The Martian War
A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Invasion as Reported by Mr. H.G. Wells
Chapter One: Mr. Wells and Professor Huxley Observe the Leonids
1884
In chill November, the nights were as dark as the stars were bright.
Young Wells followed his professor up rarely used wooden stairs to the labyrinthine rooftop of the university hall. When he politely opened the access door for the older man, the damp air threatened fog or, worse, obscuring clouds. Yet he saw that the sky overhead was mercifully clear: a canvas on which to paint glorious streaks of light.
"The meteors will begin falling soon, Wells." The old biology professor looked just as eager as his student.
The minarets and gables of London's Normal School of Science provided a maze of nooks, gutters, and eaves interspersed with sooty chimneypots and loose tiles. Daring students could climb out on ledges and hold secret meetings, even arrange assignations with willing girls from the poorer sections of South Kensington who could be sweet-talked with pleasant and cultured words.
Wells doubted that any of his class ... read full excerpt from The Martian War: A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Invasion as Reported by Mr. H.G. Wells ebook
