Fighters from Mars
 | |
| Author | Original H. G. Wells, edited versions unknown |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
Publication date | 1897–1898 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Preceded by | The War of the Worlds |
| Followed by | Edison's Conquest of Mars |
Fighters from Mars is the name of two unauthorized, edited versions of H. G. Wells' original The War of the Worlds serial.
The first version appeared in the
The editor(s) of these versions changed the setting to the local area where the newspapers were on sale, and also edited out most of the passages containing science, science details pertaining to ordinary people, and problematic actions by the narrator. Even though they are considered unauthorized, it does seem that Wells may have inadvertently given the go ahead to the versions, as can be seen from a letter that was published in the magazine The Critic in March 1898, where Wells states: "Yet it is possible that this affair is not so much downright wickedness as a terrible mistake."
In each paper, Garrett P. Serviss' sequel, Edison's Conquest of Mars, was published after Fighters from Mars had finished.
Legacy
Rocket scientist Robert H. Goddard read both Fighters from Mars and Edison's Conquest of Mars and credited them with helping form his early interest in developing rockets for interplanetary exploration.[1]
References
- McGraw-Hill Education, p. 7
External links
Sources
 | This article has an unclear citation style. (February 2016) |
- Fighters From Mars, or The War of the Worlds (1897-1898). New York: New York Evening Journal. 1897.
- Fighters From Mars, or The War of the Worlds in and near Boston (1898). Boston: The Boston Evening Post newspaper. 1898.
- The Critic, March 1898, Vol. 29, page 184.
- Fighters From Mars. Steven Mollmann, blog entry April 21, 2009.
- H.G. Wells' Fighters from Mars? LOC blog entry 8 December 2022
- Review of sequel (with reference to Fighters From Mars)