I was about to post the Gibson one
but was beaten to it. Have this one instead:

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; that as
men busied themselves about their various concerns they were
scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a
microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and
multiply in a drop of water.
(Spleep Shit, or get off the internet., Mon 1 Jun 2009, 21:38, 3 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

Wells
War of the Worlds?
(Halfy By light alone, Mon 1 Jun 2009, 21:43, Reply)

Superb book
I love the descriptions of how long it takes him to get from one bit of London to another
(cheeses swept kissed a dog and he liked it., Mon 1 Jun 2009, 21:51, Reply)

And this might be the best opening line from an album too
Yeah, I now it's ever-so-slightly tweaked for Jeff Wayne's musical version, but it's close enough for me.

Do do doooo, do do doooo, do do doooo, do do dooo
Do do doooo...da na na, da na na

Well, maybe H G Wells didn't include enough "do do dooos" for me.
( GarbageFan didn't know what to have as a board sig on, Mon 1 Jun 2009, 22:05, Reply)

You forget the best bit of the album
The wail of the machines... it still sends shivers down my back every time I hear it.
(Potty Jag har smör i min rumpspringa, Mon 1 Jun 2009, 22:10, Reply)

"the Earth belonged to the martians..."
the martian wail that follows that one always gets me

*shudder*
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 2 Jun 2009, 9:05, Reply)