My review ... "Outpost" by Mike Lees

The story revolves around Gar - an alien on a distant planet, who gets branded as a terrorist, tricked into the web of a perverted system of injustice. His autocratic superiors prevailed and banished him to a God-forsaken Outpost with the task of monitoring the Earth, humans and their culture. Whatever it is, the government has long arms! However, Gar desperately wants to retaliate. The story actually begins at a crucial moment when the space shuttle from Earth on a scientific mission lands near Gar’s Outpost; with a strange combination of astronauts with unique individualities. His chance opens up. But then..?

 

 

 

Mike with his effective writing style and sense of humour has added unusual situations. His characters with conflicts ... Mathilda, Stone, Perez, Hadley… are credible, to stimulate our interests.

Gar's characterisation as a brave and patronising guy, yet coolly causing fear in the minds of the astronauts - as cool as a cucumber - has come out nicely

 …”Hard to say mate, they (aliens) could invite you for a meal and a chat or blast you with ray guns! No idea.”

 Gar stood in front of them like a teacher telling children off in a classroom, “Well fantastic, smart, you supposed to be crack commandos and Earth’s finest and you run like kittens.”

Some actions by the space shuttle crew on the Alien’s planet, as Mike has portrayed scenically, are nice to imagine. The astronauts could not get on the same page, as everyone had a different book, and Mike has described this aspect well.

Mike has described the space-time shifts on an alien planet wonderfully:

 “Stone, how long have we been travelling from your point of view?”

My point of view? Thought Stone. “Eh, four and half minutes. And you?”

 “Two and half hours.  Are you sure we are going in the right direction?”

“Well, it seems something is playing with space time here. The nearer we get, the further is it away."

 Mike has made some good typical descriptions ... “In fact, many departments of Government were corrupt and took bribes, allowing the gangs to freewheel. A few brave journalists tried to bring the corruption to light, but were often accused of hyped up charges that would either get them killed or put in prison for many years. The entire system was working for itself, leaving the population to suffer and lose hope."

 

 Negatives

 

v  Unprofessional editing.

v  Unclear sequencing and colloquial jargon obstruct the flow.

 

 Positives

 

v  Exciting fun-filled witty prequel to a Sci-fi story, providing good entertainment value.

v  Some nice chapters, descriptions and good momentum

v  Interesting dialogues between Gar and the crew

 

 I liked:

v  Mike’s theme of the storyline with originality in character building.

v  The subtle humour with refreshing comic bits, running undercurrent, with dread factor throughout …

o    "..the Forbidden Planet, … For some it could be mild, for others, pure hell. Phobias you have; heights, spiders, sharks, tax bills etc and also any imaginative creatures like ghosts, demons, the mother-in-law or the like will become real and personified by those statues….a never-ending abyss which could engulf them into eternity."

o   "At home, I’m considered a … A mix between your Stalin and Hitler."

The book is enjoyable. How Mike plans to develop the created tempo, with a clear emphasis on the core theme compellingly, perhaps would make this Sci-fi series extraordinary.

My review for the book: "Counting Up To Infinity” by Dr Allen Fleishman

My rating: 4/5

Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21702784-counting-up-to-infinity

Dr Allen Fleishman, like a specialist artist, has sculpted “Counting Up To Infinity” choosing three main elements: introducing a new concept of ‘Panacea’; 'Cheeouri'; and the technology of ‘InLife’ computer implantation inside the human body.

Allen chisels myriads of outstanding imagination to intertwine interesting sub-elements of futuristic technologies, towards giving us a fulfilling treat: for example, downloading the human brain into a stable medium. To create excitement, he artistically adds textures like decrypting the code hidden in the human genome making 'Panacea'.

Allen has set the platform liberally with such sparkling concepts. ‘AI-Cyborg’ David and his family adopt Joshua - a computer-enhanced ultra-genius child. Joshua ingeniously invents ‘Panacea’ thus opening Pandora’s box! 

Team David realises its side effects - "This could be the biggest breakthrough in human history if it works. If it fails, it could exterminate humanity and perhaps all life just as easily.'’

David gets a sibling – Dee - an astonishing premature baby born with super strength. Team David eventually gets introduced to ‘Cheeouri’. They face numerous challenges when they try propagating the benefits of 'Panacea' for society. Afterwards…?

David, Joshua, Dee, Malcolm and Cheeouri shoulder an action-packed storyline with an aura of their characters. Several other characters strengthen the storyline and aid the plot to move forward.

Allen has skilfully portrayed many situations through his style of narration: "Besides a pathetically glacial heart rate, limpid oyster-like blood pressure and blood which thinks its ketchup”; Malcolm’s deathly disease; Joshua’s firm belief about his invention 'Panacea' against all doubts; philanthropic David taking huge responsibilities to help people; and David’s crazy state-of-the-art AI-driven office. 

One of my favourite lines: “Dad, I want to do this... I’ve never done anything useful in my entire life. Let my death give me meaning. Please, let me do this.”

To achieve greater winnability Allen could have: made deeper plot twists on 'Cheeouri’s abilities, instead of the tip of the iceberg portrayal; cut down implausible aspects in the storyline; trimmed the scattered aim; modified the sequencing, and kept simplicity in storytelling. Allen as a sculptor of this book appeared to me possessing shades of Michelangelo in some chapters and Louise Bourgeois elsewhere.

Allen's book with stimulating concepts kindled my enthusiasm. He has both the intentions -to entertain and educate as well. He has given his best to convincingly describe the undertaken concepts. He does deliver moments of brilliance for our brain to marvel at! So, I consider this book as one of the good Sci-fi books I have read so far, in certain facets.

What if 'Panacea' becomes a reality? Allen’s definition of 'Panacea' hopefully captures the imagination of some inventors searching for an elixir for humanity. 

The book will satisfy the thirst of the readers to explore the various intellectual nuances. It could lead to the resurgence of humanity, united as one world with freedom and fair justice to all! The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Perhaps, a movie on this book could be thrilling.

My review for the book: "SkyView: Lord of the Wills" by M Sheehan

 

Language	English
Link	https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55374347-skyview
Rating (stars)	4 / 5

Sheehan stands out as a creative author who can kindle our enthusiasm, as he weaves a brilliant tale in "SkyView: Lord of the Wills". The fresh and intriguing plot has beautifully blended features: A theme centred around the protagonists chasing a huge wealth; a medieval historical puzzle intertwining modern-day feud among the family heirs over 700 years; the history that comes alive through SkyView - a supersonic jet with AR, to digitally reconstruct the events of the past; sophisticated AI ship and magical HoloTable. 

The book explores history from a different perspective. Sheehan establishes the amazing reality that some powerful people behind, have twisted it deliberately. Besides, the adventure, action, fantasy, suspense, mystery and drama elements built into the story, aroused a non-stop curiosity in me. 

The story revolves around the 'Wills' left behind by eight wealthy promoters of a group company who founded it in 1318. The founders are from eight different countries - The UK, The Netherlands, Ireland, France, Bohemia, Greece, Germany and Spain, united in Switzerland for business objectives.

Owing to differences of opinions on operational matters they part ways thus leading to factions of good and evil forces -'Pillars'. An ill-conceived succession plan in the 'Wills' triggers cruel conflicts between the rival 'Pillars', who are fighting even in the 21st century, to establish the legitimate 'Lord' for the massive wealth.

Sheehan has dexterously chosen the hero's name as "Will-I-Am' -- William -- a British -- who discovers that the company he has been working for, was originally promoted by his great-grandfather -- one of the architects of the 'Wills'! He is startled to know that he can inherit a huge fortune as a legal heir. 

William learns that his grandfather died mysteriously. The cryptic will tempts him to unravel the mystery and go all out for the hidden fortune. The thought that every man is the architect of his destiny forces him to undertake a challenging quest. He digs into a murky past. He doesn't know that he has to face many impediments, betrayals, seclusion and astonishing realities. The story gets interesting when his mission is facilitated by six more legitimate heirs of the founders. They are challenged by the antagonists - 'disinherited' heirs from the rival factions of the splinter group!

The protagonists make bold attempts to corroborate their legitimacy for the ancestral properties, through the 'Wills'. The 'Wills' cryptically link events through the history, which they need to decipher, only via the SkyView. They need to untie the knots of schemed conspiracies that happened in the 13th century. Puzzling dirty politics, shadowy past and mysterious connections emerge.

The heroes realize that they have to always put their best foot forward. They know no gain without pain. The unsuspecting heroes do wrong speculations and suffer mental drains, due to the misleading acts of deceptive enemies. Their cohesion gets challenged by the clever enemies who try to manipulate the SkyView, thereby the contents in the wills, to their favour.

The story spirals into intriguing twists with an unguessable end. How the mysterious dots in the wills are going to be connected to evolve the big picture? That indeed galvanized my interests throughout!

Sheehan perfectly portrays William by depicting his multifarious abilities. He has handled the other character developments distinctively. A reader can see a piece of himself within the characters. 

To invigorate the intelligent storyline, Sheehan with his wisdom and imagination cohesively handles some extraordinary features: Eidetic memory; cypher codings; invisibility shields; cradle - a parallel world operation by faking one's death! He describes through vivid scenes: Drive-in volcano; graphene embedded forearms for defence, mind-link communication, unlocking secrets through trace DNA; and fake arrests. Indeed, I felt like travelling in William's ship and the SkyView!

Sheehan engages the reader by carefully structuring the storyline with authenticity. He has beautifully brought out the conflict between the good and evil 'Pillars'. He maintains a good tempo, stays focussed on his aim and with balanced narratives and dialogues, he delivers satisfaction.

However the brakes in between: innumerable characters; unresolved suspense; repetitions; some incomprehensible descriptions. 

Sheehan doesn't sound like a neo-author. The plot is well-researched with deep-rooted history interleaves, which sometimes make you wonder whether it's fiction or real! 

My favourite lines: “To reach the heights of heaven you must also reach the depths of hell"; "Success is when opportunity meets preparation." The book with such numerous appreciable lines (I enjoyed ~ 50 lines), ticks the right chords. 

I plan to read the sequel to understand how the remaining knots will be untied.

In essence: Efficacious plot with a very good entertainment quotient. A reader will certainly enjoy wonderful moments with the uniqueness and conceptual intensity in the storyline. You too can delight in a panoramic virtual tour across Europe and Africa as the story draws you in! Bonus - Amazing facts!!

My review for the book - "The First AI Cyborg" by Dr Allen Fleishman

 

Language	English
Link	https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48505225-the-first-ai-cyborg
Rating (stars)	4.55 / 5

As per my scoring system, the book is in the  "Excellent" category, meaning I thoroughly enjoyed and am moved beyond words.  

****

This interestingly titled Sci-fi book by Dr Allen Fleishman could throw some futuristic insights for the scientists. Perhaps like HG Wells did for robots and lasers through his 'The War Of The World's"? I don't know. The book aroused my curiosity when the author offered it for my review, based on my general invitation to all the authors of Fantasy/Sci-fi genres on the Goodreads platform. The fantastic storyline with good attention to details revolves around David "linked since birth to a computer." An enhanced AI Cyborg lad, with unconventional energy, is mentored by his father Martin. David is homeschooled till his age of 13. The author portrays a good father-son relationship and vividly narrates David's accomplishments as a genius and ends it with a brief chapter at his age of 62. 

The story unfolds characterizing David as hyperactive and creative, who knows almost everything in the world. His father desires to make him worldly-wise. He decides to expose him to college life. The twists in David's life begin when he tries to mingle in society. He shows his abilities in mysterious new ways of thinking. In that process, we readers can learn about interesting concepts embedded with profound knowledge. David achieves the status of "Overlord of Earth" through his various amazing inventions …"the first gravity reflector generators",  "floating cars",  "floating city of Olympus", "economically growing diamonds". Fleishman boldly describes David's intriguing journey in his life, his mixed feelings as a Cyborg with humane sentiments to save a child from a coma and his quest to shape a better World...  "I have 217 Billion US dollars I’d like to spend to help humanity; already donated 6 billion dollars to the UN, earmarked solely for creating the infrastructure of intra-solar system colonization".

 

The author has painted an amazing portrait of certain memorable characters with convincing individualistic traits ... Philly as his romantic girlfriend-turned-wife.."I stored into the diamond, in every language ever written by man -‘I love you, Phyllis’ about 50,000,000,000,000 times."; Charlie as David's roommate, Windseig as David's college president, Janet & Sidney Ryan as senior scientists, Corey as their veterinarian friend, besides some characters who created obstacles in David's life. He has colourfully described some places...the way David enters his University with his 'enhanced dog'. David exhibits his wisdom which surprises all his professors. Such scenes depicted in abundance should be read to be enjoyed. A clever portrayal of 'the enhanced menagerie' in David's home depicting his peculiar lifestyle, YA focus, subtle friendships, and action-packed scenes add liveliness to the story. I could easily imagine David's Birkhead college campus and his extraordinary home.

How does David transform himself and thereby change the world? It's not fair on my part to reveal more than the above, as the readers themselves have to appreciate the entertainment value provided in the book. 

The author's well-researched painstaking efforts with years of planning is quite visible. A gripping story flow, despite minor shortcomings in editing, ambiguities in a few places, and non-sequenced descriptions, gave me a unique reading experience worth my time. Certain terminologies bogged me down in some places and I had to give a great deal of attention. However, I could learn abundantly. Hence, it didn't reduce my enthusiasm as the author didn't disappoint me. Rather he overwhelmed me with a visionary storyline, constantly keeping me inside the story!

This book is refreshingly different, with Dr Fleishman's unique style of dialogues. It stands out as the ingenious storyteller, in his audacious style, leads us remarkably. The book is captivating and groundbreaking and gives an amazing experience. Its effective flavour would appeal to all ages. 

The author's description of David's wedding party attended by Bill Clinton inside a floating hemisphere  - his creation - is fascinating! I did escape from reality very often, as the book completely blew my mind and surpassed my initial expectations I had when I read the blurb. I feel the admirable story has a lot of ingredients for a Sci-fi movie. For intellectually poised readers it's a grand treat!

Dr Fleishman has successfully delivered some special aspects: 1) From the enchanting storyline, conceptualized through his vision, SF fans can expect to grasp the amazing possibilities of disruptive changes that could occur in the aspects of Power generation, Cyborgs, Computers, the way we could live, travel ... "A subsidiary (David's)... was already making vehicles for interplanetary travel and farming of the asteroid belt."  2) This book will surely kindle the readers' imagination and fascination 3) Of course, there are lots of things to reflect!

What else fulfilling features does one need in a book? 

It is my habit to look for the deeper hidden meanings in a book. This book with genuine portrayals filled my appetite. As a fellow author, I am satisfied as the book gives pleasant moments. The book is a great read to those who love unique Sci-fi - don’t miss it to extract more knowledge out of it and sure, it will stay with you! I have given a 5-star rating unhesitatingly because the book deserves it. I will keep the novel as a favourite in my library forever. I plan to read this series.

David - the AI Cyborg is just adorable. I would love to have such a Cyborg in my home along with the diamond computer drive and the 'enhanced smart dog'! Really!! Who wouldn't love?

My review for the book … "As Time Narrows" by Tony Brunal

 

Language	English
Link	https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54342953-as-time-narrows
Rating (stars)	3.5 / 5

As per my scoring system, the book falls in the  "Very good" category, meaning the author can achieve excellence with his potential. 

The author Tony Brunal treats us to a good world of sci-fi and adventure, in this book "As Time Narrows". It's a period after 2075... after 'years of war, famine, and pestilence', thereby the world is reduced to a mere population of just 200,000. 

The story written in the third person, in the present tense, revolves around a group of scientists, from various countries of the devastated world. There is a subtle sub-tale of friendship, love and a battle.

Suddenly, the scientists discover a thrilling signal of hope from 'trillions of miles' away. It is from a sleek spaceship, from an alien planet, which they think can help the dwindling humanity. They estimate that it would land on Earth on frozen land. The experts decide to assemble there in order to capitalize on the new discovery. Thereon, the author authentically leads us on a journey as if we travel with the groups of scientists from various countries. Once the spaceship lands on Earth the scientists are in for a great surprise. What challenges do the groups of scientists face in between? How do they overcome and help humanity? Please read the book to find it out for yourself! 

I found the plot has good entertainment value. Some interesting parts of the whole story are in the aspects of the Aliens, Wormhole, and Space travel undertaken by humans, with the thrills associated with it!

I found the writing, substantially, very interesting, articulate and brilliant. The attention to the details is commendable. The author has complete control of his style, in narrating the happenings by painting vivid pictures. I felt happy while reading some lines ……'They evacuated the remaining humans and welcomed them into their society. There would be a period of adjustment for the new arrivals, but soon prosperity flourished, and the two groups formed close friendships and even inter-being families.' … 'Mikael lays his body and says prayer to a man he never met.'

The story has creative depictions, good portrayal of emotions, and characterization of Mary, Eason, Tim, Mikael, Walt, Meri especially. A lively visual treat of portrayal as if they exist in front of you would help readers to construct the story in their mind quite easily! There are good realistic descriptions of the events, especially the main characters' arduous journey towards the spaceship's landing spot. The author has demonstrated his potential in describing the things as they are! So, it sustained my interest to continue reading, despite some shortcomings like drags in some chapters. 

Well, there are definitely certain things that may not enthuse the readers. I felt some more care could have been taken for professional editing, for the book to achieve its meritorious place. If some important aspects of the main storyline had been elaborated in detail, it would have made a very impactful story. The biggest stumbling block I felt was in the mixture of different languages in the conversations. Though absolutely realistic, still it's my opinion, it impedes the story flow. Also, the story was not self-explanatory and emphatic in some places, demanding better clarity to understand the flow due to liberal usage of acronyms. A glossary at the beginning itself would have helped.

 

If the storyline had some twists, and a faster tempo it would have made the reading more interesting!

Why do I recommend this as a good book despite its shortcomings? I liked this book because: 1) I had some really beautiful moments. 2) of the honest efforts by the scientists across the world, coming together, to find a solution for the dwindling humanity (though could have been articulated in-depth); 3) vivid descriptions of a humane approach to saving a life while undertaking an arduous journey, when the crew members made a great struggle, facing a challenging crisis. 

My rating is based on my ability to appreciate the scientific temper of the author, and the utmost care taken by the author to elucidate the things as they are; also based on the true joy I derived when I read the book leaving aside the flaws. If you’re looking for a delightful adventurous experience, and if you like SciFi genre, my recommendation is ….please read this book!

Book review - "Entanglement" by Alina Leonova

Language	English
Link	https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55804884-entanglement
Rating	3.75 / 5

Alina Leonova in her cyberpunk story -  'Entanglement' - takes us to an altogether different world through an enjoyable storyline by infusing fascinating imaginations:- A person getting the exact copy of the brain with feelings and memories of the other person; editable DNA to keep the body immortally healthy via most modern brain implants that replicate themselves; suits of the person due to which a camera sees him as an inanimate object; an unimaginably powerful, yet extremely compact power source. 

Alina has set a fantastic tone which delves into the aspects of nature beginning to overrule the humans. Living virtually via almost realistic simulation is a widespread phenomenon in the era of this story. She has crafted some good characters with interesting situations. A strange plague caused by non-destroyable plants forces people to live only on the upper floors of high-rise buildings, to escape from its devastating effects. Cay, affected by peculiar feelings, begins to doubt his reality. He cuts his palm implant and undertakes a quest to fulfil his innate desire of finding a truth concerning his wife Limea - "I am no one. I am a work in progress.” Inexplicably, I remembered a line from 'Cyberpunk' by Victoria Blake - “Every separate human life is a moment in the life of some great being which lives in us.”

An uncompassionate psychopath - the Master - has perfected cloning technology. He manipulates Vietra for his enigmatic mission. Vietra wants to escape even at the cost of her life, from the cruelty of the Master - better late than never. She knows how to deploy psychological tricks of deception. Vietra and Cay, hitherto total strangers, accidentally meet each other and surprisingly find an inexplicable bond between them. They decide to cross the stream where it's the shallowest. Vietra sees interesting paradigms about the universe in her final pursuit against the Master:- about those who pollute, destroy whole species of animals and plants not only on the Earth but also by colonizing other planets as well, through interstellar travel, even to a parallel universe; about people who ignore to live in the present as a united cosmic consciousness beyond boundaries. It's indeed an engaging read, due to the suspense built-up about the Master and his mission!

I had a true delight in some places. I liked Alina's portrayals of mistaken identity of true happiness and descriptions about those misleading humanity in a mirage-like 'glorious' civilization. One of my favourite lines is:- "They wanted a world where everyone could have access to resources, education, medicine, power and technology, and they wanted this world to live in harmony with their planet and other beings. They were ready to rearrange their lives and give up their habits to achieve that."

There are adorable features:- Alina's matter-of-fact writing style and flow; vivid detailing of some smart scenes with a good dose of sentiments; the right mix of science and emotion for science fiction. They overshadow the book's moments of hesitation and flaws:- unbalanced narratives; slow pickup; drag; sequencing issues; indirectness; doubts while reading; wavering direction; and predictable climax. Alina has narrated the story in a way that anybody with a willingness to pay attention can follow it. The story may not be perfect but gives many wonderful moments to the readers. In effect, the small themes work cohesively, but the bigger theme lacks clarity.

I could infer Alina's passion to protect the environment from her writing. In Nature, the best things in life are free. Alina's narratives for preserving the nature and issues that arise due to advanced technologies are commendable - ''They kept changing the environment, bringing it closer to collapse each year, kept driving animals and plants extinct, kept committing atrocities in the name of greater good the understanding of which was constantly shifting.'' 

Alina has breathed through Vietra a blend of Utopia too - 'And those people looked so genuinely happy, so serene as if they rediscovered some deep truth that set them free. They didn’t see themselves as lords of nature but as an organic part of it, as nature itself. They saw clearly that their well-being depended on the well-being of the whole system and everyone in it."

'Entanglement' is captivating with intriguing concepts, good plot twists and unexpected events. It has beautiful psychological depictions of how advanced technologies, and its side effect of apathy towards the environment, can have adverse effects on humans.

I recommend it to all the lovers of cyberpunk stories.

My review of the book..."The War of the Worlds" by Wells

Category	Book / Movie / TV Show
Title	The War of the World's
Author / Director	H G Wells
Posted on medium	Goodreads
Rating	4.5/5
Lead Actors

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49786222-the-war-of-the-world-s

The War of the World's is a sci-fi novel, in which the Martians from Planet Mars, plan to cause total destruction to humanity, without any moral limitation:

Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish,  intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.

Martians far beyond in evolution compared to mankind, start their invasion plans near a Professor's home in Britain. Then they start expanding their territorial control. Whereas, the humans oblivious to the ensuing danger, carry on with their routines.

The story revolves principally around the professor (narrator), and his brother. The unnamed professor takes us on a journey, in a first-person narrative. He has also narrated his brother’s plight who is in London. He leads us, as he and his brother have seen the grandiose plans of the Martians. 

To enjoy the thrill, one should read the way the author has described the Martians as they landed on Surrey/Britain:

Giants in armour... Hundred feet high. Three legs and a body like ‘luminium, with a mighty great head in a hood… vast spider-like machines, capable of the speed of an express train, and able to shoot out a beam of intense heat.

Then they begin the onslaught …incineration of humans, alive, spreading panic! Peace negotiation tactics fail with the monsters. To suppress the mounting tension, the mighty British army struggles with ideas and plans. Initial success is short-lived as Martians strategize to resume the war aggressively. Martians' aim is to disintegrate vantage infrastructures, thereby erode into the will-power of humans, to take absolute control. Slowly the army realizes that they are nothing in front of the aliens who hit their targets at lightning speed. Millions of people could not face a few but powerful Martians! 

Martians deploy mighty weapons …’tripods’, ‘heat-ray’ and ‘poisonous smoke'. They begin to wipe out humans. The narrator gets estranged from his wife. 

An exodus of the population begins, with an abhorrent dominating attitude, in order to survive. The situation becomes chaotic in a matter of days. The civilization, culture, manners etc., deteriorate as the cities start crumbling! Driven by hunger, people ransack houses. Food is scarcely available but at exorbitant prices. People forget their concern for others. They become extremely selfish and try to flee through every possible mode, including the boats, eventually clogging the roads. The police themselves start killing the pathetic people, instead of protecting them.

The narrator gets trapped, faces agonizing ordeals, feels insecure but gets a friend as a solace. Seeing the way a Martian kills people, he realizes that the aliens have come with a different plan other than causing destruction. Eventually, for his own survival, the narrator ruthlessly silences his talkative friend by knocking him unconscious, but the friend gets killed by the Martian. When he emerges from the cellar, driven by starvation, he even eats immature potatoes, rat-gnawed crust, scattered bones of dead cats and rabbits. He thinks of eating, even a barking dog, to escape the attention of Martians. He analyses the meaningless life he had been living! He fervently starts praying to God, fearing Martians are still hunting him. 

Finally, how were the Martians vanquished? What happened to the narrator's wife? The curious readers can find the answers in the book!

Wells has beautifully brought out the conflict between mankind and Martians. He has fortified a loosely held science fiction of his predecessors laying a firm foundation for a brilliant genre altogether! He takes us through a picturesque description about the imaginary Martians and makes us believe as if they are real! The story is so deep-rooted, that we begin to believe that Martians came with invasion plans! I get wonderstruck whether the narrator had encountered the Martians really, escaped from them and thereafter recounted the events! He takes us for pleasure trips, alongside his emotional and physical journey. He has fantastically constructed a wrecked Britain setting, devastated by Martians within a couple of weeks. He has vividly portrayed the change in human psychology under calamity and consequent collapse of human beliefs. The description of how people react to such an extraordinary situation, with their own behavioural preconceived notions, anxieties, and hatred is splendid!

Wells, regarded as the father of Science-Fiction, has ushered a concept, which has changed the thinking of mankind. What a creative imagination by him in 1898 itself, forecasting some future events and innovations ... like lasers (Heat Ray) and robots (movement of Martians without wheels)!

The story will continue to invigorate us even for centuries ahead! The freshness, conceptual depth and power in the storyline can be felt, when we see how it has influenced many authors to base their stories on the aliens. It has also impacted some scientists, and even the directors… for example Steven Spielberg (2005 film). The success of the story lies in its original concept about an alien invasion, which is still a popular theme! It indeed makes this book stand out amidst the crowd.

The uniqueness is that there are no names for the character throughout the story, as if they are unimportant! There is no concept of a protagonist!!

As I kept reading, I found the storyline aroused a non-stop curiosity to finish it at the earliest. The style and imaginative narration of Wells kept me hooked. 

On the negative side, I was disappointed because the climax is not clearly narrated. Another disappointment was too much prose, compared to the modern-day practice of balanced narratives and dialogues. Still, I have given the book 5 stars, simply because the pioneering story was written in 1898!

To make this review, I read it again and tried to live inside Wells' mind. I got different perspectives.

This book is one of my best reads so far. It's definitely going to be in my personal library forever.

I recommend reading it, at least once in your lifetime if you are fond of fiction! Wells was indeed a great thinker ahead of his time. He will continue to inspire us as a visionary storyteller.

YouTube clip about my book... For all ages, wonderful getaway to spend your leisure time in a stress-free and memorable manner.

You are welcome to watch this YouTube clip about my book. I hope you will enjoy this as well as the book. 

Book - Authored by me

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https://youtu.be/-16ikXftzIw

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