I have always been a voracious reader, the first thing I always did after moving to a new town was get a library card and fill my arms with new books.

I am now living and working in the gorgeous English county of Shropshire which allows me plenty of opportunity to stare out of the window at gorgeous scenery when I really should be writing.

Return of the Martians by Mark Hood

It's been two years since the events chronicled in "The War of the Worlds". Humanity has moved on, the rebuilding efforts continue, and no-one really wants to think about Martians any longer.

But one man can't let go. George is still traumatised by the events of the first invasion, and is terrified that it's only a matter of time before they will return with greater force. He knows that we're not ready, but his efforts to warn everyone are rebuffed. Even his wife Amy is losing patience with him.

Until the first flashes are seen on the surface of Mars.

When the cylinders land, better defended and in larger numbers than before, George's prior experience is needed on the front lines of humanity's resistance. But the long-awaited return has reawakened his terror, and his insistence on making a difference is dragging him down a dark path.

Can George overcome his demons and join the fight against the invaders? Will they triumph over us this time?

The first in a trilogy of unofficial sequels to "The War of the Worlds" has mankind on the run once more. Read it today and join the resistance.

CURATOR'S NOTE

Mark Hood picks up where H.G. Wells left off. Two years after the first invasion, George is still traumatized—and the only one who believes the Martians will return. When flashes appear on Mars, he's proven terrifyingly right. Hood emulates Wells's Victorian voice like the ghost of the 20th century come back to haunt us. – M.G. Herron

 

REVIEWS

  • "[W]ritten perfectly in the style of H.G Wells. I enjoyed every minute of it, even clenching my fists in tension a few times when encounters with the aliens were read. I would definitely recommend this author!"

    – Amazon review

  • This 1st book, to me, is absolutely worthy to be called a bloody good sequel. Its definitely easy to make the leap of 2 years from the end of the original Wells book, and to see how technological advances may have been made by man from the original fighting machines and Martians in Hoods writings. I'm also not going to lie, this got completed in 3 days. Every opportunity I had to read, I was there.

    – Amazon review

  • "I was completely blown away by this book, it flows like it was from the pen of HG Wells himself."

    – Amazon review
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

The first cylinder landed in the early hours of the following morning, a few miles outside Manchester. Reports from that night are patchy and incomplete, but I have pieced together what I later learned.

The skies being under constant surveillance meant that the fiery descent of the Martians was immediately spotted and reported. Church bells across the southern edge of the city rang out in warning and woke all those who would find themselves in the same vicinity as the arrival. Most fled, but despite the chilly night, the crater dug by the cylinder's landing was quickly surrounded by a mix of curiosity seekers, self-appointed 'keepers of the peace' and the more enterprising members of society who always insert themselves into proceedings and distribute hot drinks and foods for a nominal fee. There was also a journalist from the Manchester Evening News, from whom most of this information came.

The army had been patrolling there as elsewhere, in small groups. The few soldiers first on the scene found themselves outnumbered by the public, and being unwilling to open fire upon civilians, were quickly overwhelmed. Before long, improvised weapons were being used by the crowd to bludgeon or pry the cylinder open, to little effect other than preventing the military from taking control. Scuffles broke out between those who wanted to drag the Martians from their capsule and hang them, and those who preferred to welcome them to our planet. With the arrival of reinforcements, the army established a perimeter, and the guns moved up into position. Once the crowd was driven back sufficiently, the first field gun fired a ranging shot, and upon the confirmation of their accuracy, they opened fire.

Five rounds fell on the invaders in rapid succession, each to the accompaniment of a cheer from the assembled mass, and boos from the believers. Smoke and dust filled the air for some time, and when it cleared, a bank of newly arrived electrical lights switched on to aid inspection. A handful of troops marched forward to inspect the damage, while the rest of their number fought to restrain the crowd.

Those first to the lip of the crater were immediately immolated by the heat-ray.

General panic overtook the crowd, who scattered in all directions. The artillery piece fired additional rounds, but with the benefit of illumination it was now apparent that the projectiles were exploding some distance above the Martians. The dust and debris thrown up by the explosions were not falling back into the pit but settling in a ring around the edge. A shimmering haze lay over the cylinder and the gouge it had made, shielding the occupants from harm.

The heat-ray projector emerged from the cylinder once more and laid waste to its surroundings, burning men and machinery together as it flickered across the terrain. The artillery continued to fire from its hidden location long after the futility of it became clear. It is to the credit of our army that the brave men who stood there continued fighting until the last man, as their rounds pinged off the shield and their comrades-in-arms fell beside them.

By the time dawn came, not a single human was alive within half a mile. Those who had not fled were destroyed utterly.