The Massacre of Mankind
Ratings5
Average rating3
An amazing sequel to [b:The War of the Worlds 536353 The War of the Worlds H.G. Wells https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1311704222s/536353.jpg 3194841] by [a:H.G. Wells 880695 H.G. Wells https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1392678719p2/880695.jpg]. This sequel is written by [a:Stephen Baxter 20295 Stephen Baxter https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1391280682p2/20295.jpg] the Vice-President of the international H. G. Wells Society and his knowledge of Mr Wells' work shines through.I would strongly recommend reading this book after the short story [b:The Martian in the Wood: A Tor.com Original 35131511 The Martian in the Wood A Tor.com Original Stephen Baxter https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494772061s/35131511.jpg 56452861] by the same author. It really feels like an extra chapter and is available to read online.Some reviewers have been unhappy with the ending. Avoiding spoilers I would say that I found it deeply satisfying. As with the original the ending is clearly intended to provoke thought, which it does - though Mr Baxter provides some very good human interest which I appreciated. In short, very much in the style of the original while still being very creative.In short, an excellent sequel, only being short of the mental fireworks that is Mr Baxter's [b:Time Ships 889248 Time Ships Stephen Baxter https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1408923927s/889248.jpg 61184], sequel to the [b:The Time Machine 2493 The Time Machine H.G. Wells https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327942880s/2493.jpg 3234863].
Really a 2.5 for me.
I thought there were some interesting ideas (accepting that the book stays within Wells's incorrect ideas on the science of the solar system), but the tale is far too long in the telling.
An unnecessary sequel - as so many sequels are.
H.G. Wells' “The War of the Worlds” has long been one of my favorite speculative fiction novels, and I have read good and not-quite-as-good other books based on that original story, so I was a little cautious when picking up this latest effort from Stephen Baxter (I didn't want the concept ruined). I have generally enjoyed Baxter's books and his “The Time Ships” was a very enjoyable sequel to Wells' “The Time Machine”, so I decided to give it a read. I needn't have worried. Baxter so well captures the voice of the original and so deftly brings to life characters that were mere sketches in the original that it truly felt as if somehow Wells himself was writing again. The Martians have returned! And they have learned much since their last appearance - but they are still quintessentially those same dispassionate and creepy entities that Wells first described. And the humans are still no match, at first. Bit by bit, Baxter turns this tale into a true “war of the worlds” epic. I don't want to say more for inadvertently exposing “spoilers”. This book will forever (to me) be THE standard against which all other tales told about these particular Martians will ever be measured against, and as near a perfect book as I have read in a very long time.