© 2003-2006 David Moles

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War of the Worlds 2: Edison’s Conquest of Mars

8 o'clock, October 14, 2005

I’m not sure I actually want to read it, but how can you resist the premise?

It is impossible that the stupendous events which followed the disastrous invasion of the earth by the Martians should go without record, and circumstances having placed the facts at my dispoal, I deem it a duty, both to posterity, and to those who were witnesses of and participants in the avenging counterstroke that the earth dealt back at its ruthless enemy in the heavens, to write down the story in a connected form . . .


Figure 1. VENGEANCE AT LAST UPON THE PITILESS MARTIANS.
“As we got near them a terrible scene unfolded itself. Two of the Martians were stretched headless upon the ground. Three others had suffered horrible injuries, and only one remained apparently unhurt . . .”

(Some incredibly thoughtful gentleman — who is shortly going to wish he had more bandwidth — has helpfully scanned both the original 1898 New York World serial and the 1947 reprint. With illustrations!)

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