The War of the Worlds

by LindyLou and Talidine

The War of the Worlds is a novel written by English author H.G. Wells in between 1895 and 1897. As one of the earliest stories to recount a conflict between humankind and an extraterrestrial civilisation, it is widely regarded as one of the founding works of modern science fiction. The novel is the first-person narrative of an unnamed protagonist who escapes as London and southern England are invaded by Martians. This classic story has stood the test of time and in fact has never been out of print.

No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water

H.G. Wells

The novel spawned numerous feature films, radio dramas, comic books and television series. One of the most notable adaptations was Jeff Wayne’s musical version, a studio double album released in 1978 by CBS Records. The album became a commercial success and has sold an estimated 15 million copies worldwide. The iconic cover of this record, depicting a Martian tripod striking down HMS Thunder Child, was created by British artist Mike Trim.

Builders LindyLou and Talidine of Fox Force Five created a wonderful 3DX rendition of a seminal War of the Worlds scene in the style of Mike Trim’s artwork. It is the perfect place to immerse yourself in Jeff Wayne’s spectacle and get carried away by the music and the stunning visuals.

In the distance we can see the Horsell Common with the crashed Martian ship from which alien war machines emerge. Carried on tall tripod legs they advance unrelentingly towards the unfortunate artillerymen, desperately trying to put up a defence. Shells explode all around the Marians, but nothing seems to harm them and nothing can withstand their devastating heat rays.

“This isn’t a war”, said the artilleryman. “It never was a war, any more than there’s war between man and ants.”

H.G. Wells

Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Welsh actor Richard Burton gave an unforgettable performance as the narrator in Jeff Wayne’s musical epic. He became such a necessary part of the concept album that a hologram was used to narrate the live stage show. In 2011, however, Liam Neeson was cast in the part for a New Generation re-recording.

Two singles from Jeff Wayne’s album were released; the disco-inspired opening track, The Eve of the War and the hauntingly beautiful Forever Autumn, with Justin Hayward of Moody Blues fame on lead vocals. A new version of this song was released in late 2012, sung by Gary Barlow.

“The chances of anything coming from mars are a million to one”, he said – but still they come!

Jeff Wayne

To our modern ears the idea of Martians may seem preposterous, but for a long time it was believed by many Mars was inhabited by an advanced civilisation.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was erroneously thought that there were canals on the planet. They were first described by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli.

It was speculated by American astronomer Percival Lowell and others that they were engineering works, irrigation canals constructed by intelligent aliens indigenous to Mars. Today it is understood these canals were optical illusions due to imperfections in the telescopes of the day.

Special thanks to DeliaNDN