War of the Worlds: New Millennium [Hardcover]

Douglas Niles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 26, 2005

First the Mars probe picked up an anomaly.
Then NASA saw some strange activity, and many stargazers noticed meteorites rocketing towards earth.
A cylinder surreptitiously landed in Wisconsin, then another, and another, ... and then invasion from Mars.
The War of the Worlds had begun.
War of the Worlds:New Millennium follows in the great tradition of Wells' original masterpiece, Niven and Pournelle's Footfall, and 'V' the mini-series. It is the story of an alien invasion of earth as told from numerous viewpoints:
- a writer in rural Wisconsin
- a soldier in the field
- a science advisor to the president
As tripods leave a swath of destruction across the Americas, Washington groups some of its great minds to solve the problem as the Pentagon throws at the invaders the latest hardware the military has to offer.
At stake is the survival of the human race and the dominion of planet earth.
Filled with techno-thriller like detail War of the Worlds: New Millennium merges Clancy with Clarke for a truly page turning science fiction thriller.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Niles has written a gripping story around the premise."--The Roanoke Times on War of the Worlds

 

"Outstanding ... must reading for imaginative WWII buffs" --Booklist on the Fox series

"The authors' attention to military detail and maneuvers would satisfy any drill instructor, and they imbue even minor historical characters with authenticity and personality, demonstrating how an individual's actions and reactions shape history. This is a thoroughly plausible what-if scenario, and as such will please and titillate alternate history fans, WWII buffs, war gamers and others." --Publishers Weekly on the Fox series

 

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Douglas Niles is an award winning game designer and the coauthor of the alternate WWII duology Fox on the Rhine/Fox at the Front. He lives in Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (May 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765311429
• ISBN-13: 978-0765311429
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,321,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written as usual, another great Niles book, June 21, 2005

By 

James M. Ward (Elkhorn, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War of the Worlds: New Millennium (Hardcover)

I've read almost all of the novels written by Doug Niles and this is one of his best works. Even knowing the story, I was surprised by the interesting twists and turns of the book.

You can always expect a Niles book to be well researched and fast paced and this is no exception.

I honestly finished the book hoping they'd talk him into continuing the story.

Well worth the time and the price.

James M. Ward

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent take on a true classic, June 27, 2005

By 

William W. Connors - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War of the Worlds: New Millennium (Hardcover)

I have to begin this review by saying that I really hated this book...before I read it. I am a huge fan of the original War of the Worlds and have loved many of the derivitive works related to it - from the Orson Welles radio broadcast and George Pal film to the Jeff Wayne album and Manly Wade Wellman's Sherlock Holmes And The War Of The Worlds. I was terrified, however, that this book would be a tremendous let down.
I could not have been more wrong!
Knowing how talented Mr. Niles is, I picked up the book and dived in - doing my best to be fair. In just a few pages, I was hooked. The story picked me up and carried me along effortlessly. I found that all my original concerns were utterly unfounded.
Fans of Mr. Niles will agree that he's hit another home run with this book. Those new to his work will find a work that expertly blends the classic tale of Martian invasion with a keen understanding of modern military tactics and hardware. This is a book you won't want to put down, so pick it up soon!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A modern retelling of the HG Wells classic with a twist., November 5, 2006

By 

Michael Whitt "SciFi Nut" (Western Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War of the Worlds: New Millennium (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished "War of the Worlds: New Millennium" by Dogulas Niles. As a huge War of the Worlds fan I had mixed feelings about the book. While I enjoyed the heroine Alexandria DeVane character and story, I found the story of her father who's chapters are told in narrative form lacking.

I enjoyed how the invaders managed to get their foothold, and enjoyed the destruction that accompanied their conquest. Personally I would have liked some reasoning behind the invasion. Niles took from the lead of Pal's story in as such as we never learn their motives. I personally liked the fact that Wells established that they were using us for our blood. At least that gave some reason for their invasion.

As such the book was a fair mixture of the original book and Pal's movie. The tripods use a form of "legs of light" similar to what Pal had orignial intended for his movie adaptation but due to budgeting had to drop after a single scene. Also gone are the Thunderchild, Red Weed, and such. Luckily unlike the 2005 movie also set in modern day at least Niles used cylinders as the delivery device of the tripods and also had black smoke.

All in all the book is a good read. I did feel that Niles wrapped up the story too quick. I would have liked a few chapters about life after the invaders were stopped. Honestly I feel that maybe he has a sequel in the works and left it open as such.

While the basic premise of the demise of the Aliens is in some ways very similar to Wells telling, he does take a drasticly different and unique approach that is in many ways completely opposite from that of the original story.

If you like this type of story I would also recommend Dayton Ward's The Last World War which while not based on HG Wells is a great alien invasion tell.