Science fiction in literature

H.G. Wells' 1898 novel The War of the Worlds tells the story of an alien invasion in the United Kingdom that threatens the existence of mankind. The novel started with, "No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own."

George Orwell's 1984 shows the future of mankind in a dystopian state. It shows society under a tyrannical government, where "Big Brother" is watching your every move.