Science Fiction and Fantasy

Well, I found a couple of interesting books at Barnes and Noble the other day.

The first was "The War of the Worlds" by HG Wells, Tor paperback, cover design by Anthony Schiavino, cover art by Alan Gutierrez. Biography, introduction and end notes by James Gunn. ISBN 0-8125-0515-8

So what can I say. For the last few years Tor has had a hideous cover for this classic. An ugly tripod set in a field of flames (search the ISBN and you will see). This new printing has a much subtler, playful cover. Muted 1930's colours. Still a Tripod/Big Ben scene. The tripod is almost art deco in its styling, and the use of silouhette, fog and heat ray is great. Above the art is the cover design. The book is faux second hand. At first glance you see cracked spine, bent corner etc, then you realize it's all printed on. Lovely.

James Gunn is a SciFi scholar. The bio is basic, and the intro/outro simply state the works place as an inspiration, and as a novel that plays on fears.

The second book I bought was "The War of the Worlds" by HG Wells, Barnes & Noble Classics. ISBN 1-59308-362-9. The bio, intro and afterword are by Alfred Mac Adam of Barnard College Columbia University. Cover art by Meinert Hansen.

The jacket design is pretty fundamental, nice, comtemporary and elegant, but not earthshttering. The cover art however is leaning to photorealistic, probably CG. See for yourself. http://www.fictionscience.com/personal_work04.htm

I like the choice of colours. I like the steam punk additions, the smoking stacks on the tripods. I like the obvious nod to the Alvim Correa tripods (c.f. http://thewarsoftheworlds.blogspot.com/2008/11/alvim-correas-fighting-machines.html). It one of the best WotW covers I've seen in the last few years.

The extras by Alfred Mac Adam are also worth while. Though a little pretentious at the beginning, they settle into an interesting read, spending sometime highlighting an almost eugenic trend in Wells philosophy.

This edition is definitely targeted at the US market. There are nearly ceaseless footnote annotating which townships are in Surrey (near London, England), but then there are as many interesting footnotes for me too, showing which characters are historical figures, and which are fictional characters. There are also end-notes, which tend to carry Mac Adam's bias. Still, a valuable addition to the library.

Thanks for that heads up, Alex,

I am co-directing "War of the Worlds" next month the week before Halloween, with the local community theater group I work with, as a radio play, the Orson Welles version, which is actually written/ adapted by Koch.  As the graphic for the programs and poster I was thinking an old-fashioned micrphone, but I may add a tripod...

Thanks!

Julia

For WotW art inspiration...

http://drzeus.best.vwh.net/wotw/wotw.html

Now, be careful, there was a massacre in Ecquador when a radio station there aired a local interpretation of the radio play.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(radio)#Remakes_and_re-airings

For a London based WotW you would want Tripods, Houses of Parliament, maybe red-weed and black gas.

For a US version, are you doing a contemporary interpretation, locale specific? There was no big buildigns around Grovers Mill that I remember, so it would be 1930's Manhatten skyline, tripod and ferries for my choice.

I'm no great artist, but I may take a 30's microphone, and in quadrants around it depict key scenes. The pit, the tripods, aerial attacks and ...

Got it. 1930's wireless, but the fretwork is not the traditional sunset or heron or whatever, but a fretwork image of a stalking tripod. That's inspired.

Whatever you decide, send me a URL to the theatre groups web site so I can see it.

How are you staging it? Radio studio and field reporter with projected backdrops? The visuals must be hard to conceive. Mind you in plays you can leave a lot to the audience. Copenhagen had a wonderful set. There was a jury box with audience members at the back of the set, then the stage was a wood inlaid floor with circular motifs reminiscent of electron clouds about an atom, which doubled as garden paths, parts of the yacht etc.

Or did I missunder stand? Are you doing a radio broadcast! How bold. Webcast too?

Good luck and bon chance. Oh, and listen to the Jeff Wayne to get a different view of it all, some good cues and clues for the extras.

Images for you Radio on tripod emitting heat ray

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZrYtgXFkqME/R-l6yNiMxvI/AAAAAAAAAIY/MyWgdhZiqzM/s320/War-of-the-Worlds.jpg

Not what I was thinking, but a fun idea

Thanks so very much for all of this, Alex!!!

As for staging, we're just using old fashioned looking microphones as props and as actor's parts are coming they step downstage to the microphone.  We'll have someone doing sound effects, ala Prarie Home Companion.  Nothing fancy.  It's radio theater, so all actors will have scripts in their hands.  We're doing it in an coffee house type setting, with a relatively small stage. Actors will wear old- fashioned costumes from the 1930s including elaborate hats on the women and ties for all men. 

Julia