poison Belt or The War of the Worlds?
The Poison Belt has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Poison Belt 3.9/5, The War of the Worlds 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Poison Belt or The War of the Worlds?
The Poison Belt is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Poison Belt (83 pages, ≈ 1 h 32 m); The War of the Worlds (239 pages, ≈ 4 h 26 m).
Which is harder to read: The Poison Belt or The War of the Worlds?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Poison Belt: Challenging; The War of the Worlds: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
The Poison Belt: no film adaptation on record; The War of the Worlds: 5 film adaptations.