The War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, published in 1898. The novel opens in the mid-1890s, with aliens on Mars plotting an invasion of Earth because their resources were dwindling.
On October 30 of 1938, a radio platform known as The Mercury Theater on the Air sent out a broadcast that would be remembered for decades to come. Orson Welles, narrator and creator of the show, addressed the nation by microphone, during which he proceeded to read from the H.G. Wells novel The War of the Worlds (1897). Some people listening believed that the alien invasion that Welles’ preached was a true news broadcast, and pitted into hysteria.
The War of the Worlds in Real Time is a fictionalised docudrama by: Michael Cnudde, Andrew J. Harvey, Upper Hunter writer Leonie Rogers, Ken Vickery, and H.G. Wells – based on the documents and diaries of those involved in the Martian War.
Recreated through the diaries, newspapers, and photographs of the time, and with the assistance of H.G. Wells’ seminal work (The War of the Worlds), The War of the Worlds in Real Time will tell the story of what really happened during that crucial month in June 1897 when the Earth stood on the precipice, and civilization teetered on the edge of extinction.
Follow the drama throughout the month of June 2023, tweet by tweet at https://twitter.com/1897WotW (@1897WotW) or post by post at http://wotw.name or https://haguepublishing.com/wotw
The addition of new characters by Cnudde, Harvey, Rogers, and Vickery to the world of HG Wells has enabled a deeper dive into the times, mores, customs, and technologies of 1897, that even without the Martians would have turned the entire world on its head over the next 10 years.
The docudrama acknowledges the support offered by Australia’s ‘Hague Publishing’ (established in 2011 to publish original Speculative Fiction by Australian and New Zealand authors), and Britain’s ‘Sea Lion Press’ (established in 2015 as the world’s first publishing house dedicated to alternate history).
To read the full media release including a list of the characters please click here!
Media release and images courtesy of Hague Publishing