The great disillusionment

[james_davis_nicoll]

Is it wrong, on the occasion of H.G.Wells' 143 birthday, to ponder what War of the Worlds might have been like had it been written from a pro-Martian Imperialism perspective by Rudyard Kipling?

Comments

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

It would be awesome, and the Martians would win, at great personal cost.

[zibblsnrt.livejournal.com]

It's wrong not to.

[llennhoff.livejournal.com]

Take up the Red Man's burden ...

[stevendj.livejournal.com]

It would be wrong not to share the results of your pondering.

[carloshasanax.livejournal.com]

As far as H'trae is concerned, encasing them in chrysalids and exposing them to the morphogens would be a good start. Of course, there's the time-hallowed extension over the aperture of a heatray and activating the emission... Hmmm. What a pleasant choice!

[autopope.livejournal.com]

Is it wrong, on the occasion of H.G.Wells' 143 birthday, to ponder what War of the Worlds might have been like had it been written from a pro-Martian Imperialism perspective by Rudyard Kipling?

... And then filmed by Fritz Lang, with Leni Reifenstahl as cinematographer, at the behest of Josef Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda for the Martian Occupational Government (Central European Zone)?

[(Anonymous)]

About as wrong as pondering what "The Forever War" would have been like if written by Heinlein.

William Hyde

[thesaucernews.livejournal.com]

nah, the twist in this one is that Hitler's the good guy, see, fighting to preserve the purity of the whole human race and culture against the Martian interlopers. Granted, his definition of "whole human race" is said to be a bit exclusionary...

[t-guy.livejournal.com]

Only if it endorses the common misconception that Kipling was some kind of pro-imperialism propagandist.

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

I can't figure the rest, but suddenly I hear "(Pods-pods-pods-pods-movin'-up-and-down-again)" in my head.

[ravenskyewalker.livejournal.com]

That's not wrong; that's kind of awesome, and I'd read it.

[(Anonymous)]

I up with my ray at a Yankee
Who carried a bloomin' Krag*
He was well in range but he tasted strange
and cough cough choke choke aghhhh...

*He'd have rayed down a Briton if 'Enfield' rhymed better.

As in many areas, the Simpsons has been there before us, in a Halloween Special.

[(Anonymous)]

When you lie wounded on a wet Terran plain
And the Earthlings come out to cut up what remains
Then roll to your heat ray and melt your own brains
And go to the GLAARRRGH like a soldier.

- Ken, with apologies to R. Kipling

[velochicdunord.livejournal.com]

Right. When are you writing it?
Has possibilities as a graphic novel, it does.

[rpresser.livejournal.com]

For the ambitious, follow it up with _Fighting the Terran Insurgency_, where George W. Bush leads a band of rebels fighting a jihad against the Martian invaders. Again, told from the viewpoint of the Martians.

[tandw.livejournal.com]

On a tangentially-related topic, I see that Titan Books is reissuing Manly Wade & Wade Wellman's "Sherlock Holmes' War of the Worlds" in late October.