Complete War of the Worlds, The

Verhalen

• The War of the Worlds (1898): Herbert George Wells
• The Complete War of the Worlds (2001): Ray Bradbury, Brian Holmsten, Alex Lubertozzi, Ben Bova, John Callaway (stem)

Inhoud

For the first time, one book captures the story behind Orson Welles' radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' classic tale of Martian invasion and the immediacy of the 1938 Halloween eve panic broadcast itself. The Complete War of the Worlds, in words and on two audio CDs, tells how Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre drove 1.2 million people into a panic over something that never happened.
History buffs, science-fiction fans, theater enthusiasts and devotees of Orson Welles and old-time radio will want to relive the night when Martians landed in Grovers Mill, New Jersey. The panic created by the news reports of Martians destroying the Earth wakened the nation to both the incredible potential and inherent danger of broadcast media.
Drawing on the radio play itself, news reports about the panic, facts about Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre and an interview with H.G. Wells and Orson Welles, The Complete War of the Worlds explains why Wells' story took hold so strongly in the minds of listeners, and why invasion from another world has continued to fascinate and frighten people to this day. It also explores other attempts to recreate the famous Martian invasion on the radio, film, stage and television.
Included in the book is the complete text of H.G. Wells' original novel, The War of the Worlds, along with the complete radio performance by The Mercury Theatre On the Air.
Two audio CDs feature the following items and more: --The original broadcast of October 30, 1938, by the Mercury Theatre --The Orson Welles press conference of October 31, 1938 --A 1940 interview with H.G. Wells and Orson Welles --Various interviews with Orson Welles and John Houseman (cofounder and producer of The Mercury Theatre On the Air) --Clips from the 1978 disco stage musical War of the Worlds, with Richard Burton.

Bespreking

A masterpiece of science fiction

In 1898, H.G. Wells wanted to find out what it would be like if an intelligent race of Martians turned the tables by conquering and colonizing the Earth. The result is a gripping account of The War of the Worlds through the eyes of reporter in search of his family in the mid of extraterrestrial chaos. The poetic opening of the novel takes the reader directly to the Victorian world with its typical ponderings about the nature of society. The image of aliens studying Earth like scientists studying transient creatures that multiply in a drop of water is extremely powerful. Imaging the effect it would have had on any imaginative person living in the tumultuous end of the 19th century. The "Panic Broadcast" in 1938 of the radio play adapted by Orson Welles, gave the popularity of the book a major boost, when thousands of Americans fled for the non-existent alien attack.

Even now, more that a century after its first publication, the story still lives on and maintains its popularity. Whereas the narrative sometimes tends to be pompous and belittling for the modern reader, the strong ideas and compelling storyline offers more that enough food for thought. Compared to other major works of its time, Wells succeeded in composing a refreshing plot that keeps the reader hooked until the end. The convincing description of Earth under attack, depicted in situations like the brave battle at sea with the Thunder Child, widens the setting of the story to global proportions. At the same time this contrasts strongly with the personal struggle of the protagonist when hiding in a claustrophobic hiding place and seeing his friend being devoured by the aliens.

Joy and despair. Pain and hope. Every emotion is interwoven in one of literatures most important works of science fiction. Although probably not the initiator of the genre, The War of the Worlds certainly has had a tremendous influence on what the Sci-Fi turned out to be. No fan of the genre can allow skipping this masterpiece.