Title: The Fall of Denver – A Tribute Story to the Original War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Author: Richard Paolinelli
Publisher: Tuscany Bay Books
Publication Date: May 24, 2022
Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Historical
Length: 44 pages
Source: I received a free copy from the author.
Rating: 4 Stars
Blurb:
The Fall of Denver takes place simultaneously with the events unfolding in England during Wells’, War of the Worlds. Doubtless, even as England was being invaded, so were all the other countries around the globe.In this story we will find out how the invasion of the United States plays out in general, and how it affects the men, and their families, stationed at a U.S. Army Fort near Denver, Colorado. For Major Daniel Wayne, an arrow in his knee has ended his career in the U.S. Army. Shortly after he arrives at Fort Logan outside of Denver, Colorado to hand in his retirement papers, word is received of an extra-worldly invasion of England. Before he and the Fort’s commander can begin to process this information, the first Martian cylinder lands to the east of Denver. Wayne is entrusted with the safety of the civilians at the Fort and in the surrounding area, taking them to the safety of the nearby Front Range even as the battle to defend Denver rages behind them. Wayne must keep the trust of his fellow officers to keep their familes safe, and confronts the ghosts of his own past, even as he longs to join the battle.
Review:
Content Warning: Death, disability, and a partial recovery from a painful knee injury. I will be discussing the last two in this post.
Women, children, and people with disabilities must stick together if they’re going to survive this war with aliens.
Some of the most interesting scenes in my opinion were the ones that explored Major Daniel Wayne’s career-threatening knee injury and how he dealt with the relentless pain and mobility issues that resulted from it. Living with any disability isn’t easy, especially at this point in history when there was less social support for people with disabilities and few if any accommodations for someone who found walking to be a struggle, much less anything more vigorous than that. Regardless of whether you have personal experience with this topic or not, there’s something interesting to mull on here for everyone.
I would have preferred to see more attention paid to the romantic subplot of this tale. Because it happened quickly and under such intense circumstances, I needed additional details about why the characters involved in it decided to pursue such things with each other while everything around them was falling apart. In no way was I opposed to these two individuals ending up together. They seemed like a great match, in fact. There was simply a lot of space here to expand the scenes that showed their blossoming romance.
With that being said, this was still a wonderful addition to this universe that I was thrilled to read. Learning about the alien attack from a different point of view showed me just how slowly information spread back then and how much folks had to rely on their own common sense and various life skills in order to survive when the military was being overrun and the federal goverment so far away that it could provide no realistic support for ordinary citizens at this time.
If you’re not already familiar with War of the Worlds, I’d recommend reading it before diving into this expansion of that universe.
The Fall of Denver – A Tribute Story to the Original War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells made me smile.