The Massacre of Mankind, by Stephen Baxter, is, quite simply, a brilliant, authorized sequel to H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds.  The sequel begins several years after the Martians were vanquished.  The narrator, Julie Elphinstone, is the ex sister-in-law of Walter Jenkins, the narrator in the original story.  She is called into duty by Jenkins after he sees signs that the Martians will be renewing their attack.  Set in the early 1900’s, Baxter does an excellent job tying the original story to the original — so much so it is hard to believe the stories were written decades apart.  A great read for lovers of science-fiction — both traditional and contemporary.

* I received this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.