Book Review: Lake on the Moon by H.E. Wilburson

I've already given my spiel about my policy with reviews. As such, let's cut right to the chase with this one. We'll be taking a look at Lake on the Moon, book two of The Martian Diaries, by H.E. Wilburson.

Lake on the Moon picks up the actions a few years after the previous book. Ogilvy the astronomer has come to a freighting conclusion: the Martians' collective conscious is spread via the mysterious red weed. He knows because he sampled some of the red weed, and made contact with the Martian hive mind. Worse, the red weed has infiltrated the water supply, meaning the Martians might gain the ability to take over human minds. Ogilvy and George, our narrator, are going to have to push themselves to the limits of their knowledge to find a solution to this impending crisis.

In my pervious review, I noted that The Day of the Martians, had a few issues. So, how does Lake on the Moon do addressing these? It's a bit of a mixed bag. As per usual, let's start with the positives. Lake on the Moon has much better pacing than The Day of the Martians. Lake on the Moon is twice as long as its predecessor, and it certainly benefits from the additional length. I also liked how the music was a much better fit for the time period of the story than last time round. The sound-effects were also somewhat better integrated into the story.

We also get an explanation for how Ogilvy is here, despite having died in The War of the Worlds. Lake on the Moon begins with a flashback to the first Martian invasion. Turns out he was only mostly dead when he got hit by a Martian heat-ray. That is, his body was covered in third degree burns, he was in quite a bit of pain, but he survived. I liked that this segment because it really focused on what it was like for average people caught-up in the invasion. At one point it is mentioned that the hospital had to start rationing medication because of the massive influx of patients. I mean, ouch, that can't have been fun.

One of my complaints with The Day of the Martians was that it played things safe in terms of plot, and that much of it felt like little more than glorified battle scenes. I appreciated that Lake on the Moon was willing to take more risks and try new things in terms of plot. The red weed being used not only as part of a Martian hive mind, but also as a mind control plot, was certainly a unique angle. In addition to the pacing, I felt there was much more solid plot structure than in The Day of the Martians. We didn't just get action scenes; it felt, for the most part, like the proper progression of a novel's plot. I also really like how it is revealed that the Martians are returning to Earth because of the connection that Ogilvy inadvertently established with their hive mind. I also liked how the early segments of the novel had the feel of a Victorian mystery novel, with even some slightly Gothic elements to them. 

I should have mentioned this last time, but I got a slight chuckle every time Crewe was mentioned. As a lifelong fan of Thomas the Tank Engine, I remember Crewe as being the place Henry the Green Engine was sent to so he could be rebuilt, and wouldn't need his special coal anymore. Admittedly, I didn't know that when I was a kid, since I grew up with the American version narrated by George Carlin. It was just a little something that probably only mattered to me.

Once again, Harry Preston returns as our narrator. He did slightly better this time round, but he still came across as a bit too flat and monotone. For example, there's a part where the main character's wife gets crushed to death by a tripod. This is a major emotional moment, but Harry's flat and monotone delivery undermines the moment. This might be an audiobook, not an audio drama, but that's no excuse for lackluster narration. If anything, an audiobook narrator must be even more committed, and have more range, because they alone are tasked with carrying the book all by themselves.

With all of this having been said, Lake on the Moon still has a few issues. We finally get an answer for how the Martian invasions effected World War I. Oh, it was delayed by a few years, but it went pretty much as it did in our world. The Spanish Flu also went basically as it did in our world. Really now, two invasions by aliens from Mars, and that had absolutely zero impact on geopolitics? I would be more willing to accept there still being a war if there had been at least a few changes. Maybe a few changes in alliance, neutral nations picking a side, or participants from our world choosing to sit the war out. Or, maybe instead of Entente vs. Central Powers, we could have the alliances be based on something else.

Spanish Flu, maybe it could happen, but it still seems a bit unlikely. The name is a misnomer. Spain was neutral during World War I, so their newspapers were uncensored. As such, they were one of the only nations that talked about the flu before it got really big. This resulted in the flu becoming associated with Spain. It used to be believed that it came from either Kansas or Mexico, but now experts think it might have originated in China. So, would it have happened in the world of The Martian Diaries? Maybe, but still seems odd it went more or less as it did in our world.

So, what about the titular lake on the Moon. It is discovered by our narrator early into the novel. It is a liquid water lake located on the surface of the Moon. Does this mean humanity is going to develop a space program and take the fight to the Martians? Are we going to have an adventure on the Moon? Nope, turns out it was a bit of a red herring. Though the main character does advocate for humanity going into space at the end of the novel. So, I suppose it was setting things up for book three.

The Day of the Martians suffered from having too simple of the plot, but Lake on the Moon has the opposite problem. I felt that the plot became a bit too complex and convoluted for its own good. Apparently, Ogilvy believes that they need to somehow go back in time and ensure the Martians never invade Earth in the first place. When I first heard this, I got very excited. It sounded like it was setting up a crossover with The Time Machine, another of HG Wells' novels. Unfortunately, this does not happen, which is a shame because that was a serious missed opportunity. Apparently, the time travel is mental in nature, and is achieved by consuming the red weed...I think. It was all very confusing and difficult to follow.

Then the plan gets changed to possibly changing things so that Mars was never habitable to multicellular life...somehow. Again, it was confusing and hard to follow. It seemed like it was going to setting up alternate timelines and history, but we didn't get that...or maybe we did, but if so, it was hard to tell.

I would be remiss if I didn't say that Lake on the Moon is a much stronger novel than The Day of the Martians. Even if the execution didn't work out, it was at least willing to take chances, take more risks, and try new things. It also had a stronger sense of pacing, and integrated music and sound-effects into the audiobook much better than its predecessor did. That all having been said, it still has quite a few issues, and perhaps bit off a bit more than it could chew. Although, if there is a third book, I would very much like to think that all of this is a sign that said third book will be even stronger than this one.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

Book Review: The Day of the Martians by H.E. Wilburson

 I'm more than willing to review any works of audio fiction that are requested. However, as I have stated many times before, I maintain a policy of strict honesty. As I have said, if anything doesn't work I will not hesitate to call it out. With all of that having been said, this brings us to the book that we're going to be reviewing today. We're taking a look at The Day of the Martians, book one of The Martian Diaries by H.E. Wilburson.

Day of The Martians acts as a sequel to War of the Worlds. It picks up the action in 1913. A new comet has been sighted, and the British government is fearful that it means the Martians are returning for another invasion attempt. An unopened Martian cylinder has been discovered in Wales, and our protagonist has been sent to investigate, with his wife Laura in tow. They'll have to be quick about it, as the fate of the world could hang in the balance.

You can purchase this audiobook on Audible, or you can listen to it in three parts over on Moonlight Audio Theater. 

I was asked to give this book a review by my associate Anita Dow. We know each other through various audio drama related groups that we are both members of. She has been a faithful reader and follower of my audio drama reviews for quite some time now. As such, I was more than happy to review Day of The Martians for her.

Now, books that serve as sequels to public domain works always start off with a considerable uphill climb. Right out of the gate, they're setting themselves up to be compared to the original. Most of the time, these sequels just don't measure up to the greatness of the originals. Perhaps it is because the writing is lackluster, or the authors misunderstands, or underutilizes, the themes of the original. Now, that's not to say it is impossible to create great works of fiction using the public domain. One way is to create crossovers with other public domain works. The League of Extraordinary Gentleman and Anno Dracula do this to great effect. Another is to remix and reinterpret the source material. Works such as Pride, Prejudice and Zombies and Sense, Sensibility, and Sea Monsters do this to great effect. Yet another method is to retell the story from the perspective of another character. Famous examples of this include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Song of Achilles.

That having been said, this isn't always a guarantee of success. There have been plenty of lackluster works that attempted to cash-in on the success of Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Likewise, another method that is popular with works based on mythology is to strip away all the magic and gods and show the "true" story of what happened. Basically, showing the alleged history behind the legend. This has a tendency to backfire, as authors all too often forget that you have to make the characters compelling despite the lack of gods and magic. Still, this can be done well in the hands of a skilled writer. Successful examples include the comic Age of Bronze and, to an extent, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. 

So, where does Day of The Martians land? Well, I'd say somewhere in the middle. Let me start with some of the things that I enjoy about it. I did appreciated that at least somewhat stay true to the spirit of the original. It is emphasized just how hopelessly outgunned the British are as the Martians prepare to return. It is also mentioned that British scientist have only the faintest of ideas about how to reverse engineer Martian technology. I also like that the tripods didn't have force fields, like many other works depict them. In the original novel, that tripods main defense was that they were extremely fast, which made it near impossible to land a blow on them. This was quite a feat, as the British military is widely considered the best military of the 19th century.

War of the Worlds was written, in large part, to be a satire and critique of colonialism and imperialism. H.G. Wells was trying to show the British public what it would be like if the shoe was on the other foot. In many ways, the British, and other European colonial powers, might as well have been Martians to the various peoples they conquered. They came with advanced technology that must have seem fantastically advanced to many of the inhabitants of Africa and Asia. Though that isn't to say it was completely inaccessible. Japan, for example, is rather famous for how well it was able to adapt Western technology. So, I can see Day of the Martians at least somewhat paying respect to the themes of the original.

We also do have at least a few characters from the original novel. For example, Ogilvy, an astronomer from the original book, is working with the British government to find a way to disable the tripods. Granted, he shouldn't have been there, as he died in War of the Worlds not long after the Martians arrived. Still, I thought it was a nice touch. And I would assume the unnamed narrator of Day of the Martians is supposed to be the same one from War of the Worlds.

Having said all of that, this book has a few issues. This is a work of audio fiction, so let's start with the audio. Music and sound-effects are tool when it comes to audiobooks. They are neither inherently good, nor inherently bad. It all depends on how you choose to utilize them. Think of it like adding condiments to a sandwich, or spices to a soup. You don't want it took be so faint and limited that you might as well have not added it. At the same time, you also don't want to add so much, or overplay it, that it overpowers and drowns everything else. Unfortunately, Day of The Martians suffers from both problems at the same time.

The music felt incredibly out of place. The story is set in 1913, but the music primarily consists electric guitars and other bits of modern music. Using anachronistic music can work, but you have to fully commit your story. For example, the movie A Knight's Tale uses anachronistic music to show that people of the Middle Ages weren't so different than modern people. You can't just have the music be anachronistic without adding anything else, or it just comes across as jarring. The music was also very monotonous and repetitive. It was like listening to a song with only one cord. It kind of felt like the music had been selected due to being cheap or free, rather than because of quality.

It also felt like the music was also a bit too loud. Not that it was bursting my eardrums, or anything like that, but that it overwhelmed the narration. Of course, it could just be that the repetitive nature of the music made it feel that way.

The narration also suffered from monotony and lack of variation. The book is narrated by Harry Preston, with Terry Thompson providing the introduction. Harry's narration started out fine enough. It seemed reasonably appropriate to the time period and setting. Unfortunately, it quickly became rather flat and one-note. Harry made little-to-no attempt to differentiate between any of the characters. He also maintained the whole stiff upper lip demeanor, even in scenes where the characters should have been displaying stronger emotions.

The sound-effects, in contrast to the music, were severely under utilized. We get a few decent once at the start of the first third of the book, but the sound effects soon vanish. This is quite a shame, as they were sorely missed, and could really have added to the experience. We do get a couple more towards the end of the book, but it is too little too late.

Now let's talk about the writing and plot. Things started off reasonably well. The trip to Wales to investigate the cylinder actually makes for a fairly descent short story. The pacing was good, and it stay fairly true in style to the original novel while as being a fun adventure story. Unfortunately, the other two-thirds are where things fall apart. The Martians arrive on Earth, and we are treated to what I can best describe as a prolonged action sequence. There was very little introspection or pauses between the action. Well, there were some, but they felt misplaced.

The arrival of the Martians is supposed to feel like the climax of the action. However, due to the short length of the novel, it fails to make any emotional impact. If we had more build up, rather than jumping directly from the trip to Wales to the invasion, it might have worked. As it stands, however, the novel falls flat on its face. Overall, this novel feels too short for its own good.

I can't help but feel that Day of the Martians failed to make the most of its potential. It starts in 1913, just one year before the outbreak of World War I. Would the major powers of Europe have put aside their differences to present a united front against the Martians? Or would old rivalries have proved too strong? Would there even have been those who tried to collaborate with the Martians in parallel to how the happened in certain colonies, such as the Princely States of India? Or what if the invasion had occurred in the middle of the war, rather than before it? Even ignoring all of this, how did the rest of the world react to the first invasion? How have they been doing?

All are intriguing possibilities, which are sadly not explored by Day of The Martians. I'm trying to think of a more tactful way to put this, but Day of The Martians had a very amateur feel to it. It felt like everyone involved needed more time to hone their skills before releasing their final product. The whole novel felt like it needed more time to bake. I'll cut new audio dramas a certain amount of slack, but being new to the world of audio fiction isn't a get out of jail free card. I've seen plenty of audio dramas made by people who were just starting out, but had impeccable production values and story quality.

Now, I'm aware that I might sound harsh, but I do genuinely believe that Day of The Martians had potential within it to be great. Its just that there is considerable work that needs to be done to attain that potential. I understand that there is a second novel in the series, and I'd be willing to give it a review if asked.

And so that was my review of The Day of The Martians. I don't think there's much more for me to add. I will see you guys next time.