The Narrator
The novel is told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator who is a philosopher and a hobbyist astronomer. He is also one of the first to notice some oddities occurring on the Martian landscape and to infer that the Martians are indeed launching an invasion. The Narrator manages to survive past the end of the invasion mostly unharmed. Despite the relative stoicism he displays throughout the novel, prolonged exposure to the atrocities that the alien invaders inflict upon humanity takes a serious toll on his sanity. He experiences a temporary mental breakdown but eventually recovers after receiving care from other survivors; he is finally able to unite with his wife by the end of the novel.
Martians
An aggressive, merciless, and technologically advanced alien species trying to flee their dying planet. They are conquerors from the beginning and they make it clear to the Earth’s populace that cohabitation is not an option, attacking humans with advanced weapons such as heat rays and biological agents. Human weapons are useless against their war machines.
Martians are said to be gray and long-limbed; they greatly resemble earth octopi because of their tentacles and radial symmetry, but they are the size of bears. They feed upon humans by grotesquely draining them of bodily fluids and then injecting these fluids directly into themselves. Despite all of their advancements, a common strain of Earth bacteria kills them all.
The Artilleryman
The unnamed Artilleryman was separated from the rest of his combat unit when he was unhorsed. He luckily escapes the heat rays of the Martian war machines and ends up wandering into the garden of the Narrator, where he is taken in an cared for. When the danger escalates and the need to escape becomes necessary, his military training, caution, and prudence prove to be exceedingly useful in their survival in the battle-ravaged landscape. He eventually discovers some survivors from his unit and rejoins them to fight against the Martians once more. The Narrator encounters the Artilleryman again on Putney Hill and finds him to be a completely changed man, caring more for booze, games, and idealistic, grandiose plans than concrete action against the Martian invaders. It may be speculated that, like the Narrator, he has experienced great trauma that has affected his mental condition. The Narrator then parts ways with him permanently; thus, the Artilleryman's final fate is unknown.
The Curate
The curate is a cowardly, weak-willed member of an undetermined religious order; much like the Narrator and the Artilleryman, he remains unnamed for the duration of the novel. The curate is often in conflict with the Narrator, often refusing to comply with sensible requests such as rationing supplies or being quiet when the Martians are around. Despite these conflicts, he refuses to part with the Narrator, perhaps due to his cowardice. The curate meets his end when his refusal to keep quiet attracts the attention of a Martian sentinel, which drags him away to consume all of his bodily fluids.
The Narrator's Brother
This character is not directly mentioned but rather described through the voice of the Narrator. The Narrator's Brother is a medical student and his story is told to illustrate the events that were taking place in London. The Narrator reports that the Brother met up with the Narrator’s Wife and another character, George Elphinstone’s sister, and they decided to travel together after escaping London. The Brother is a sensible, prudent character. He also proves himself to be a critical thinker and a morally upright fellow, refusing to pick up money scattered on the ground because he realizes that currency is now obsolete and that picking up the money would just cost them crucial time. This treatment of money as a passé trapping of the former world order proves to be correct, and his choice allows them to escape just as a Martian patrol comes upon a man gathering money, who is promptly vaporized with heat rays as he tries to pocket the useless trinkets.
The Narrator’s Wife
The Narrator’s Wife’s presence is indirect and vague. She is only mentioned rather than actually taking part in the actual dialogue. The narrator’s movements, bearing, and reasons for doing things are spurred on by his concern for her rather than through her personal involvement. She verbalizes her worry regarding the looming Martian threat during a dinnertime discussion with the Narrator, which is relayed to the reader by the Narrator. Despite all the carnage and death that Earth experiences, the Narrator and his Wife are reunited at the end of the novel.
Ogilvy
Ogilvy is one of the first few to take notice of the Martians when he begins investigating a meteor that turns out to be a Martian “cylinder” or transport tube. He is initially skeptical of his findings. It is unsurprising that he would be one of the first to realize the curious movements on Mars, given that he is an astronomer. Soon, as Ogilvy discerns the meaning of the frequency of meteor showers/falling stars, he alerts Henderson, an English journalist, instructing him to broadcast his findings.
Henderson
A friend of Ogilvy and a journalist by profession, he is tasked with informing the general public of the first wave of Martian invaders and the immediate threat that they represent. He accompanies Ogilvy in his efforts as he tries to excavate and salvage a Martian cylinder for research purposes.
Landlord
The Landlord character is written in a similar fashion to other characters in that he, too, remains unnamed throughout the novel and is a quasi-character that interacts with the plot and the main characters based on how he affects the Narrator’s actions and choices. He is mentioned in the Narrator’s commentary of how he tries to assist the Narrator by lending him his dogcart, completely oblivious to the real extent of the Martian invasion. The Narrator does not go into detail regarding how the Landlord dies, but he does mention that the Landlord is at least given a burial.
Mrs. Elphinstone, Dr. Elphinstone, and Ms. Elphinstone
Mrs. and Ms. Elphinstone travel along with the Narrator’s Brother. Mrs. Elphinstone is a docile woman and is mostly concerned with her husband, Dr. Elphinstone’s, safety. Dr. Elphinstone’s sister, Ms. Elphinstone, is much more practical and more concerned with quotidian matters such as safety and self-defense. She manages to scavenge a pistol from the flotsam and she uses it to fend off men trying to attack her sister.
