A sequel to the H.G. Wells classic THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, brilliantly realized by award-winning SF author and Wells expert Stephen BaxterIt has been fourteen years since the Martian invasion. Humanity has moved on, always watching the skies but confident that we know how to defeat the alien menace. The Martians are vulnerable to Earth germs. The army is prepared. Our technology has taken great … has taken great leaps forward, thanks to machinery looted from abandoned war-machines and capsules.
So when the signs of launches on Mars are seen, there seems little reason to worry. Unless you listen to one man, Walter Jenkins, the narrator of Wells’ book. He is sure that the first incursion was merely a scouting mission, a precursor to the true attack—and that the Martians have learned from their defeat, adapted their methods, and now pose a greater threat than ever before.
He is right.
Thrust into the chaos of a new worldwide invasion, journalist Julie Elphinstone—sister in law to Walter Jenkins—struggles to survive the war, report on it, and plan a desperate effort that will be humanity’s last chance at survival. Because the massacre of mankind has begun.
Echoing the style and form of the original while extrapolating from its events in ingenious, unexpected fashion again and again, The Massacre of Mankind is a labor of love from one of the genre’s most praised talents—at once a truly fitting tribute to a classic and brainy, page-turning fun for any science-fiction fan.
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I just finished Stephan Baxter’s ‘The Massacre of Mankind.’ What a fascinating and thoroughly entertaining read. I loved the ‘War of the Worlds.’ Baxter captured that same flavor and style in Massacre. For any Sci-Fi fan that like ‘War of the Worlds,’ I highly recommend ‘The Massacre of Mankind.’ Dive in and enjoy it. Jeff Bailey, author of The Defect.
Knowing what is coming and having no ability to stop it.
That is the theme of this novel. A plot that kept me on my toes as I read. You’re lead through days of dread, then when the battle begins, you read all the devastation. And worse still, it happens in gripping waves.
It’s great though. All of it. Very well detailed battle scenes, and world-building; what a world it is. Since the setting is an alternate timeline (after WWI with a different outcome) and after the first alien invasion, the novel integrates changes of what may have been. Stuff like that pops all throughout. It was fascinating to read. I got this vision of a very post-steampunk-ish world within some of the settings. Loved that.
I guess people who are interested in this novel really want to know if it’s worth being a sequel to H.G. Wells “The War of the Worlds”? My answer would be yes. Not because it’s anything like its predecessor (because I think that’s a ridiculous expectation), but because it’s a very believable storyline that could have easily taken place if H.G. Wells continued. I think it reads better, though in saying that, I should also say it has been many years since I’ve read Wells.
There were many chapters (part 1 mostly) that were pointless even in a narrative sense. There are also many paragraphs with nothing but overdone descriptions of settings that mean absolutely nothing to the overall story. After a while, it was easy to read through those because I got the sense that this book was about the exploration of the narrator. Those are my only real gripes with the novel. The rest of it was great for me, and a majority of it an enjoyable read.
The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter is a time machine.
The moment a reader holds this treasure in his hand, a transformation will take place. He will be hurled back to the day when the great writer-prophet H.G.Wells first penned its predecessor–The War of the Worlds. It is obvious that the publishers took great care in supporting the project with a product that creates a visual and tactile representation of the look and feel of the late 1800s. The retro cover art is a delight, and the chosen fonts enhance the spell throughout the novel.
The author went to great lengths to mirror the writing style of H. G. Wells. To accomplish this, he had to turn his back on current conventions of literature. He duplicates Wells by employing a strict first-person narrative. The prose privileges tell over show, as did Wells. He also recreates the adverbial dialogue tags of the past. Most of The Massacre of Mankind is told by a British journalist. However, while Wells employed a male narrator–Walter Jenkins–Baxter chooses to narrate via a female voice. Later in the tale, Baxter includes short entries narrated by citizens of other nations. Although Wells wrote in a more lyrical manner, Baxter’s style is clear and precise.
Fourteen years after the first Martian invasion, Julie Elphinstone, sister-in-law to Jenkins, becomes ensnared in another invasion. Determined to survive this second attack, she not only becomes embroiled in the action, she just could turn out to be the secret weapon that will save the earth. To modern readers, Julia may seem cold and a bit too composed. However, this is true to Wells. In The War of Worlds, the narrator states, “At times I suffer from the strangest sense of detachment from myself and the world about me; I seem to watch it all from the outside, from somewhere inconceivably remote, out of time, out of space, out of the stress and tragedy of it all.” Unfortunately, many people today will identify with this comment. Other characters from The War of the Worlds make guest appearances. However, Julie is the main moving force and it is her adventures readers will follow.
As the highly complex plot begins, Julie and other veterans of the first attack worry that an upcoming planetary opposition will enable the Martians to launch another armada. Soon, Martian cylinders begin dropping in England. Before long, Martians build themselves a command center and set up a process for milking humans for their blood. Martian again use black smoke and heat ray guns to massacre soldiers and civilians alike. In addition, they continue to propagate red weed. Most of the action takes place in Great Britain. Later in the tale, the plot leads readers to events as witnessed by other narrators in other countries.
Baxter goes well beyond a strong loyalty to Wells; he takes issues hinted at in the original text and extends them in his homage. These new themes serve to extend the scope of the novel which includes other nations and other life forms.
Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying (Arthur C. Clarke).
More now than ever, tales of aliens and invasions, will interest seekers of knowledge–hence the popularity of Science Fiction in film and print. While the plot of War of the Worlds is more tightly knit and packed with action, The Massacre of Mankind is extended and more cerebral. Thus, readers who want non-stop, slam-bang action may find the text a bit tedious. However, those interested in what is hidden in the expanse of outer space will view The Massacre of Mankind as an eight-course feast to be consumed at a leisured pace. This will be especially true of those who are fans of Wells.
Rougeski