The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter

This is a sequel to HG Well’s War of the Worlds, but it can be read as a standalone, however as it refers to the original you may lose some of the flow, when reading like this.

It is fourteen years since the first invasion from Mars, which was won by Earths germs and bacteria that the Martians had no immunity too. The spaceships used by the Martians have sparked new technological advances in weaponry. It is due to these two factors that humans are confident that they would prevail over the Martians once more, if they choose to re-invade.

However, Walter Jenkins the narrator of War of the Worlds is not so confident. He has been physically and mentally scared from the first invasion and is now obsessed with a second invasion heading Earth’s way. He believes that the Martians would have watched, learned and adapted to what occurred during the first invasion. Walter is proved right and the second invasion is a success.

Human are nothing more than free range cattle, who the Martians harvest at regular intervals to feed on. The scene where young Martians are learning to feed on human blood is gruesome yet so cute. It shows a loving family scene, only not one which we would recognise or want to witness.

We see familiar characters from the original novel which makes this, along with the fabulous writing, I feel a true sequel.

In some ways knowing from the beginning that Walter and others survive is for me a ‘spolier’, yet it is also a comfort as we know old friends once again outwit the Martians. There is however no hint as to how the Earth fares in the end, whether it is human or Martian owned.

Throughout this book we skip from one continent to another, meeting new characters and seeing the invasion and the resistance is playing out, which does bring interest to the plot. But sometimes I felt this distracted from the main plot and added nothing to the story.

The characters are alive, and this includes the Martians, who strut around knowing they own the place – along with us. However, the determination of the resistance is palpable, even if not all the members are likeable.

Many sequels which are written by other authors are let down by their writing, which comes stilted as the author tries too hard to imitate the original author. Stephen Baxter, however, has done a wonderful job not only in his writing but in bringing the atmosphere of the War of the Worlds into his writing.

A well worth read.