The War of the Worlds, H G Wells
The War of the Worlds, H G Wells
List: $5.63 | Sale: $3.95
Club: $2.81

The War of the Worlds
BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Author: H G Wells

Narrator: Full Cast, Blake Ritson, Samuel James

Unabridged: 1 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/04/2017

Categories: Fiction, Science Fiction


Synopsis

A brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of HG Wells’s famous story of the brutal Martian invasion of Earth.

When strange explosions are observed on the surface of Mars, excitement spreads among the scientific community. Surrey astronomer Ogilvy invites his friend Robert to the observatory to witness the turbulence on the red planet.

Ten days later, Ogilvy discovers a strange projectile on Horsell Common – with something inside. Robert rushes to view the craft, and is present when Martians emerge and turn their heat rays on the locals, who are waving white flags. It is the beginning of a merciless invasion…

As Robert flees in search of safety, accompanied by a young curate, young soldier Billy experiences the chaos happening in London. As the Martians take control, transforming the landscape and decimating the population, is this the end for the human race? Wells’s terrifying science fiction tale, first published in 1898, is both a reflection of Victorian fears of a coming apocalypse and a critique of British imperialism. This enthralling dramatisation asks how humankind would fare if colonised by a vastly superior technological invader.

It stars Blake Ritson as Robert, with Samuel James as Billy and Carl Prekopp as the Curate.

Duration: 2 hours approx.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Xavier on November 16, 2021

The voice acting is very good. The beginning really does feel like a live radio broadcast. It's perfect for a Halloween scare story. I'm sure the urban legends about hysteria and suicide following the broadcast are greatly exaggerated.......more

Goodreads review by Danica on November 28, 2021

Some good characters, A quick condensed version of the story, Good sound effects and performances. Unfortunately the main character is very unlikeable which did put me off a little. But not a bad version.......more

Goodreads review by LesleyjR on April 10, 2024

Quite enjoyed this audio adaptation of War of the Worlds. Good voice actors. Will have to read the book at some point, as this I believe, missed quite a bit of detail......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on November 24, 2022

This was everything I imagined from the stories my mom told me. Can imagine how this scared the crap out of people when they heard it on the radio. Would like to hear more of the story and less on the effects next time. Great thing is there is actually the full story.......more

Goodreads review by A.M. on December 18, 2018

A Radio 4 production. Blake Ritson plays the unnamed narrator from the book, here given the name of Robert, and the occupation of writer. But in this incantation of the story he’s remarkable ineffectual. He lies about rescuing ladies, and sneaks about protecting his own skin. By the time he lies abou......more