Stephen Baxter is a marvel. Not only can he write amazing original hard science fiction but he rocks these sequels to the classics. Just like he did with The Time Ships, his authorized continuation of H. G. Wells's The Time Machine, here is his authorized sequel to War of the Worlds. It is dark and bleak and horrifying but still thrilling. I Loved it and have been and will continue to recommend to my sci-fi loving customers, along with all his other titles.

I thought this started a little slow, but it picked up and I ended up really liking it. It's definitely a book I'd recommend.

I really wanted to like this book, but for some reason it just never clicked for me. It was a struggle to continue through it. It’s not badly written, but seems to go on and on with nothing much happening, Disappointing.

"The Massacre of Mankind" eBook was published in 2017 and was written by Stephen Baxter (http://www.stephen-baxter.com). Mr. Baxter has published more than 30 novels.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story takes place some 14 years after the original "War of the Worlds". The British have learned much from the technology left behind by the Martian attack.

When launches are seen on Mars once again, the British prepare to repel a new wave of Martians using all they learned in the first invasion. The martians though, have learned from the first invasion too.

The primary characters of this story are continuing characters from the original, including Walter Jenkins. Britain is not the only target in this new assault. Soon the entire world is attempting to fight off the Martian onslaught.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 13.5 hours I spent reading this 498 page alternate history and science fiction thriller. This is an authorized sequel to the original work and it has the right feel for the period - the 1920s. If you have read the original "War of the Worlds" and enjoyed it, you will want to read this sequel as well. I like the cover art selected. I give this novel a 4.7 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

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My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

This was a fun re-visit to one of my favorite stories! I was always curious what would happen if the aliens came back and this one didn't disappoint.

Science Fiction
13-Adult
What if the Martians came back? That is the premise of this sci-fi novel by Stephen Baxter, billed as an ‘authorised’ sequel to H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. The story opens 13 years after the end of Wells’ classic tale. I do recommend reading the original story prior to starting this one, if you haven’t done so recently. It really helps with understanding the relationships between people in this book, as Baxter’s story revives the same characters. While the narrator in War of the Worlds was never named, he appears here as Walter Jenkins, and it is his former sister-in-law, Julie Elphinstone, a journalist who was one of the two women Walter’s brother “rescued” in his 1907 escape from the Martians, who serves as the narrator in this one. It’s now 1920 and Walter reaches out to Julie and others from the Martian War to let them know he has learned the Martians are planning another invasion. Astronomers have seen the ominous signs, though the news is not yet public. When the cylinders arrive, Julie is again in London and is an eyewitness, again, to the destruction. The invaders have learned and adapted for this second attack, but as Julie learns, Earth’s governments and militaries have not been idle either. In an afterword, Baxter explains he draws on an “alternate history” in which the Great War as we know it did not occur; this gives him licence to play with historical events that add to the reader’s enjoyment as the plot unfolds. In this novel, Julie sails the Atlantic on the Lusitania (as it did not sink from a German torpedo), Lord Baden-Powell creates the Young Sappers instead of the Boy Scouts, and my favourite, King Edward’s marriage to Wallis Simpson does not result in an abdication. Yup, it’s Queen Wallis. I can see a whole Netflix series on that premise alone! Baxter remains faithful to Wells’ 1890s understanding and interpretation of astronomical science, in which life on Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are not only possible but in fact have developed much as it did on Earth. It takes effort to overcome this barrier, given our current understanding of our solar system’s creation and science. An engineer and sci-fi writer himself, Baxter’s significant research has created an homage that rings true to Wells’ writing style. Even the title is drawn from the original story, and Baxter expands on Wells’ work to develop characters that are lively, interesting, and honest. I particularly enjoy his historical references, his careful attention to geography, the detailed descriptions of the invasions and the military manoeuvering, and the nods to events of the day, though I could certainly have used less foreshadowing. It’s a device I particularly dislike. My thanks to Crown Publishing for the advance reader copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33269113

Just how much did you enjoy assigned and suggested reading in high school? I hated it. I thought, as a mature woman with eclectic tastes in books, that I might actually enjoy a blast from the past. I was wrong. This book induced the same reading coma I experienced as a teenager bound to impress teachers with my willingness to read every single book they suggested or demanded. Sheesh. This book is just as boring as the original. I was obligated to finish since the book was a gift from the publisher, you are not! My advise? Just say NO! I have nothing else to say.

2shay

I received a copy of The Massacre of Mankind: Authorised Sequel to The War of the Wolds (The War of the Worlds #2) from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Baxter is back again with another sequel from H.G. Wells (his other one being a follow up to the Time Machine). Many fans were split on how they felt about this. Some loved it, some less so. Regardless of whether or not you enjoyed it, I would like to point out just how much effort Baxter put into researching the previous work and all the notes that went along with it.

If you’re reading this review, you’ve probably read War of the Worlds as well. Or at least are ok with getting spoilers about it (or so I should hope). The Massacre of Mankind is written much like War of the Worlds, in the style of a surviving writing a novel about what they experienced.

In this novel, the perspective switches to a side character from the original; Julia Elphinstone. As before, it’s clear right from the start that humanity survived the attacks from other worlds (because how else would somebody be writing the story?). The how and why humanity survived is less obvious; clerly we’re meant to finish the book to understand that part (which makes sense). Even this simple choice is an ideal hat-tip towards H.G. Wells’ story. History is heavily altered, similar to the way it was in War of the Worlds, to fit the narrative and invasion to the timeline desired.

I mentioned above that I felt that Baxter had done extensive research and note taking for this book. Unfortunately I also felt that this fact got in his way. There were times where I felt that facts were being thrown at me, simply to prove that they were known. It disrupted the flow and ultimately kept me from immersing myself in the novel in the way I would have preferred. I also felt that there was much more name throwing this time around than beforehand. I’m unsure if this was an intentional change, or yet another symptom of trying to prove what facts were known.

The other factor I found jarring was the nitpicking of many characters against the book written by Walter Jenkins (and thus the War of the Worlds we’ve all read). It felt like this was the author’s way of picking away at H.G. Wells’ writing. Perhaps I am misinterpreting the intent here, but that is still how it came off to me. Which I found to be odd; considering one would assume he had great love and respect for both War of the Worlds and H.G. Wells.

All in all I found this to be a very respectable attempt at a follow up to War of the Worlds. I was hoping to enjoy it more than I did, but on the bright side I never found myself angered or upset by it either (which is significantly better than some series fare when another author takes over).

The Massacre of Mankind: Sequel to The War of the Worlds by Stephen Baxter is a recommended estate-authorized sequel to H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds.

Set in the early 1920s, it has been thirteen years since the Martians invaded England. When it is announced that the Martians have launched another, much larger invasion, humans are sure we can defeat them again, with the exception of one man, Walter Jenkins (the unnamed narrator of Wells' book). Jenkins is sure that the Martians have learned, adapted, and understood their defeat so they will be prepared this time. Referring to the first book, Walter is often called out as a liar and an unreliable witness by those characters who appeared in the first book. A journalist, Julie Elphinstone, the former sister-in-law of Jenkins, reports most of the action in the narrative to the reader as she tells the story of the second invasion. She witnesses the first wave of Martians landing outside of London. The world is watching for the subsequent invasive Martian forces to land around the world.

The good news is that Martians are still terrifying. The first Martian invasion changed history, thus in this alternate history universe, Britain is a fascist state, Germany rules much of Europe, and the Titanic never sank. You will recognize historical figures but now in different contexts. While this is an interesting take on a second invasion, it has a slow start and I'll admit that keeping my undivided attention during the whole novel was a challenge. It felt overly long, perhaps it was the writing style, but I also didn't connect to any of the characters. We know right from the start that this account is Elphinstone's memoir so we know the outcome of the war, which removes some of the sense of urgency and tension. She is also not an entirely sympathetic narrator.

Finally, Baxter's choice to write in the style of H.G. Wells, no offense to Wells, didn't quite work for me in this case. The descriptions are complex and noteworthy, but I guess I wanted a more action-packed terror-filled novel. Parts of it met this description, but the totality of The Massacre of Mankind missed the mark as a sequel to the classic science fiction novel. It is certainly good, but not great. Hard core fans of The War of the Worlds will likely want to read this, but it will not quite live up to the original.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Crown/Archetype.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/08/the-massacre-of-mankind.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2098799582

Written by Stephen Baxter. THE authorized sequel to Well's War of the Worlds. What more do you need to know to grab this book and read it? Ah, you are skeptical. Well, this time the Martians attack globally, the hero is a heroine, the real bad guy turns out to be the sun, the plot expands to include the entire solar system and thousands of years of history, a few new aliens are tossed in for good measure, and you are left with a cliff-hanger which all but guarantees a follow on book. Not another classic, but definitely a good read.

I received a free Kindle copy of The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter courtesy of Net Galley and Crown, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I am a fan of the original War of the Worlds and the description sounded interesting. I have read a few books by Stephen Barnes.

I should know by now that trying to write a sequel to a classic like War of the Worlds a century later is not a good idea. Baxter writes in the style of H. G. Wells, but does not capture the imagination or make the characters interesting. It is sluggish throughout with no section that gives one hope that it will improve. It does not help that this sequel is four times the length of the original. I debated between one or two stars for this book and decided to be kind and give it two.

I can't really recommend this book to anyone, but I highly recommend that you read the original War of the Worlds if you have not.

I loved this book. Being a fan of the original War of the World's, I found this book a perfect sequel.

The Massacre of Mankind begins more than a decade after the end of the original War of the Worlds, when the Miss Elphinstone who appears in the original novel, is a reporter in the US. She is summoned by her former brother-in-law Walter (the narrator of the original novel) to Berlin. History has much changed as a result of the original invasion. WWI did not happen, since when Germany started invading their neighbours, including France, the rest of the world was not inclined to fight back after rebuilding from the Martian war.

The reason for the summons is that a new fleet has been launched from Mars. Instead of one canon shooting cylinders, now there are ten, shooting even more of their vessels. And the Martians learned from their previous failed invasion, so while the military expects the same timeline as the previous invasion, they are quickly overwhelmed by the new tactics. The Martians are able to set up a foothold in England, with people trapped inside the zone of control, making do with their situation, while the people outside work on coming up with a new biological weapon. This is followed by a second wave that spreads out from England, with snippets about the invaders hitting the US, South Africa, Germany, and other parts of the world. The new, female, narrator becomes an integral part of the attempt to stop the Martians from taking over the entire world.

While the original novel feels rather dated, the new novel was fantastic, while preserving the feel of the original (including the ridiculous ideas about the evolution of the solar system). The change to a female narrator gives a different slant on the story, since sexism. Beyond her, there are other strong women, heroic characters, characters that are anything but. And the ending wraps things up, while leaving everything on a note of uncertainty that means that if there is room for a follow-up, but if none appears, we have a satisfying ending.

As he did with The Time Machine, Baxter has taken H.G. Well's classic War of the Worlds and continued the story with whit, charm and, in keeping with Well's outlook, provided a rich fast paced story to entertain and possibly make you think. We see all the action through the eyes of a woman, once related to the chronicler of the first Martian invasion, and this is a fresh twist on the Victorian adherence to only men in the lead. I've been reading Stephen Baxter for years and he rarely disappoints, and that goes twice for this romp. Get it!

Sorry I was looking forward to reading this book but I just couldn't get into it. Did not finish.

This sequel to H.G. Wells’ 1897 classic The War of the Worlds will soon be released in the US by Crown, a division of Penguin Random House. I received a kindle format ebook at no cost, prior to release, in return for publishing an honest review.

I’ve previously read a great deal of Stephen Baxter’s work, and while I don’t love everything he writes, I do consider myself a fan of his hard-sf style. He has previously written a sequel to H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine entitled The Time Ships, that was very successful and that I recommend. The War of the Worlds was a very important book in the history of science fiction, and the fact that this sequel is authorized by the H.G. Wells Estate does speak highly.

One departure from H.G. Wells, is that Baxter names all the characters. Both the narrator and the narrator’s brother are unnamed in The War of the Worlds. But we now know they were Walter and Frank Jenkins. The POV character of The Massacre of Mankind is a minor figure in the original novel who was actually named (the young Miss Elphinstone). She is now Julie Jenkins (nee Elphinstone), aspiring journalist and ex-wife of Frank Jenkins. Apparently, the encounter between the two of them mentioned in The War of the Worlds, has led to a failed marriage. Likewise, Walter Jenkins is now divorced from the wife he essentially abandoned during the Martian invasion of SE England. These personal life developments, and a few others, are quite reasonable speculations based on what happened to the characters in the original novel.

The setting starts in the 1920 English countryside, not too far from the site of the earlier Martian landing. It is essentially an alternate history, in which the 1907 Martian invasion is popularly known through the published narrative of Walter Jenkins (which is of course, the text we know as H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds). That conflict is now known as The Martian War of 1907. Since there has been no First and Second World War as we know them, the term “first war” has become a reference to the Martian War. However, by 1920, Germany has come to dominate central Europe with the tacit consent of England, and a protracted German/Russian War is taking place. There are occasional references to other events from our own world, particularly concerning cultural events such as the 1938 radio broadcast version of The War of the Worlds, but they are incidental to the world-building, and I think a wink from Stephen Baxter for the amusement of the reader.

Also, the astrophysics of this universe is consistent with knowledge and theories of 1900, and not our current understandings. It is taken as real that planets further out from the sun are older, and have more advanced inhabitants. The conflict between Earth and Mars is therefore extended with consistent speculations regarding Jupiter and Venus.

The Martians have learned from their vulnerabilities of the first war, and seem far better prepared this time. From their perspective, the whole first war was merely a scouting expedition. Of course, the national leaders of Earth have become complacent with unreasonable faith in their ability to defeat the Martians in the same way. This invasion goes much faster, and is not limited to a single site. One complaint I have is that Baxter repetitively describes the same sequence of events through the eyes of new POV characters at each of the invasion sites. As you remember, the resolution of the first war was accomplished deus ex machina, by having all the Martian invaders die unexpectedly of an Earthly virus. This next resolution is also somewhat abrupt, but only after two full years of Martian occupation. During the occupation, Baxter draws parallels and makes commentary on British Imperialism, which is consistent with H.G. Wells’ own perspectives. And this resolution comes about through the insights of some main characters, rather than sheer accident, so is more satisfying – even while leaving new ambiguities for the future.

H.G. Wells himself is mentioned as the author of the “The Year Million Man”, a work which brought him some of his initial fame. In an afterward, Stephen Baxter identifies some of the scholarly works to which he referred, while creating this smart and authentic sequel. It is a major accomplishment which honors the original, and I highly recommend it.

I'm a fan of Stephen Baxter and Wells' 'War of the Worlds', and I'm glad to say this book does not disappoint. Continuing the story of England's recovery from the original Martian attack and preparation for another possible attack, 'Massacre of Mankind' follows a logical, thoughtful path. How would England and the world react to access to the advanced technology of the Martians? What effect would the first War have on England's identity and desire for self-preservation? Baxter deftly explores these ideas and maintains a thrilling story at the same time. Great addition to Baxter's works.

The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I felt trepidation before beginning this because I kept seeing unfavorable reviews, but fortunately, I thought it was pretty awesome after finishing. I might have a bit of an issue with the end, and I think that's where most people are complaining, but it wasn't as bad as all that.

I remembered that the original The War of the Worlds was written as an account, a narrative, and as such, there's generally no good wrap-ups unless forced... and that's true for reality, too.

That's the bad... but Now for the great!

The World-building is very, very neat, as is the sheer amount of research and history and tactics carefully laid out.

There's a comprehensive account of a much longer war that comes in several waves and with much greater numbers, and we get to see the horrible effects of the invasion and colonization of Earth from Martians across continents and over a good deal of time.

In a lot of ways, this reads as a pure and horrific tragedy where we know what's coming but we have no way to stop it. It keeps the blood pumping, that's for sure. The first invasion was just a scouting mission and they fixed the little issue with the pathogens, which is very reasonable considering just how much tech and implied tech these aliens have.

This is also set in an alternate timeline that takes into account exploited tech after the first war, and even though WWI happened again, the outcome was very different with a victorious Kaiser and an occupied England. It's little details like this that keep popping up that made this novel really delicious, but that's not to say the characters weren't fun as well. :)

This novel is a fully-authorized sequel from the Well's estate, and Baxter put a lot of time and research into making this one of the most thoughtful world-building exercises out there.

I'm a Baxter-phile. I remember the fantastic job he'd done on his direct-sequel to The Time Machine back in the nineties. I also remember enjoying his sequel more than the original, too, making things much bigger, broad-scale, and utterly fascinating. He does the same here, with this, turning it truly into a war of worlds, including the entire Earth and it's population, and this is what makes this novel fantastic. Horrifying, but also fantastic.

Goodbye, humanity!