Gaze upon its awesomeness!
Here's the synopsis according to Atria Books:
1898. New York socialite Emma Harlow agrees to marry well-to-do Montgomery Gilmore, but only if he first accepts her audacious challenge: to reproduce the Martian invasion featured in H.G. Wells’ popular novel The War of the Worlds. Meanwhile in London, Wells himself is unexpectedly made privy to certain objects, apparently of extraterrestrial origin, that were discovered decades earlier on an ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic. On that same expedition was an American crew member named Edgar Allan Poe, whose inexplicable experiences in the frozen wasteland would ultimately inspire him to create one of his most enduring works of literature.
When eerie, alien-looking cylinders begin appearing on the outskirts of London, Wells is certain it is all part of some elaborate hoax. But soon, to his great horror, he realizes that a true invasion of the earth has indeed begun. As brave bands of citizens converge on a crumbling London to defend it against utter ruin, Emma and her suitor must confront the enigma that is their love, a bright spark of hope even against the darkening light of apocalypse.
How amazing does this look?! Of course, it helps that I'm probably the world's biggest teenage fan of classic sci-fi and the canon of H.G. Wells...still, Palma's first novel was absolutely spectacular, and I hope the second one will live up to, if not surpass, its most excellent par.
*I really don't known why it's doing this highlighting thing, but I couldn't figure out a way to get rid of it, only make it blend more with the background.
See my review of The Map of Time here. It was, quite possibly, my favorite read last year.
i have the first book but haven't had a chance to read it yet.
ReplyDeleteRead it. Now. :) Actually, it's a love-it-or-hate-it book, because a lot of people dislike the author's style of writing and the meandering, kind of weird plot.
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