Adaptations of The War of the Worlds
Encyclopedia
The War of the Worlds
(1898) is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells
. It describes the experiences of a character who travels through London as the Earth
is invaded by Martians. It is said to be the first story that details a conflict between mankind and an alien race
.
Following its publication, The War of the Worlds rapidly entered popular culture. Through the 20th and 21st centuries, the novel has been adapted into a number of different mediums, including radio, television and film. These have been produced with varying degrees of faithfulness towards the original text, with many of the more famous adaptations, such as Orson Welles
' 1938 radio adaptation
and the 2005 film
directed by Steven Spielberg
, choosing to set the events in a contemporary setting. In addition, many adaptations, including both of the above, have relocated the plot from its original setting of England in favour of the United States.
caused public outcry against the episode, as many listeners believed that an actual Martian invasion was in progress, a notable example of mass hysteria.
Wells later met Orson Welles
while driving through San Antonio, Texas, after stopping to ask directions and by coincidence happening upon the actor. They spent the day together, and later discussed the famous broadcast in a radio interview at Radio KTSA.
The radio drama itself has spun off a number of productions based upon the events surrounding the broadcast, including Doctor Who: Invaders from Mars, an audio drama released in 2002 based upon the Doctor Who
television series that depicts Welles' broadcast as taking place during an actual attempted alien invasion.
shot a scene of a dying alien falling out of a Martian war machine, test footage for an abandoned project to adapt the story using Wells' original "octopus" concept for the Martians. A video of the footage can be found here.
Here Harryhausen talks about his proposed adaptation:
The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds is an 1898 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells.The War of the Worlds may also refer to:- Radio broadcasts :* The War of the Worlds , the 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles...
(1898) is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
. It describes the experiences of a character who travels through London as the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
is invaded by Martians. It is said to be the first story that details a conflict between mankind and an alien race
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
.
Following its publication, The War of the Worlds rapidly entered popular culture. Through the 20th and 21st centuries, the novel has been adapted into a number of different mediums, including radio, television and film. These have been produced with varying degrees of faithfulness towards the original text, with many of the more famous adaptations, such as Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
' 1938 radio adaptation
The War of the Worlds (radio)
The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938, and aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by actor and future filmmaker...
and the 2005 film
War of the Worlds (2005 film)
War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. It is one of three film adaptations of War of the Worlds released that year, alongside The Asylum's version and...
directed by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, choosing to set the events in a contemporary setting. In addition, many adaptations, including both of the above, have relocated the plot from its original setting of England in favour of the United States.
Film
- 1953: The War of the Worlds (1953 film)The War of the Worlds (1953 film)The War of the Worlds is a 1953 science fiction film starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. It was the first on-screen loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells classic novel of the same name...
, produced by George PalGeorge PálGeorge Pal , born György Pál Marczincsak, was a Hungarian-born American animator and film producer, principally associated with the science fiction genre...
and directed by Byron HaskinByron HaskinByron Conrad Haskin was an American film and television director. He was born in Portland, Oregon.He is remembered today for directing 1953's The War of the Worlds, one of many films where he teamed with producer George Pal. In his early career, he was a special effects artist, with a number of...
, for Paramount PicturesParamount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still... - 1981: The War of the Worlds: Next CenturyThe War of the Worlds: Next CenturyThe War of the Worlds: Next Century is a 1981 Polish film by Piotr Szulkin which is inspired by the classical novel of H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds...
, a Polish film by Piotr SzulkinPiotr SzulkinPiotr Szulkin is a Polish film director. He directed over 30 movies and received about 50 awards, Polish and international, including Best science-fiction Film Director at Eurocon, 1984... - 2005: H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (2005 film), directed by Timothy HinesTimothy HinesTimothy Hines is an American film director, writer and producer. Best known for his adaptation of the H. G. Wells novel The War of the Worlds, he has a background in directing television commercials and short films. In 1999, he founded the independent film production company Pendragon Pictures...
, for Pendragon Pictures - 2005: H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds (2005 film), directed by David Michael Latt (titled Invasion or The Worlds in War internationally), for The AsylumThe AsylumThe Asylum is an American film studio and distributor which focuses on producing low-budget, usually direct-to-video productions. The studio has produced titles that capitalize on productions by major studios; these titles have been dubbed "mockbusters" by the press.-History:The Asylum was founded...
.- 2008: War of the Worlds 2: The Next WaveWar of the Worlds 2: The Next WaveWar of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave is a 2008 direct-to-DVD science fiction film starring and directed by C. Thomas Howell....
, sequel to the Asylum's film, directed by C. Thomas HowellC. Thomas HowellChristopher Thomas "Tommy" Howell , known by his stage name C. Thomas Howell, is an American actor and film director. He starred in the films The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis and in The Hitcher as Jim Halsey. He has appeared in The Da Vinci Treasure,Soul Man, Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Gettysburg, H. G...
- 2008: War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
- 2005: War of the Worlds (2005 film)War of the Worlds (2005 film)War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. It is one of three film adaptations of War of the Worlds released that year, alongside The Asylum's version and...
, directed by Steven SpielbergSteven SpielbergSteven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, for Paramount PicturesParamount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. - 2011: War of the Worlds - The True Story a sci-fi/horrorHorror filmHorror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
mock documentary movie reboot, by Pendragon Pictures
Also
- The Night That Panicked AmericaThe Night That Panicked AmericaThe Night That Panicked America is an American made-for-television movie that was originally broadcast on the ABC network on October 31, 1975. The movie dramatizes events surrounding Orson Welles' famous - and infamous - War of the Worlds radio broadcast The Night That Panicked America is an...
, a film that follows Orson WellesOrson WellesGeorge Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
' radio broadcastThe War of the Worlds (radio)The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938, and aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by actor and future filmmaker...
based on Welles' novel. - Scary Movie 4Scary Movie 4Scary Movie 4 is the fourth film of the Scary Movie franchise, directed by David Zucker, written by Jim Abrahams, Craig Mazin and Pat Proft, and produced by Craig Mazin and Robert K. Weiss. It is distributed by The Weinstein Company via its Dimension Films unit in the U.S. and Television, and...
, a spoof of Steven Spielberg's film version. - Mars Attacks!Mars Attacks!Mars Attacks! is a 1996 American science fiction film directed by Tim Burton and based on the cult trading card series of the same name. The film uses elements of black comedy, surreal humour, and political satire, and claims to be also a parody of multiple science fiction B movies...
, a science fiction comedy by Tim BurtonTim BurtonTimothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
, which spoofs many alien invasion films of the 1950s, including 1953's War of the Worlds. - War of the servers, a machinima adaption by Robert Stoneman of LitFuse Films based on War of the Worlds.
Television
- 1988: War of the Worlds (TV series)War of the Worlds (TV series)War of the Worlds is a television program that ran for two seasons, from 1988 to 1990. The series is an extension of the original 1953 film The War of the Worlds, using the same War Machine, often incorporating aspects from the film, radio adaptation, and original novel into its mythology.Though...
Loosely based on Wells' novel, but is mainly a sequel to the 1953 film. - 2001: Justice LeagueJustice League (TV series)Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics...
animated TV series adapts the main events and visuals of the novel for the three part story Secret Origins. Aliens, after destroying Mars, attack Earth via tripods and a team of superheroes, including Superman, attempt to stop them.
Radio
- 1938: The War of the Worlds (radio)The War of the Worlds (radio)The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938, and aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by actor and future filmmaker...
, the Orson WellesOrson WellesGeorge Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
' 1938 radio adaptation - 1944: War Of The Worlds radio broadcast, Santiago
- 1949: War Of The Worlds radio broadcast, Radio Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- 1950: The War of the Worlds, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio dramatisation - 1955: The Lux Radio TheaterLux Radio TheaterLux Radio Theater, a long-run classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network ; CBS and NBC . Initially, the series adapted Broadway plays during its first two seasons before it began adapting films. These hour-long radio programs were performed live before studio audiences...
: War of the Worlds, adaptation of the 1953 FilmThe War of the Worlds (1953 film)The War of the Worlds is a 1953 science fiction film starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. It was the first on-screen loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells classic novel of the same name...
. - 1967: The War of the Worlds, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio dramatisation - 1968: The War of the Worlds (radio 1968)The War of the Worlds (radio 1968)The War of the Worlds was a radio drama, originally aired by Buffalo, New York radio station WKBW on October 31, 1968. It was a modernized version of the original radio drama aired by CBS in 1938.-Martians in Buffalo?:...
, WKBWWKBWWKBW is a set of call sign which has been used on two broadcast stations in Buffalo, New York:*WKBW-TV, Channel 7*WKBW Radio AM 1520, Now WWKB...
radio adaptation - 1988: The War of the Worlds (radio 1988), an NPR 50th Anniversary radio adaptation
Musical
- 1978: Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the WorldsJeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the WorldsJeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds is a 1978 concept album by Jeff Wayne, retelling the story of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Its format is progressive rock and string orchestra, using narration and leitmotifs to carry the story via rhyming melodic lyrics that express...
, by Jeff WayneJeff WayneJeffry "Jeff" Wayne, born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, is a musician best known for Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, his musical version of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds... - 2009: War Of The Worlds, by Marc BroudeMarc Broude-Biography:Marc started recording while living in a squatter artist collective in 2005 playing in various bands with genres like black metal, grindcore, punk, and noise. In 2006 he released the 7" single Psychological Warfare. That same year Marc, Danny Cortez and Chris Anderson formed Zog, a black...
Game
- 1979; 1982: The War of the Worlds (arcade game)The War of the Worlds (arcade game)The War of the Worlds is an arcade game based on the H. G. Wells novel The War of the Worlds. There were two versions of this game, identical in gameplay but differing in graphics. The first version was released by Cinematronics in 1979, and featured black and white vector graphics...
, an arcade game published by Cinematronics, and its re-released color version. - 1980: The War Of The Worlds, a war board game designed by Allen D. Eldridge and published by Task Force Games.
- 1984: The War of the Worlds (1984 computer game)The War of the Worlds (1984 computer game)The War of the Worlds, titled on screen as Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds and on the cover as Jeff Wayne's Video Game Version of The War of the Worlds is a ZX Spectrum video game developed and released by CRL Group in 1984. The game is based upon the 1978 concept album, itself based on H.G...
, a home computer game. - 1998: Jeff Wayne's The War of the WorldsJeff Wayne's The War of the WorldsJeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds is a title used for two 1998 video games published by GT Interactive. The first is a real-time strategy game developed by Rage Software Limited for the PC...
, computer game. - 2009: Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds Slots, online casino slots game.
- 2011: The War of the Worlds (2011 video game), console video game.
Comic books
- 1973–1976: Amazing AdventuresAmazing AdventuresAmazing Adventures is the name of several anthology comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics.The earliest Marvel series of that name introduced the company's first superhero of the late-1950s to early-1960s period fans and historians call the Silver Age of Comic Books...
#18–39 featured KillravenKillravenKillraven is a fictional freedom fighter in several post-apocalyptic alternate futures of the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Amazing Adventures #18 , created by co-plotters Roy Thomas and Neal Adams, scripter Gerry Conway, and penciller Adams...
, a 21st century freedom fighter against a second Martian invasion. - 1999: Superman: War of the WorldsSuperman: War of the WorldsSuperman: War of the Worlds is a DC Comics Elseworlds published in 1999. Written by Roy Thomas with Michael Lark as the artist, Willie Schubert as the letterer and Noelle Giddings as the colorist....
: events of the Wells book transferred to SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
's MetropolisMetropolisA metropolis is a very large city or urban area which is a significant economic, political and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections and communications...
and also involve Lois LaneLois LaneLois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
and Lex LuthorLex LuthorLex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
. - 2002–2003: Volume II of The League of Extraordinary GentlemenThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume IIThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II is a comic book limited series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, published under the America's Best Comics imprint of DC Comics...
, a limited series comic book written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill - 2006: H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (comic)H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (comic)H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds is a comic adaptation of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds by Ian Edginton and D'Israeli. The same team earlier created the comic Scarlet Traces, and several characters from it can be seen in this series, as well as this series reusing the designs of the Martians...
, graphic novel
Other
- 1994: War of the Worlds: Invasion from Mars, an Audio Theatre adaption by L.A. Theatre Works, casting Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
cast members like Leonard NimoyLeonard NimoyLeonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
, Gates McFaddenGates McFaddenCheryl Gates McFadden usually credited as Gates McFadden, is an American actress and choreographer. She is best known for portraying the character of Dr...
, Brent SpinerBrent SpinerBrent Jay Spiner is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and four subsequent films. His portrayal of Data in Star Trek: First Contact and of Dr...
and directed by John de LancieJohn de LancieJohn de Lancie is an American actor. He has been active in screen and television roles since 1977, though he is best known for his recurring role as Q on the various Star Trek series and as Frank Simmons in Stargate SG-1....
. - 2004–2005: H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, a site specific theatre adaptation by Canadian playwright Ian Case staged in and around Craigdarroch CastleCraigdarroch CastleCraigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia, is a historic, Victorian-era Scottish Baronial mansion. The mansion was designated a National Historic Site of Canada due to its landmark status in Victoria.-Description:...
in Victoria, British Columbia. - 2005: The Art of H. G. Wells by Ricardo GarijoRicardo GarijoRicardo Garijo is an award winning author and artist from Argentina, best known for his long career in comics.-Biography:Garijo became known outside his homeland in the early 1980s through his work at D. C...
, the third in the series of trading cardTrading cardA trading card is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing and a short description of the picture, along with other text...
s, released - 2008: Solar Pons's War of the Worlds, an online web serial set in the world of Solar PonsSolar PonsSolar Pons is a fictional detective created by August Derleth as a pastiche of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.-Approach:On hearing that he had no plans to write more Holmes stories, the young Derleth wrote to Conan Doyle, asking permission to take over the job...
, combining elements of the original novel, the 1938 radio adaptation, and the Wells short-story The Crystal EggThe Crystal Egg"The Crystal Egg" is a science fiction short story written by H. G. Wells in 1897.The story tells of a shop owner, named Mr. Cave, who finds a strange crystal egg that serves as a window into the planet Mars....
.
1938 radio adaption by Orson Welles
The 1938 radio broadcastThe War of the Worlds (radio)
The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938, and aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by actor and future filmmaker...
caused public outcry against the episode, as many listeners believed that an actual Martian invasion was in progress, a notable example of mass hysteria.
Wells later met Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
while driving through San Antonio, Texas, after stopping to ask directions and by coincidence happening upon the actor. They spent the day together, and later discussed the famous broadcast in a radio interview at Radio KTSA.
The radio drama itself has spun off a number of productions based upon the events surrounding the broadcast, including Doctor Who: Invaders from Mars, an audio drama released in 2002 based upon the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
television series that depicts Welles' broadcast as taking place during an actual attempted alien invasion.
Unreleased adaptations
After World War II, Ray HarryhausenRay Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen is an American film producer and special effects creator...
shot a scene of a dying alien falling out of a Martian war machine, test footage for an abandoned project to adapt the story using Wells' original "octopus" concept for the Martians. A video of the footage can be found here.
Here Harryhausen talks about his proposed adaptation:
- "Yes, originally, after Mighty Joe [Young] I made a lot of sketches for War of the Worlds. I wanted to keep it in the period that H.G. Wells wrote it, of the Victorian period, and I made eight big drawings, some of which are published – in the book and it would have been an interesting picture, if it was made years ago. But since then so many pictures of that nature have been made that it wouldn't be quite unique as it would have been."
Sequels by other authors
- Within six weeks of the novel's original 1897 magazine serialisation, The Boston Post began running a sequel, Edison's Conquest of MarsEdison's Conquest of MarsEdison's Conquest of Mars, by Garrett P. Serviss, is one of the many science fiction novels published in the 19th century. Although science fiction was not at the time thought of as a distinct literary genre, it was a very popular literary form, with almost every fiction magazine regularly...
by Garrett P. ServissGarrett P. ServissGarrett Putnam Serviss was an astronomer, popularizer of astronomy, and early science fiction writer. Serviss was born in upstate New York, and majored in science at Cornell. He took a law degree at Columbia, but never worked as an attorney...
, about an Earth counter-attack against the Martians, led by Thomas EdisonThomas EdisonThomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
. Though this is actually a sequel to 'Fighters from Mars', a revised and un-authorised re-print, they both were first printed in the Boston Post in 1898.
- In 1962, Soviet author Lazar LaginLazar LaginLazar Yosifovych Lagin was the pen name of Lazar Ginzburg , a Soviet satirist and children's writer....
published a political pamphlet named "Major Well Andyou" ("Майор Велл Эндъю"), a pun on "Well, and you?", which relates the story of a major in the British Army who collaborates with the Martian invaders. A condemnation of imperialismImperialismImperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
and capitalism, the story was dominated by Soviet analysis of political issues contemporary to the 1950s and 1960s.
- The Second War of the Worlds, by George H. SmithGeorge H. SmithGeorge Hamilton Smith is an American author, editor, educator and speaker.-Biography:Smith grew up mostly in Tucson, Arizona, and attended the University of Arizona for several years before leaving without a degree; he relocated to Los Angeles during 1971. With the help of libertarian editor Roy A...
concerned the Martians trying to invade an alternate, less-technologically advanced Earth. Helping these people are an unnamed English detective, and his companion, a doctor, from 'our' world. (It is quite obvious from clues in the story that these are actually Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
and Dr. John Watson.)
- In the 1970s, Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
had a character named KillravenKillravenKillraven is a fictional freedom fighter in several post-apocalyptic alternate futures of the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Amazing Adventures #18 , created by co-plotters Roy Thomas and Neal Adams, scripter Gerry Conway, and penciller Adams...
Warrior of the Worlds who (in an alternative timeline) fought H. G. Wells' Martians after their second invasion of Earth in 2001. He first appeared in Amazing AdventuresAmazing AdventuresAmazing Adventures is the name of several anthology comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics.The earliest Marvel series of that name introduced the company's first superhero of the late-1950s to early-1960s period fans and historians call the Silver Age of Comic Books...
volume 2 #18.
- Manly and Wade Wellman wrote Sherlock Holmes' War of the WorldsSherlock Holmes' War of the WorldsSherlock Holmes's War of the Worlds is a sequel to H. G. Wells' science fiction novel The War of the Worlds, written by Manly Wade Wellman and his son Wade Wellman, and published in 1975...
(1975) which describes Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
's adventures during the Martian occupation of London. This version uses Wells' short story "The Crystal EggThe Crystal Egg"The Crystal Egg" is a science fiction short story written by H. G. Wells in 1897.The story tells of a shop owner, named Mr. Cave, who finds a strange crystal egg that serves as a window into the planet Mars....
" as a prequel (with Holmes being the man who bought the egg at the end) and includes a crossover with Arthur Conan DoyleArthur Conan DoyleSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's Professor ChallengerProfessor ChallengerGeorge Edward Challenger, better known as Professor Challenger, is a fictional character in a series of science fiction stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...
stories. Among many changes the Martians are changed into simple vampires, who suck and ingest human blood.
- In The Space MachineThe Space MachineThe Space Machine, subtitled A Scientific Romance, is a science fiction novel written by English writer Christopher Priest.First published in 1976, it follows the travels of protagonists Edward Turnbull and Amelia Fitzgibbon...
Christopher Priest presents both a sequel and prequel to The War of the Worlds (due to time travel elements), which also integrates the events of The Time MachineThe Time MachineThe Time Machine is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895 for the first time and later adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It indirectly inspired many more works of fiction...
.
- In the novel W. G. Grace's Last Case (1984) by Willie RushtonWillie RushtonWilliam George Rushton, commonly known as Willie Rushton was an English cartoonist, satirist, comedian, actor and performer who co-founded the Private Eye satirical magazine.- School and army :William George Rushton was born 18 August 1937 in the family home at Scarsdale Villas,...
, W. G. GraceW. G. GraceWilliam Gilbert Grace, MRCS, LRCP was an English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having a special significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport...
and Doctor Watson avert a second Martian invasion by attacking the Martian fleet on the far side of the moon with "bombs" containing influenzaInfluenzaInfluenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
germs.
- The comic book Scarlet TracesScarlet TracesScarlet Traces is a comic story of the Steampunk genre, written by Ian Edginton and illustrated by D'Israeli. It was original published online before being serialised in 2002. A sequel, Scarlet Traces: The Great Game, followed in 2006....
(2002) begins a decade later with Great Britain utilising the Martians' technology, and ironic to the allegory of Wells' novel, have become more powerful because of it. Eventually, this leads up to a counter-invasion aimed for Mars in its own sequel, Scarlet Traces: The Great Game (2006).
- Science fiction author Eric Brown wrote a short story, "Ulla, Ulla" (2002) about an expedition to Mars, finding the truth behind H.G. Wells' novel.
- A number of people have written contemporaneously set stories that describe the same invasion from the perspectives of locations other than Britain. Notable stories of this type are:
- "Night of the Cooters" by Howard WaldropHoward WaldropHoward Waldrop is a science fiction author who works primarily in short fiction.Waldrop's stories combine elements such as alternate history, American popular culture, the American South, old movies , classical mythology, and rock 'n' roll music. His style is sometimes obscure or elliptical...
, in which a Martian war machine lands in Texas. - "Foreign Devils" by Walter Jon WilliamsWalter Jon WilliamsWalter Jon Williams is an American writer, primarily of science fiction.Several of Williams' novels have a distinct cyberpunk feel to them, notably Hardwired , Voice of the Whirlwind and Angel Stationn...
, set in China. - War of the Worlds: Global DispatchesWar of the Worlds: Global DispatchesWar of the Worlds: Global Dispatches is a 1996 Bantam Spectra science fiction anthology, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. It is a tribute to H. G...
, edited by Kevin J. AndersonKevin J. AndersonKevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...
, an anthology of such stories (ISBN 0-553-10353-9). - "War of the Worlds : New Millennium" (2005) by Douglas NilesDouglas NilesDouglas Niles is a fantasy author and game designer. Niles was one of the creators of the Dragonlance world and the author of the first three Forgotten Realms novels, and the Top Secret S/I espionage role-playing game.-Early life:Niles was born in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee, and...
in which the invasion is set in 2005 and focuses mainly on the American fightback. (ISBN 0-765-35000-9) Tor Books
- "Night of the Cooters" by Howard Waldrop
- In the short story Mastery of Vesania, Hayden Lee uses his appropriation to present the invasion from the perspective of the Martian invaders, also providing the link between the different nature of the two invasions presented in the book and the 2005 film (arriving from space and rising from the ground).