FICTION

The Massacre of Mankind

by Stephen Baxter
Crown. Aug. 2017. 496p. ISBN 9781524760120. $27; ebk. ISBN 9781524760144. SF
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Baxter's H.G. Wells estate-authorized sequel to the 1898 sf classic The War of the Worlds tells of a second Martian invasion, this time from the perspective of journalist Julie Elphinstone. Having learned from their defeat 14 years earlier, the visitors from the Red Planet return, this time to stay, much to the dismay of Great Britain and the rest of the world. While incorporating characters and callbacks to the original book, Baxter weaves his own story, portraying a global community altered by the first invasion. Martian technology left behind has been reverse-engineered, international politics and world leaders are familiar but different from our own history. Baxter attempts to echo Wells's style and voice, with moderate success.
VERDICT Already a best seller in the UK, Baxter's second take on Wells, after The Time Ships, his sequel to The Time Machine, is appropriate for young adult audiences, with violence that is both moderate and not too explicit. Sf aficionados and in particular Wells admirers will want to place this title on their "To-Read" shelves. [See Prepub Alert, 2/27/17.]
Reviewed by Matt Schirano, Univ. of Bridgeport Lib., CT , Jul 21, 2017
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