H G Wells War of the Worlds- an adaptation

Well its not a very long book so I expect to see you back here soon!
(And it will be very intresting to see what you make of the changes I have made- there are quite a few and some are contentious-although I hope nothing like in the PJ realm of contentious).

So you made 'changes' did you? Mr Purist! We'll see.... we'll see!

Bought the book, Petty! Bought the book! I hope you're confident in your Purism... or.... mwa ha ha ha

Confident in my changes you mean?

Yes.... mwa ha ha ha ha ha!

Already read preface, and intro by Brian Aldiss --- now for the meat... mwa ha ha ha ha ha!

{{{Err.... Petty, every time I look at my avatar, I become sexually attracted to myself all over again! Is there something un-usual about me? }}}

{{{{Orwell having, purely for the sake of being helpful, studied your avatar in detail and under magnification for some considerable period of time I can assuredly say, without hesitation, there is nothing unusual about you at all. }}}}

Oh that's a relief! I put this together to rtake my mind of myself --- now I've got time to consider myself again!

REMOVED VIDEO - PLAYING UP!!!

Bugger that was on my list of songs I wanted to do the vid for- Grandad's Violin is a personal favourite of mine (so much so I even forgive you for shamelessly self promoting it on a thread dedicated to me shamelessly self promting myself ). And worse I like the imagery you have used for it too! Dispicable!

What a whoopsie! I put it on the incorrect thread! How un-Forumshire like!

I think I will buy the book too, its years since I read it, and you have to be prepared, it could happen you know.

I prefer Food of the Gods - it's Wells at his most humorous.

Currently reading In the Days of the Comet-its an odd one. A Wells Utopia.

wow, never heard of it.

Its not so much a story as a series of rants against the system pretending to be a story.
Basically the world is horrible and ugly and mean then a passing comet changes everything and everyone. And thats kind of it as far as the main plot goes.

An entry on wiki says this about the dystopia/utopia presented in the book-

The pre-Change world is often described as dark, corrupt, spoiled, unjust, and ugly. Politicians do little for those living in squalid conditions. Book I, Chapter 3, Section 4 includes a diatribe against the institution of war, "certainly the most strikingly insane" of "all the monstrous irrational phenomena of the former time." All this is ended forever in three hours by the comet's green vapors, and all see themselves and the world differently.
Hate, distrust, and selfishness are eliminated after the Change, and individuals regard their previous existences with shameful incomprehension. Many things become useless or meaningless: ownership titles, political institutions, nations, many industries, armies, and many weapons. In Book III, Chapter 3, Wells presents an extensive satire of the British Cabinet. After the Change, larger buildings begin to be used as collective dining halls, and the mansions of the wealthy are converted to nursing homes. A makeshift engineer's school reeducates people, and there is extensive demolition and destruction of structures and objects from the past.
William Leadford argues for open marriage and polyamory, though he does not use those terms. But H.G. Wells distances himself from these highly controversial and, at the time, socially unacceptable notions by having another narrator, implicitly himself, half-censure them in the epilogue.


And what is it with Wells and green vapours?

s'probly mustard gas? no thats yellow? or he travelled into the future in the Time Machine and saw PJ doing the toilet cleaner in Minas Tirith.

I've read the first page and a half (excellent stuff - REALLY excellent!) but then my Missus wanted to tell me about her day of teaching... I sometimes think teachers might be much happier if they didn't have students to worry about. (Oh yes, and then there's parents.... and other teachers... )

Ah well fatal mistake there you were somewhere where she could find and talk to you whilst you were actually enjoying reading and wanted peace and quiet. Have you thought of investing in a shed?
Women respect a shed. There is is something primitive deep down that gets triggered in their brains when they know you are in the shed that says "Do not disturb. Man in cave".
My grandad Wiley Boab McTyrant could spend weeks in his shed 'pottering' and only had to deal with Granny Hackett when he needed her to bring fresh buckie supplies. He was dead two months in there before anyone noticed he was missing.

Pettytyrant101 wrote:Ah well fatal mistake there you were somewhere where she could find and talk to you whilst you were actually enjoying reading and wanted peace and quiet. Have you thought of investing in a shed?
Women respect a shed. There is is something primitive deep down that gets triggered in their brains when they know you are in the shed that says "Do not disturb. Man in cave".
My grandad Wiley Boab McTyrant could spend weeks in his shed 'pottering' and only had to deal with Granny Hackett when he needed her to bring fresh buckie supplies. He was dead two months in there before anyone noticed he was missing.

Winter in Ozhobbitstan is no time for sheds, Petty --- not when you're the delicate type, like I am.

Get a shed you wimp, put on a jumper (and buy a heater) and hurry up and read WoW in it in peace from the missus and her talking, then read my adaptation so you can take me to pieces over my changes and I can know where I stand. The waiting is killing me!

he needs a tree house. Build a flet, its common knowledge missis's dont like flets.

I have finished WotW, Petty.... and soon - when I have the energy - I shall cast my petulant, sharp, petty, uncharitable, but ultimately, fair-minded eye upon your adaptation! (Mwahahaaha! )

At this point, I would like to note that H.G Wells breaks rules! Fancy letting bacteria defeat the enemy? Where is the Triumph of Human Intelllect and Courage?!?! For all that, there is hope of Man winning in the end. They blew up one War Machine and rammed two others in the sea! So the Martians could be defeated. And if they come again, their little ships can be blown up with dynamite - or the Martians shot by riflemen when they crawl out of their cylinders! So the Martians will PROBABLY have won (without the bacteria) but Man's chances of victory (in the end) are not totally hopeless. Almost Tolkien - allowing, of course, for an eucastrophy...

The fact I can suggest's that we are not dealing with Super Aliens against Supermanly (American?) Intellect and Courage, but REAL Race against REAL Race, one more advanced than the other, is very pleasing. These two facts make H.G. Wells a great writer - like Tolkien - but not like most Modern (so-called) Mass Market Writers. One thing is sure, I TRUST Mankind - and certain particularly intelligent Female-types ( I'm not referring here to Forumashiran lasses, thank Eru! ) - to LIKE a good book that obeys it's own rules. It's only Modern Publisers (and Directors like PJ) who doubt Humanity's love of tales that are fresh and interesting and not TOTALLY predictable. It's the storytelling ability that counts. Class wins out - not banality!

I rewatched the Tom Cruise version last night, appalling rubbish apart from some of the special effects at the beginning when the town gets invaded, thats quite scary but the smultzy family drama makes me want to dry heave. It makes the entire story all about Tom Cruise instead of humanity, how egocentric is that guy?

It was the awfulness of the Speilrberg/Cruise version that inspired me to adapt the original.

I await you putting the boot in Orwell with some trepidation.
Hopefully I solved the prpoblem Speilberg was stuck on (theres no actual story for the man character other than non dying) without resorting to making to much up.

No story for the main guy? Eru eat my socks... --- I'm too scared to read your version now PJ.... err...... Petty!