THE WAR OF THE WORLDS

Prepare to be thrilled, chilled, terrorized, and—well, absolutely charmed by this remastering of the BBC’s 1967 radio dramatization of H.G. Wells’s science-fiction classic. For those who don’t know, Martians (giant, squishy, potato-shaped creatures) invade Earth, seeking a warm new home to replace their cooling red planet. As British astronomer John Nicholson relates, the inhabitants of England are literally driven underground as they battle the fearsome, scientifically advanced creatures. The cast, including Paul Daneman as Nicholson and Martin Jarvis as his assistant, are uniformly stellar, offering believable, never campy, characterizations. Background noises, from the clink of a soup spoon to the hum of the Martian heat ray, subtly support the story. This is huge fun. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]