- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Gallery Books (May 31 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0743446399
- ISBN-13: 978-0743446396
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14.5 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 363 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,976,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
What if H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds had a basis in fact? That's the premise of Mesta's high-spirited, heartfelt tribute, in which Wells, his second wife, Amy Catherine ("Jane") Robbins, and his inspiring biology professor, T.H. Huxley, join forces with other real Victorians and various characters from Wells's books to thwart the Martian invasion of Earth in 1894. At Huxley's behest, the emerging writer agrees to participate in the secret super-science work of Britain's Imperial Institute, where he learns of experiments in invisibility by Dr. Hawley Griffin and of the existence of Martians, courtesy of Dr. Moreau and astronomer Percival Lowell. Accidentally propelled into space, he, Jane and Huxley hear of the Martians' earlier enslavement of the hive-mind Selenites from their leader, the Grand Lunar. Proceeding to Mars, they trigger a revolt among the Selenites and unleash cholera on the canal water-dependent Martians. Mesta smoothly mixes Victorian sober rationalism with the fast pace of the period's boys' adventure yarns. The result is a thoughtful pastiche of Wells's groundbreaking "scientific romances" that should intrigue both historical/literary SF readers and action-adventure SF fans.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
What if sf founding father H. G. Wells derived his ideas from real events that he later disguised as novels? Specifically, what if The War of the Worlds was based on an actual invasion planned by genuine Martians? That is the fanciful premise of the latest novel by veteran sf author Kevin J. Anderson, writing pseudonymously as Gabriel Mesta. Serious Wells fans know that he received his first scientific training from legendary biologist T. H. Huxley, and in Mesta's version of Wells' life, Huxley also introduces him to the secret--and purely fictional--British Imperial Institute. There, as late-nineteenth-century scientists clandestinely work on advanced weapons, Huxley, Wells, and Wells' fiancee, Jane, stumble into an experimental antigravity army tank and are literally blasted to the moon in a lab explosion. How the trio meets with native lunarians, moves on to Mars, and learns of the Martian invasion plan constitutes the plot of a whimsically inventive pseudobiography. Both Wells and Anderson fans should be delighted. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
In chill November, the nights were as dark as the stars were bright. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
In chill November, the nights were as dark as the stars were bright. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
terrific homage to H.G. Wells, May 31 2005
By Harriet Klausner - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Martian War: A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Invasion As Reported by Mr. H.G. Wells (Hardcover)
In 1894 at London's Normal School of Science elderly biology Professor T.H. Huxley and his young protégé H.G. Wells observe a meteor shower with plenty of enthusiasm. While watching the heavenly display they discuss life on other worlds specifically arid colder Mars leading Huxley to conclude with a "war of the worlds" comment.Huxley decides that Wells has the needed intelligence and imagination to accept that live Martians are on the red planet. He introduces his student and Wells wife Amy Catherine ("Jane") Robbins to the wonders of the Britain's Imperial Institute, where he meets Dr. Hawley Griffin working on invisibility, Dr. Moreau and astronomer Percival Lowell who have sent a message to Mars. However, Wells, Jane and Huxley are accidentally propelled into space where they meet the Martians and learn how the hive-mind Selenites were enslaved. On Mars, the three earthlings cause a Selenite revolt and unleash disease on the water system of the drying out fourth planet from the sun. Desperate for water, the Martians turn to that plentiful third rock for the War of the Worlds seem eminent.
This is a terrific homage to H.G. Wells as well as the late Victorian scientific and technical community whose advances laid much of the foundation of the twentieth century. The story line cleverly blends real historical figures like Huxley, Wells, and Lowell with literary characters like Griffin and Moreau. The tale is fast-paced and action packed yet the key players feel three dimensional especially the Martian leader. Fans will enjoy this strong historical science fiction novel while concluding somehow Gabriel Mesta will contact Orson Welles to simulcast the story over the Internet.
Harriet Klausner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun Read, Feb 18 2012
By Vorian - Published on Amazon.com
This was great fun to read. I love Wells and this was such a great idea for a story! I was quickly drawn in to the story and couldn't wait to read what happened next.
1.0 out of 5 stars
No character development, July 24 2009
By David Gunn - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Martian War: A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Invasion As Reported by Mr. H.G. Wells (Paperback)
Shortly into the book I wondered if the author was attempting to mimic the writing style and mores of the late Victorian Era or if he simply had a woefully limited vocabulary. Either way, I found the writing tedious and without merit. It exhibited all of the depth of a comic book (no offense to any comic aficionados). And there was no character development; each character was one-dimensional and aroused neither interest nor pathos. The happy ending was predictable and wholly uninspiring. Awful!
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