The War of the Worlds

This is an okay book written by H.G. Wells. A scientist is at an observatory and witnesses an explosion on Mars. Later a space object crashes near his home. Some octopus-like aliens step out, but seem to struggle in Earth's environment and go back into their vehicle. When people try to inspect the vessel they are shot by a heat-ray weapon. The scientist takes his wife to stay with some relatives. The Martians release three-legged robots that shoot out a heat-ray and a chemical substance.

The book was published in 1898 and is the first story about an alien attack. Scientists in the mid 1890s thought there might be intelligent life on Mars.