War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches
2 journalers for this copy...
I came across this slightly-battered paperback at Annie's Book Stop, and was intrigued by the premise: a collection of short stories, all themed on Wells' "War of the Worlds", but each written by a different author - and from the point of view of yet another author or historical character! So we have Robert Silverberg describing the Martian attack as if witnessed by Henry James, or Connie Willis giving her version as if written by Emily Dickinson...
Later: I really enjoyed the variety of takes on the Martian-invasion concept. Most of the stories were very well-written, and many illustrated some intriguing cultural differences and their effects on the plot. Among my favorites:
Mike Resnick's "The Roosevelt Dispatches," in which Teddy Roosevelt embarks on the biggest game-hunt of his career.
Walter Jon Williams' "Foreign Devils", from the viewpoint of the Dowager Empress of China; her life is shown as one of luxurious captivity, and she sees the invasion as a glimmer of hope that she can redeem one of her own great mistakes. But court politics can be even more dangerous than otherworldly invaders.
Robert Silverberg's "The Martian Invasion Journals of Henry James," which are entertaining in themselves - and which explain why (in that timeline) it was James who eventually wrote War of the Worlds and not Wells!
Barbara Hambly's "Soldier of the Queen," in which Rudyard Kipling and several of the characters from his works (including the guide who "claims he was raised by wolves") face down the invaders in the Himalayan foothills of India. This one's full of action, danger - and some lively humor and inventiveness by those roguish soldiers.
Gregory Benford and David Brin's "Paris Conquers All" features Jules Verne as the main character, and is very funny indeed, with lots of snarking between the characters - and with the Eiffel Tower featuring in the, um, climactic battle.
Don Webb's "To Mars and Providence" features H. P. Lovecraft - who was eight years old at the time of the invasion, which adds poignancy to his viewpoint. The story itself does features some Lovecraftian elements, too.
While many of the stories deal with ways to battle the invaders, some offer attempts to communicate with them instead - with varying degrees of success. Other viewpoints include that of Pablo Picasso, Winston Churchill and H. Rider Haggard, the Texas Rangers, Albert Einstein, Edgar Rice Burroughs (writing on behalf of John Carter, whose connection with Mars makes his viewpoint very interesting), Leo Tolstoy (!), Mark Twain, Jack London, Emily Dickinson, and others.
[I was pleased to see that this book has been re-issued recently, possibly because of the popularity of World War Z, another global-apocalypse-seen-through-many-eyes tale. The TV Tropes page for the original novel may be of interest, and includes a reference or two to this book.]
Later: I really enjoyed the variety of takes on the Martian-invasion concept. Most of the stories were very well-written, and many illustrated some intriguing cultural differences and their effects on the plot. Among my favorites:
Mike Resnick's "The Roosevelt Dispatches," in which Teddy Roosevelt embarks on the biggest game-hunt of his career.
Walter Jon Williams' "Foreign Devils", from the viewpoint of the Dowager Empress of China; her life is shown as one of luxurious captivity, and she sees the invasion as a glimmer of hope that she can redeem one of her own great mistakes. But court politics can be even more dangerous than otherworldly invaders.
Robert Silverberg's "The Martian Invasion Journals of Henry James," which are entertaining in themselves - and which explain why (in that timeline) it was James who eventually wrote War of the Worlds and not Wells!
Barbara Hambly's "Soldier of the Queen," in which Rudyard Kipling and several of the characters from his works (including the guide who "claims he was raised by wolves") face down the invaders in the Himalayan foothills of India. This one's full of action, danger - and some lively humor and inventiveness by those roguish soldiers.
Gregory Benford and David Brin's "Paris Conquers All" features Jules Verne as the main character, and is very funny indeed, with lots of snarking between the characters - and with the Eiffel Tower featuring in the, um, climactic battle.
Don Webb's "To Mars and Providence" features H. P. Lovecraft - who was eight years old at the time of the invasion, which adds poignancy to his viewpoint. The story itself does features some Lovecraftian elements, too.
While many of the stories deal with ways to battle the invaders, some offer attempts to communicate with them instead - with varying degrees of success. Other viewpoints include that of Pablo Picasso, Winston Churchill and H. Rider Haggard, the Texas Rangers, Albert Einstein, Edgar Rice Burroughs (writing on behalf of John Carter, whose connection with Mars makes his viewpoint very interesting), Leo Tolstoy (!), Mark Twain, Jack London, Emily Dickinson, and others.
[I was pleased to see that this book has been re-issued recently, possibly because of the popularity of World War Z, another global-apocalypse-seen-through-many-eyes tale. The TV Tropes page for the original novel may be of interest, and includes a reference or two to this book.]
I'm putting this book in the Asian-themed bookbox, which will be on its way to its first stop soon. [See the forum post for mailing order.] Hope someone enjoys it!
I might be keeping this one.
