cover image THE MARTIAN WAR: A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Alien Invasion as Reported by Mr. H.G. Wells

THE MARTIAN WAR: A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Alien Invasion as Reported by Mr. H.G. Wells

Gabriel Mesta, . . Pocket, $23 (272pp) ISBN 978-0-7434-4639-6

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. Agent, John Silbersack. (Apr. 5)

Forecast: Since Mesta is the pseudonym of bestseller Kevin J. Anderson, expect crossover from fans of his Star Wars sequels and Dune prequels.