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Post by captjim on Dec 26, 2006 16:17:45 GMT
Where is there a mention of the apelike critters that the martians bought along in their cylinders for sustenace for the long trip to Earth? I have never been able to find where Wells speaks of it.
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Post by RustiSwordz on Dec 26, 2006 17:01:57 GMT
in the bit where hes trapped in the cylinder pit(i think)
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Post by captjim on Dec 26, 2006 19:36:11 GMT
Thanks, I gotta find and reread that book.
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Post by Killraven on Dec 26, 2006 22:49:22 GMT
I think he refers to them as primitive bipeds. That doesn't necessarily mean that they were ape like I think there's a mention in the Under the Ruined House chapter. Failing that, there should be something in the concluding chapter. KR
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Post by Leatherhead on Dec 26, 2006 23:54:51 GMT
Anyone ever consider if these guys were intelligent like ourselves, or were they more akin to our earthly cattle in brain power?
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Post by Commandingtripod on Dec 27, 2006 10:50:09 GMT
Anyone ever consider if these guys were intelligent like ourselves, or were they more akin to our earthly cattle in brain power? I consider them to be intelligent enough so that they know what is happening around them/to them.
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Post by Thunder Child on Dec 27, 2006 15:55:16 GMT
Here it is:
From: Chapter Two What We Saw from the Ruined House
Their undeniable preference for men as their source of nourishment is partly explained by the nature of the remains of the victims they had brought with them as provisions from Mars. These creatures, to judge from the shrivelled remains that have fallen into human hands, were bipeds with flimsy, silicious skeletons (almost like those of the silicious sponges) and feeble musculature, standing about six feet high and having round, erect heads, and large eyes in flinty sockets. Two or three of these seem to have been brought in each cylinder, and all were killed before earth was reached. It was just as well for them, for the mere attempt to stand upright upon our planet would have broken every bone in their bodies.
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Post by mctoddridesagain on Dec 27, 2006 16:00:34 GMT
From the chapter, What We Saw From the Ruined House:
Their [the Martians'] undeniable preference for men as their source of nourishment is partly explained by the nature of the remains of the victims they had brought with them as provisions from Mars. These creatures, to judge from the shrivelled remains that have fallen into human hands, were bipeds with flimsy, siliceous skeletons (almost like those of the siliceous sponges) and feeble musculature, standing about six feet high and having round, erect heads, and large eyes in flinty sockets. Two or three of these seem to have been brought in each cylinder, and all were killed before earth was reached. It was just as well for them, for the mere attempt to stand upright upon our planet would have broken every bone in their bodies.
So, no mention of them being 'apelike' (nor of being 'primitive' either). Perhaps they were intelligent creatures themselves, maybe even used as slaves, as well as food, on Mars (as Christopher Priest posits in The Space Machine). They probably had two eyes, as any other number would surely have been remarked upon (Wells merely refers to their 'large eyes in flinty sockets'), and an upright, humanoid gait. This implies some degree of intelligence, though that isn't certain. But it implies potentially interesting social conditions on Mars.
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Post by Killraven on Dec 27, 2006 17:54:13 GMT
Anyone ever consider if these guys were intelligent like ourselves, or were they more akin to our earthly cattle in brain power? I consider them to be intelligent enough so that they know what is happening around them/to them. There is a theory that cattle are this aware of their surroundings KR
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Post by Rob on Dec 27, 2006 23:52:07 GMT
If anyone can get hold of the Space Machine (I think it's called that) by Christopher Priest then there's some excellent writing on the biped creatures. It's a good War of the Worlds based book.
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Post by mctoddridesagain on Dec 28, 2006 1:33:13 GMT
If anyone can get hold of the Space Machine (I think it's called that) by Christopher Priest then there's some excellent writing on the biped creatures. It's a good War of the Worlds based book. I've got a signed copy, mwah hah ha ha ha ha haaa...
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Post by Rob on Dec 28, 2006 10:52:43 GMT
so have I, but it's signed by me
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Post by the Donal on Jan 8, 2007 20:37:06 GMT
I consider them to be intelligent enough so that they know what is happening around them/to them. There is a theory that cattle are this aware of their surroundings KR Do you think that if you got a spanish cow in the same field as an english cow, and one of them moo'ed, would the other cow uderstand? Ie a moo for it's lunch time, or I've just dropped a smelly pat? It's a question my brother asks everyone you know- interesting question indeed I reckon. Sorry- off on a tangent again... What's everyone's favourite flavour of Monster Munch? ;D An interesting theory on the bipeds is a previous species of the invaders' evolution- also at the point where bodies are in atrophy, but clearly a servitor race...
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Post by mctoddridesagain on Jan 8, 2007 22:23:33 GMT
What's everyone's favourite flavour of Monster Munch? Pickled Onion. Clearly the best.
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Post by Killraven on Jan 9, 2007 10:52:22 GMT
What's everyone's favourite flavour of Monster Munch? Pickled Onion. Clearly the best. Sorry, have to disagree there - you can't beat the zing of Flamin' Hot Zaps your taste buds like a heat ray to a haystack KR
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Post by Rob on Jan 9, 2007 11:59:29 GMT
Yeah flaming hot are awesome. I once ate 8 bags for a bet.... ah the old student days
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Post by Lensman on Jan 9, 2007 14:16:58 GMT
It's been awhile since I read The Space Machine but as I recall the "bipeds" in that novel were normal humans. If so, that really doesn't fit with Wells' description of them having a very delicate, sponge-like skeleton.
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Post by the Donal on Jan 9, 2007 15:11:54 GMT
Yeah flaming hot are awesome. I once ate 8 bags for a bet.... ah the old student days Nar- I'm roast beef all the way- you only tend to find them in the multi packs these days (I tend to munch all three bags as soon as I open the pack...) or rarely in the odd newsagent. Takes me back to when Monster Munch first arrived- Beefburger flavour. Didn't taste like beefburgers of course, but damned good anyway. Anyway- I digress. Again.
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bobble
Junior Member
And Watching, For Pigs on the Wing
Posts: 49
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Post by bobble on Jan 9, 2007 16:10:26 GMT
From the chapter, What We Saw From the Ruined House: The Space Machine)Just ordered this from Amazon. Is it any good??
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Post by EvilNerfherder on Jan 11, 2007 13:30:56 GMT
The Space Machine? Yes.
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