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3 Book Review: The Martian Dairies Trilogy by H E Wilburson
The Day of the Martians
A new mission from Mars threatens Earth in this exciting sequel to H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds.
It’s been ten years since the first Martian invasion, when the blood hungry, tripod traveling aliens were defeated by bacteria. The narrator from the original novel is now living in martial bliss with Laura, when he reads that Ogilvy (yes, the chances of anything coming from Mars is a million to one, that Ogilvy) has a Martian exhibit at Crystal Palace that includes an unopened cylinder, discovered in a mountain in Wales. When our hero travels to the exhibition to investigate, he discovers that another invasion has launched from the red planet, and this time the stakes are even higher.
Superbly narrated by Harry Preston, with further prologue and epilogue narration by Terry Thompson, and atmospheric background music reminiscent of Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds, this is a well produced audio book that is a delight to listen to.
There is no doubt that H.G. Wells wrote books with exceedingly clever premises. The Martian invasion, the invisible man, the time machine, and the island of Dr Moreau have all captured, and stayed with, the public imagination for good reason.
However, much as I enjoy the adaptions of his work, I am not a fan of Wells’ didactic prose, his apparent disdain for humanity, and his ideological mouthpieces masquerading as characters. Up until now, Jeff Wayne’s musical was my favorite version of The War of the Worlds. In that vein, The Day of the Martians is a most worthy successor.
Written in mind of our superior scientific knowledge, and with a more kindly view towards women, The Day of the Martians introduces an invasion plan that is both clever and diabolical. I cheered when familiar characters appeared, handled with much more compassion and humanity than in the original novel.
At a little over 2 hours run time, this is a quick story to listen to, extremely entertaining and well produced. I look forward to listening to the second part of the trilogy.
I enjoyed this story very much as an audiobook, and it was wonderful to get an opportunity to read the story in ebook form.
I admire H G Wells for his imagination, but I struggled to read his writing because of his harsh view of humanity and his preaching.
H E Wilburson, on the other hand, is a joy to read. Full of humanity and warmth, while also brimming with imaginative science fiction, I much prefer The Martian Diaries to the source material that inspired them.
I love that Oglivy, the artillery man – and even the curate! – all have roles to play in this exciting sequel. Best of all, I love that Laura – now the wife of the narrator – has such a large and important part to play in the narrative. The fact that the action briefly moves to Wales is also a plus.
The transition from audiobook to ebook works well for the most part, although I would have liked some more description of events, especially at key moments in the plot.
The Lake on the Moon
The discovery of what the Red Weed really is, communication through dreams and time travel. The Lake on the Moon is even more exciting than Chapter 1 of The Martian Diaries.
The focus of Chapter 2 is very much on Ogilvy. We discover how he made the heat ray, which he used to such great effect in The Day of the Martians, and learn that he is connected to the Martians in a strange and unexpected way.
George and Laura are living an idyllic life in Wales, but unfortunately their happiness doesn’t last long. After a trip to Crystal Palace go see an exhibit about the Martians, George reconnects with Ogilvy and learns that the Martian threat has not passed. In fact, it is even greater and more insidious than before.
The writer and the scientist must work together once again in an effort to save the world from the new type of Martian attack.
Wilburson’s imagination never ceases to amaze me, as he continues to up the ante with the next chapter in the series. Longer than the first release, it is much more in-depth, and introduces concepts that are extremely timely, as well as continuing to honor the source material.
The audio production continues to be strong, with excellent voice work and good supporting music and Foley.
I can’t wait to hear what happens in the concluding chapter of the series, which I hope will be released soon.
One of the things I enjoy most about The Martian Diaries is how the author has taken ideas from The War of the Worlds and run with them. In The Lake on the Moon, the story comes into its own for Wilburson.
Ogilvy continues to be an important character – if not the most important character of the series. I enjoyed finding out how he survived the heat ray on Horsell Common, as well as how he knows so much about the Martians.
The Great War, and the Spanish flu, are incorporated into the plot well, with the third Martian threat taking a very unexpected form.
I found the new developments to the Martians fascinating. Wilburson has built a world that is original and much deeper than I’m sure Wells intended.
This volume shows us viewpoints from characters other than the narrator, and while I enjoyed them, I felt the parts told by George flowed more smoothly.
The ebook has slightly more content than the audiobook, which is a nice bonus, and there is a lot more detail than volume one, which provides a more immersive reading experience.
Gateway to Mars
In 1945, a lone astronaut survives a devastating calamity while journeying to the moon.
184 years later, in an alternate dimension that never suffered the Martian invasion of 1906, Martian colonists discover bizarre human remains, and remnants of a book with a dire warning: the Martians are coming.
I’m a huge fan of the first two books in the Martian Diaries trilogy, and I was very excited to get my hands on an advance copy of Gateway to Mars.
I would consider this book more of a reboot of The War of the Worlds rather than a sequel to Lake on the Moon. It reimagines Wells’s story in the far future, where technologically advanced humans are this time invading Mars.
I loved all the call outs to the original book, as well as to the first two books in the Martian Diaries, as well as to the author himself!
As with the other books in the series, the question of God and religious faith is important, and I liked this detail.
It took me a while to get into this book. I was disappointed at first by how different it was from the other books, and I missed the characters I had grown to love. I found it hard to connect with the characters in Gateway to Mars, and thought their dialogue often stilted. The female lead was named Orion, and I kept on thinking she was a man!
However, once I thought of it as a standalone book, I appreciated it much more. I like the ideas presented in the future world, as well as how the story develops when humans have the technological advantage. I found it very interesting to think about humans being the invaders on Mars. It’s also full of observations on current issues, and I liked the aspects of interdimensional travel as well as time travel.
Another great story by H.E Wilburson, which I look forward to listening to when the dramatized audio version is released. However, I would advise fans of The Day of the Martians and Lake on the Moon to think of this more as a standalone reimagining of The War of the Worlds, and leave behind their expectations before they turn the first page.