F/SF

H. G. Wells’s 1898 classic has long served as fodder for other writers, from Garrett Putman Serviss’s [b:Edison's Conquest of Mars|37688173|Edison's Conquest of Mars|Garrett Putman Serviss|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1517438633s/37688173.jpg|59319656] to Alan Moore’s more recent [b:The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2|107007|The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2|Alan Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327904678s/107007.jpg|6156668]. George H. Smith’s novel is firmly in this tradition, albeit with an interesting twist: having failed in their invasion of Earth, the Martians now set their sights on Earth’s parallel world Annwn, a planet technologically similar to Earth but one in which magic enjoys a presence as well as science. Aided by a group of worshipers, the Martians inoculate themselves against the microorganisms that frustrated their previous attempt and prepare for an assault on a much larger scale. Alerted by a few figures from Earth, a small group of Annwnians mobilize to thwart this new effort, but it’s a race against time with a cool and calculated foe – and one determined to learn from their mistakes the first time around.

Smith’s novel benefits from both the novelty of its premise and the infusion of a number of interesting ideas, particularly his inspired concept of pro-Martian humans working for the destruction of their own species. The chapters describing the battles between the humans and the tripods are also excellent, conveying a sense of tension and excitement in many ways even better than Wells did in the original. Yet before readers can get to them they must wade through a considerable amount of tepid dialogue and poor characterization, particularly of the main female protagonist Clarinda McTague, whose jealousy-driven anger detracts from the story whenever she appears. The addition of the certain English detective and his medically-trained sidekick is even more questionable, especially as the conceit of disguising their identities wears thin quickly. Together these factors drag down this otherwise imaginative novel, one that squanders an otherwise interesting departure from Wells’s famous work. ( )