The Day of the Martians by H.E. Wilburson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ten years have passed since the Martian walkers emerged from the cylinders around London, plunging the Earth into its first interplanetary war in H. G. Wells’ classic War of the Worlds. G. Wells’ classic War of the Worlds. Wilberson has delivered a next step in the epoch using the setting and characters from the original.
The fight this time looked even worse for humanity since the Martians seemed intent upon destroying the bacteria that destroyed them and an even larger armada, comprising the entire Martian population, was heading toward the Earth. We start the story with the announced discovery of an intact Martian cylinder left over from the first invasion. The Martians on the inside were likely dead, but there seemed to be a signal that would be detectable by the Martian armada. What follows is a story that Well’s himself could have written.
I like how the plot develops. Given the near extinction of humanity in the previous war, the twist that the Martians have figured out how to stop the bacteria from killing them sets a foreboding tone for the story. The discovery of a solution and how to use it kept me riveted to the narrative. The author crafts the story in such a way that the reader doubts if the solution will be enough until the very end.
Overall, I felt the narrative was interesting and very similar to Wells’ own story. It answered my question from years ago, ‘What would have the War of the Worlds sequel be like?’ Wilburson has found the essence of Wells’ characters and recreated them with levels of change that a decade would bring. The narrative is interesting and develops a plot that is very satisfying for modern tastes. I will give this book 5 stars because it delivered to the expectations of an H.G. Wells fan and more.
