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Original Illustrations created by Jade of Steam Power Studios:
(https://www.steampowerstudios.com.au/)
(Wells, the Martians, the plot, and basically the whole shebang)
Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer. Prolific in many genres, he wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, history, popular science, satire, biography and autobiography. Wells is now best remembered for his science fiction novels and has been called the ‘father of science fiction. (Wikipedia 7 Apr 2023)
(Breaker Morant)
Ken is a Western Australian author who writes to see past stereotypes and to convey the power of humanity in all of its incredible variety. He loves creating outlandish characters and putting them in bizarre situations to see what happens. To him it is part of the joy of storytelling. In addition, to allowing him to embrace social issues from a new and humorous perspective.
Ken has written fiction for over twenty years, gaining significant help and inspiration from writing groups and book clubs. Retiring from the mental health field in 2017 has allowed him to concentrate on his writing, and to catch up on his reading, though he now uses audiobooks due to his failing eyesight.
He lives with his wife in Perth, and has two adult sons.
(@ToniWantsToVote)
Originally from Western Australia, Leonie now lives in NSW in the Upper Hunter. She is the author of ‘Frontier Incursion’, ‘Frontier Resistance’, and ‘Frontier Defiant’ (YA Scifi) and a new fantasy series, ‘The Chronicles of Albatar’ – currently two books in. All released by Hague Publishing. She also works part time as a physiotherapist.
The ‘Frontier Trilogy’ is full of glow-in-the-dark cats who like to sleep on the bed, alien invaders, and a planet out to kill the unwary. ‘The Chronicles of Albatar’ follows Kazari, as she joins the Hunters, sworn to defend her homeland against the Gorgone Horde.
Leonie has a past life as a volunteer firefighter and SES member, and once trekked almost six hundred kilometres with eight camels and several other human beings. She is married with two adult children, two dogs and two cats, one of whom frequently handicaps her ability to use a lap-top computer.
You can find her at:
(Lt Dullanty and 4 Coy Coldstream Guards, Rotch Wood, also responsible for editing HG Wells original text)
Andrew spent his high-school years in the school’s library lost in the worlds of Andre Norton, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov. Reading in turn led to writing with the first draft of ‘The Portal Adventures’ originally being completed to read to his two sons at night. The series has since been published by Peasantry Press.
A passionate reader of Alternate History the second book of his AltHis Clemhorn Trilogy is to be released by Zmok Books in May 2023.
(Hiram Maxim and Lt Cmd Carver)
Michael Cnudde is a writer, editor, corporate communications professional, and a former educator. A fan of alternate history, he is the author of ‘War Plan Crimson, A Novel of Alternate History’, and ‘Elvis Saves JFK!’ a book of short alternate history fiction. Michael believes H.G. Well’s ‘The War of the Worlds’ is the first, and in many ways the best, science fiction novel he’d ever read. He is currently working on the sequel to ‘War Plan Crimson’. Diagnosed with autism late in life, Michael is an advocate for autistic people, working to increase autism acceptance.
He (sort of) maintains a blog: http://www.somersethousepress.com/
Michael has provided a little more information about the historical Hiram Stevens Maxim, the inventor of the Maxim Gun (which later was developed into the famous Vickers Machine gun). As related in the story, Maxim had indeed built a flying machine which made a brief uncontrolled hop in 1894. He devoted much of his later time to developing aviation-themed amusement park rides. He is also credited with inventing, among other things, the first automatic indoor fire sprinkler, a curling iron, an aerial torpedo gun, and developing various steam and internal combustion engines.
Born in the United States, Maxim emigrated to England in 1881. He was knighted by King Edward VII in 1901 and died in 1916.
While Hiram Maxim never worked on explosives as described in the story, his brother Hudson Maxim invented a number of explosives, including smokeless gunpowder.
While Well’s was eventually re-united with his wife, he continued to suffer, as many others did, the trauma of what they had lived through during that terrible time. The last words of his seminal work provide some insight into that:
‘I must confess the stress and danger of that time have left an abiding sense of doubt and insecurity in my mind and suddenly I see again the valley below me set with writhing flames, and feel the house behind and about me empty and desolate…
‘I go to London and see the busy multitudes in Fleet Street and the Strand and it comes across my mind that they are but the ghosts of the past, haunting the streets that I have seen silent and wretched, phantasms in a dead city the mockery of life in a galvanised body…
‘Of a night I see the black powder darkening the silent streets, and the contorted bodies shrouded in that layer. They rise upon me tattered and dog-bitten, they gibber and grow fiercer…and I wake cold and wretched.’
‘Of a night I see the black powder darkening the silent streets, and the contorted bodies shrouded in that layer. They rise upon me tattered and dog-bitten, they gibber and grow fiercer…and I wake cold and wretched.’
What happened to Morant and Vogan after the last entry in the Morant’s diary, or how Marie ended up with it is unclear. It is known that some people were rescued from the Primrose Hill encampment. They remember rockets being set off. But, there is no mention of Vogan of Morant being involved. It is possible they were killed setting off rockets.
However, it is possible that being were on a list of deserters, they took the opportunity to disappear. Especially as Field Marshal Wolseley had personally ordered Morant’s summary execution when he discovered he was impersonating an officer.
In contrast, I could find detailed records of what happened to others in this story. George Brown was also on the deserters’ list. Happily for him, a petition from the people of Edinburgh and the many people he had helped evacuate from London convinced Queen Victoria to pardon him. There is a statue of him overlooking the harbour. He married into the wealthy Leslie clan.
Morant’s mother settled in Manchester with her two proteges. Fortune smiled on these two women as they were reunited with their long-estranged husbands. Unfortunately, it is unknown when they were married, as many such records were destroyed in the Martian War. Still, the two couples re-established the Manchester Guardian and lived on a property used as a horse stud. In a fantastic coincidence, the husbands’ names were Harry and Arthur.
Lt. James Robert Dullanty, for displaying great coolness and gallantry during the attack on Primrose Hill, was awarded a VC by the Queen, at a ceremony at Balmoral attended by his father and siblings. The Queen, herself, presented the VC to Sir John Dullanty, a rare honour not normally seen.