A Hit or Miss Sci-Fi Action Novel

I picked this book up and set it down a few times before being able to get through it.  I love science fiction and don't even mind that it's a sequel -- but there was something about the way this book was written that just didn't sit well with me.  That being said, I did finish it (which I don't alway do).

What this book helped me realize is that alternate history books can be awesome when some of the research is done correctly.  Even if it's meant to be a crazy different timeline there are still things that make more sense now than they would back then. Retaliation had some of this and while other parts felt just right.

The action of this book was really well written. I can tell a lot of time went into crafting the perfect action scenes and making them flow from one to another. The ability to keep a book packed with this much action without making it feel overdone surprised me.

A slightly 'cinematic' narration -- War of the Worlds Retaliation both hit and missed marks throughout.  I don't know if it's because it's been a long time since I've read the original War of the Worlds or what, but the intro/first few chapters felt really hard to get into for me.  Sure there was action almost right away but I wasn't 100% sure why things were happening the way they were.

The narration for War of the Worlds Retaliation was done by Samuel E. Hoke III who does a really nice job.  Professionally recorded with lots of stuff going on, Hoke allows this book to flow nicely.

I received a free copy of this book. It has not affected my review of my opinion.

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4 people found this helpful

A Solid Continuation

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an unbiased review. This book is actually a nice addition to the original War of the Worlds book. The narrator did a fine job of reading the book I really enjoyed the Earth's revenge against the Martians. If you are a fan of the original book, you'll probably like this one. It was nice to see someone take the original story and go with it.

3 people found this helpful

A Dieselpunk Payback To The Squids!

I've read, watched, or listened to plenty of WotW revisions and sequels over the years, but THIS was a GREAT story! The writers did an excellent job of presenting the very altered history, politics, and technology of our world after the WotW without losing either the character of our historical figures or slamming us with Tekno-Fantasy silliness to make their story work. (Far better than many Alt-Hist golden-boy authors I could name.) And they did it with plenty of realistic combat action and drama, in space and on the ground, to keep this Mil-Sci-Fi junkie happily entertained.
In Summary = HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
I would REALLY like to see them do a sequel to this work based on the military/political environment they foresaw at the conclusion on this Altered Earth. = If the Original WotW was Steampunk, and "Retaliation" is Dieselpunk, then a follow-on in the Atompunk genre (perhaps even on to Cyberpunk?) would be FANTASTIC!

2 people found this helpful

a surprising gem

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, this story was a great listen that I found very hard to walk away from

Any additional comments?

First, to get it out of the way, I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.That being said, if you are looking for H. G. Wells you will be disappointed , But, if you let this story stand on its own merit, you will be pleased. This is military SF so if that isn't your style I would recommend you pass it by. But if you like David Drake, or John Ringo I think you will find this story well worth your time.

2 people found this helpful

Character reveiw

So the Martins have been exterminated. Everyone is pursuing their destiny. With the exception of Zhukov. I really enjoyed some of characters. Epically Patton, Rommel and the arrogant french man Charles de Gaulle. It looks like WWI is going to between Japan and Russia.

1 person found this helpful

1920s War Lords take it to Mars

Starting in 1898 with the final throws of the Martian invasion, humanity is at a breaking point. However, the human bacteria prove deadly to the Martians and on mass, they die, leaving their advanced technology for the humans to scavenge. Skipping ahead to 1924, the world leaders have decided it’s time to take the fight to Mars and a massive invasion is launched.

I’m a fan of HG Wells’s works, including the original War of the Worlds. So of course I was thrilled to dive into a novel that told a story of what humans did afterwards. How does a failed Martian invasion change the course of humanity’s history? Gardner and Rust give a decent answer to that question.

I think this book would have extra interest to those who have studied WWI. There’s plenty of European and North American names to recognize in this novel such as Charles de Gaulle, Rommel, George Patton, and so on. You don’t have to be particularly knowledgeable about any of these historical figures to enjoy their characters in this tale. I was a bit surprised that the Asian countries weren’t represented at all. Also, since it was a world wide Martian invasion in 1898, I was initially hopeful to see how that great leap in tech affected many of the countries in Africa and South America. Alas, those continents are barely mentioned.

There’s plenty of great tech in this tale. First, I really enjoyed that some tested and true war machines of WWI were in this book, like the Fokker airplanes. There’s also some brand new vehicles made especially for the Martian invasion. However, I did notice that the physics of Mars was skimmed over when it came to actual battles.

Now, let me get out my little polished soap box. There is exactly 1 female character (Nurse Hill) in this entire book and she doesn’t appear until the last hour of the story and she isn’t plot relevant at all. There’s a few other ladies mentioned as wives or mothers. This pains me. Here we are in this fascinating science fiction novel that’s essentially about the survival of the species, and the women aren’t present. Sigh…

OK, so moving on. I loved that we got a look into Martian society through the Martian characters. Their society is suffering from stagnation and the inability for their leaders to admit that there’s a real threat coming from Earth. I really enjoyed watching the various Martians struggle with this.

The pacing of the story is good with strategy, reflection, and action all well intermingled. I never suffered from battle fatigue nor did I feel that the story bogged down here or there. As an aside, I liked that Hitler was receiving psychiatric help and was an exceptionally minor character in this book.

I received a free copy of this book via The Audiobook Worm.

The Narration: Samuel Hoke was a very good fit for this story. He performed several different accents as needed and was consistent with them throughout the story. Each character was distinct.

1 person found this helpful

War drama in an alternate-history

Where does War of the Worlds: Retaliation rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 100

What did you like best about this story?

Really enjoyed the Earth's revenge against the Martians

Have you listened to any of Samuel E. Hoke III’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not, Samuel E Hoke III is ideally suited to this war drama

Any additional comments?

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

1 person found this helpful

A New Classic

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
This book was great. I am a fan of the original War of the Worlds and who doesn't want to find out what happens next. Written in the vein of classic Sci-Fi this story has such a different feel than most modern space stories. I found myself wanting to revisit some old favorites dealing with space travel and Mars.

1 person found this helpful

A war drama in an alternate-history

HG Wells’ story of alien invasion was first published in 1897 and made infamous to modern audiences by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air when, on 30 October 1938, they broadcast a one-hour full cast radio play adaptation, primarily told in the style of news bulletins interrupting an orchestral program.

For those who tuned in late, the unique presentation of the story supposedly caught listeners off-guard, creating a nation-wide panic that the alien invasion was real. To this day, Orson Welles’ adaption of War of the Worlds is not only considered a classic, but it arguably remains the most recognised and celebrated radio play ever broadcast.

Authors Mark Gardner & John J Rust now offer up this unofficial sequel to HG Wells’ original novel, set in 1924, some 25 years after the failed Martian invasion. Armed with adapted alien technology, mankind has advanced their weaponry and developed their own spaceships with the intent of taking the fight to Mars. Although more than two decades have passed in peace, mankind is determined to secure itself from future invasions by wiping out the Martians once and for all.

Mixing fictional characters with real historical figures like George Patton, Erwin Rommel, Charles de Gaulle and Georgy Zhukov, the authors do the unexpected by telling their story from both sides of the battlelines. We get to meet multiple Martian characters as they are forced on the defensive and face their own internal politics, while we also ride the wave of hopeful victory with the human fleet.

The deep voice of narrator Samuel E Hoke III is ideally suited to this war drama. Despite the alternate-history/science-fiction basis of the plot, War of the Worlds: Retaliation is a straight up action war story. Its focus is on the battlelines, the frontline soldiers, and their leaders. Hoke captures the accents of Earth’s dissenting nations just as well as he details the great space battle that ensues when humankind reaches Mars. The use of spaceships instead of aeroplanes and tanks is secondary to the theme however. Fans of classic war dramas could enjoy this title as much as lovers of science-fiction.

I review audiobooks regularly on my site at SaidNotRead dot wordpress dot com and I especially love sci-fi, thrillers and action stories, although I cover as big a variety of genres as I can. Check out my site for this and other reviews.

1 person found this helpful

Take that, Martians!

War of the Worlds: Retaliation is a sequel to the original War of the Worlds novel by H.G. Wells. According to the Kickstarter page, it was originally posted as a short story by John J. Rust on a fanfiction site and things spiraled out from there. It's written in a familiar alternate-history format where one will recognize familiar names and faces, such as that of General Patton. The authors appear to have done at least some basic homework to add realism to their story, such as their nod to Patton's believing in reincarnation. And, given that this is set only a few decades after the Martian invasion, the world isn't quite as incredibly advanced as it could have been with that particular starting point. Hydrogen cell cars, a basic version of the internet, etc.

And apparently a compass that somehow works on a planet with no magnetic field. ( Yes, I will fixate on one line early in the book. I can't help it. It made me go "Wait, what?" )

One of the things that I thought they did very well with this novel was the fact that they didn't pretend that the invasion brought all earthlings together into this blissful state of cooperation and unity. Yes, humans work together, but even early on in the novel it's clear that the world hasn't been participating in one gigantic campfire sit since the Martians attacked. This continues through to the very end where we see some scenes from after the big battle finishes. War of the Worlds: Retaliation is perhaps one of the most realistic looks at humanity in the years after an alien attack that I've ever read.

I listened to War of the Worlds: Retaliation as an audio book and Samuel E. Hoke III did a solid job with the narration. His voice is very low and gravely, so I worried at first that I'd have trouble telling some of the characters apart. Luckily he's a decent hand with accents and was able to vary his pitch just enough that I didn't have too many problems. He kept me fairly engaged with the story, and his voice tolerated an increase to 1.50x speed without much distortion.

However, while War of the Worlds: Retaliation did have a lot going for it, it just didn't do it for me. I was never really able to lose myself completely in the story. I found myself disappointed that the Martians from had been graduated from opaque alien horrors to something that felt a step or two up (in a good way) from the Mars Attacks! Martians. As it always seems, when we humanize something that was completely alien, pardon the pun, or terrifying, that fear scales back dramatically.

Overall, it was a good listen, just not a great one for me. Still, it was fun to play in the "What-if" sandbox for a while, and I applaud Gardner and Rust for their imagination and work in bringing War of the Worlds: Retaliation to life.


Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this audio book through Audio Book Boom for review consideration.

1 person found this helpful