The Martian War: A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Invasion As Reported by Mr. H.G. Wells [Hardcover]

Gabriel Mesta (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2005

Classic science fiction author H. G. Wells's most memorable and compelling novel was arguably The War of the Worlds, made even more famous by the notorious Mercury Theater radio production starring Orson Welles that became the "Night That Panicked America." But what if the Martian invasion was not entirely the product of H. G. Wells's vivid imagination? What if Wells witnessed something that spurred him to write The War of the Worlds not as entertainment but as a warning to the complacent people of Earth?

International bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson, writing here as Gabriel Mesta, explores that tantalizing theory in this unique, thrilling novel that expertly evokes the Victorian era. From drafty London flats to the steamy Sahara, to the surface of the moon and beyond, The Martian War takes the reader on an exhilarating journey with Wells and his companions -- and is pure delight from start to finish.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

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.
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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

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; First edition. edition (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743446399
• ISBN-13: 978-0743446396
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,325,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful 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 - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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

1.0 out of 5 stars No character development, July 24, 2009

By 

David Gunn (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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!

4.0 out of 5 stars Ties a lot of threads into an interesting package, November 25, 2008

By 

Andy Nunez, Editor of Against the Odds Magazi... (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Martian War: A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Invasion As Reported by Mr. H.G. Wells (Paperback)

I was intrigued when I read the hype for this book, War of the Worlds being the first science fiction novel I read (after wearing out the Classics Illustrated version). I have also read several of "Mr. Mesta's" other books under his real name, so I knew it would move smoothly and have a good historical foundation. I was not disappointed on either account. Much like Nicholas Meyer did for H.G. Wells in the movie "Time after Time", Mr. Mesta injects Wells directly into the story along with his ladylove and propels them along a fast moving track from the halcyon days of college under T.H Huxley to the secret labs of Great Britain as war looms, not with the Martians, but with Germany. Here we meet the prototypes of the rest of Well's protagonists, Griffin, the invisible man, Cavour, who was planning to be one of the first men in the moon, fellows hot on the trail of the food of the gods and lastly Dr. Moreau, the man who wants to help evolution along through surgery. He lays proof of a pending invasion of Mars into their laps and through a series of contrivances that aren't terribly irksome starts a ball rolling that ends up sending Wells and company to the moon, Mars and back again while the coldly intelligent Martians draw their plans against us. While not heavy on science or moral lessons, the book is a fun adventure of what might have been had the events happened as Mr. Mesta described and the interaction between real and fictional characters, including Percival Lowell the astronomer, works pretty well. Purists will scoff at the impossibility of the sciences, but Mr. Mesta, (OK, Mr. Anderson) like Wells himself, isn't trying to be Jules Verne. He's trying to entertain and I think he does a pretty good job.
Andy Nunez, Editor of Against the Odds Magazine