In cooperation with the H. G. Wells Society, author Stephen
Baxter crafted a sequel to The War of the Worlds. The second book takes place
fourteen years after the first invasion. England has rearmed, but its leaders gotten
a little cocky. They’re sure the new weapons and military strategies can handle
any trouble on the horizon, or rather, in space. Walter Jenkins, the original
narrator of the first book, is on hand to issue a dire warning: the Martians
will return. Their numbers will be greater and this time their diabolical plot
will result in the massacre of mankind.
Baxter has taken interesting liberties with the sequel.
Walter is a minor character now. Instead, Julie Elphinstone steps in as first
person narrator. In the original book, she was Walter’s uninspiring sister-in-law.
Now divorced, Julie is a journalist, relocated to New York. She wants nothing more
than to forget the past and then receives a mysterious phone call that drags
her back to Europe. She returns to England with a fresh outsider’s eye,
surprised at all the changes.
Baxter cleverly reimages how society would be affected by a
Martian attack. World War I didn’t occur. Instead, the conflict in Europe was
brief and didn’t become a world war and drag on for years. Germany increased
its territory, but then made nice with Britain and became allies. (Julie
returns to Europe on the still-floating Lusitania.) Instead of Scouts, Lord
Baden-Powell has the Junior Sappers, children digging defensive trenches and
rolling bandages. The Suffragette movement was outlawed, women still don’t have
the right to vote. On the other side of the pond, the US, ignored by the
Martians last time, maintains its isolationist policies. Will they be dragged
into the conflict this time? Will the next Martian attack encompass the whole
world?
You betcha. If you liked the verbose tone of the original
story, this one will appeal. The book is nearly 500 pages with a ton of
description and a multitude of characters. If you prefer more action oriented
tales and less elaborate world building, this isn’t for you.
Quibbles and Bits
The geographic detail is impressive, but it would have been
nice to include a map, especially for the part of the story taking place in
England. Julie travels a lot, but I’m never sure where she is in relation to the
Martians or how far London is from the action.
Although the story is first person it jumps around quite a
bit. It’s written as Julie’s book published after the war. Her story is ‘real
time’ and focuses on how she became a key player in Walter’s secret plot to
stop the aliens. Along the way, she adds other peoples’ accounts. The oddest
part of the narrative is the lack of tension. As you meet each person, you know
exactly who lives and who dies. Julie blabs their future saying she found out
later this person was killed at such-and-such a place or this person made it
through.
The ending leaves a lot of loose threads and is definitely
set up for a sequel.
I received this from book from Blogging for Books in
exchange for a review.
