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65 reviews for:
Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Musical Drama
Adrian Edmondson, Theo James, Michael Sheen, Taron Egerton, Anna-Marie Wayne, Jeff Wayne, H.G. Wells
4.17 AVERAGE
65 reviews for:
Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Musical Drama
Adrian Edmondson, Theo James, Michael Sheen, Taron Egerton, Anna-Marie Wayne, Jeff Wayne, H.G. Wells
4.17 AVERAGE
This was the first dramatisation I've listened to on audible, and I think it was a good one, as the music and sound effects added to the tension and drama in the story, and made it more of an experience. I will probably still read the original H.G. Wells book as well, but I do like how this production combines Wells story with Wayne's musical, and I did enjoy it
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
This audible dramatisation of The War of the Worlds is based on the musical version by Jeff Wayne. Released in 1978, it was Wayne's debut album and, quite frankly, it's awesome. It's a retelling of H.G. Wells' classic science fiction novel in the form of a rock opera. It's all prog rock and strings. Basically, totally epic. For the audiobook, the music of Jeff Wayne is mixed together with the narrative of Wells' original novel. It pads out Wayne's original concept with more narration and characterisation. Or, more accurately, it's an audiobook that has moments of pure musical genius woven into it.
First off, the cast for this audiobook is pretty perfect. I found Carrie slightly annoying because she was doing that classic actor thing of leaving dramatic pauses in everything. Still, it didn't put me off. I think everyone was well cast and they really brought the characters to life. Michael Sheen plays the journalist, unnamed in the original book but here called George. George is one of the first people to experience the Martian invasion along with Oglivy, an astronomer who first noticed strange behaviour on the Red Planet.
After the strange cylinders start to fall to Earth and the Martians begin attacking, George realises that he must get his wife to safety. Unfortunately, the pair become separated. Carrie heads to London before escaping with two women she encounters. George finds himself in the path of danger and meets plenty of people along the way. With the Martians laying waste to so many towns and moving towards London, society is starting to break apart. Meaning the pair must not only survive the invasion but also the people they meet along the way. Can the couple get back to each other?
Jeff Wayne's musical accompaniment to the novel really does add an extra layer of tension and drama. It's certainly not a distraction nor does it overwhelm the story. The score only heightens the mood and really helps build the scene. And the original score has been updated slightly for the new adaptation. Not in such a dramatic way that you won't recognise it but enough to give everything a slightly fresh and contemporary feel. I mostly read this book in bed which is a really bad idea because it's so atmospheric. You can't help but get sucked into it and the tension becomes very real.
As a story, War of the Worlds is still a classic and this dramatisation is fairly faithful. There are several changes to the novel which gives it an original feel. I liked the fact that Carrie's character was given more to do as she took the place of the journalist's brother. I loved the way the story played out. Everything really does work together to make a truly engaging and immersive experience. There are bound to be people who complain that there is too much music for an audiobook but I would disagree. This was a super fun dramatisation of a classic novel. It really managed to breath new life into it.
First off, the cast for this audiobook is pretty perfect. I found Carrie slightly annoying because she was doing that classic actor thing of leaving dramatic pauses in everything. Still, it didn't put me off. I think everyone was well cast and they really brought the characters to life. Michael Sheen plays the journalist, unnamed in the original book but here called George. George is one of the first people to experience the Martian invasion along with Oglivy, an astronomer who first noticed strange behaviour on the Red Planet.
After the strange cylinders start to fall to Earth and the Martians begin attacking, George realises that he must get his wife to safety. Unfortunately, the pair become separated. Carrie heads to London before escaping with two women she encounters. George finds himself in the path of danger and meets plenty of people along the way. With the Martians laying waste to so many towns and moving towards London, society is starting to break apart. Meaning the pair must not only survive the invasion but also the people they meet along the way. Can the couple get back to each other?
Jeff Wayne's musical accompaniment to the novel really does add an extra layer of tension and drama. It's certainly not a distraction nor does it overwhelm the story. The score only heightens the mood and really helps build the scene. And the original score has been updated slightly for the new adaptation. Not in such a dramatic way that you won't recognise it but enough to give everything a slightly fresh and contemporary feel. I mostly read this book in bed which is a really bad idea because it's so atmospheric. You can't help but get sucked into it and the tension becomes very real.
As a story, War of the Worlds is still a classic and this dramatisation is fairly faithful. There are several changes to the novel which gives it an original feel. I liked the fact that Carrie's character was given more to do as she took the place of the journalist's brother. I loved the way the story played out. Everything really does work together to make a truly engaging and immersive experience. There are bound to be people who complain that there is too much music for an audiobook but I would disagree. This was a super fun dramatisation of a classic novel. It really managed to breath new life into it.
A fantastic combination of the book and the original album based upon it.
I don't listen to audiobooks much, because I tend to drift and not give them the focus they deserve. In this case, however, I was captivated.
The subtitle 'Musical Drama' summarises this adaptation perfectly and every Voice Actor played their part superbly. I'm so glad that in this version we get to hear Carrie's journey, plus she is a much more level-headed protagonist than her husband...
Overall, I really enjoyed this adaptation, it was a high quality, thoughtful reimagining of the classic story and it still managed to evoke the unsettling dread and horror of its previous incarnations, without succumbing to the danger every adaptation faces- to become an exact replica of the original.
Therefore, I would highly recommend this audiobook and give it a solid 5/5 heat ray blasts.
I don't listen to audiobooks much, because I tend to drift and not give them the focus they deserve. In this case, however, I was captivated.
The subtitle 'Musical Drama' summarises this adaptation perfectly and every Voice Actor played their part superbly. I'm so glad that in this version we get to hear Carrie's journey, plus she is a much more level-headed protagonist than her husband...
Overall, I really enjoyed this adaptation, it was a high quality, thoughtful reimagining of the classic story and it still managed to evoke the unsettling dread and horror of its previous incarnations, without succumbing to the danger every adaptation faces- to become an exact replica of the original.
Therefore, I would highly recommend this audiobook and give it a solid 5/5 heat ray blasts.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence
The first time I heard the story all the way through was read by David Tennant, at first I did think this was going to be a different story to that. There were of course some differences but all in all was the same story. It was a great rendition, the addition of music to enhance the mood really did add to the atmosphere of the piece. The noises of the ‘alien’s’ in this were very spooky and added to the dread each time they were about to do something.
The story itself is a great read for any sci-fi fan and I would thoroughly recommend it, as someone from the UK I liked the use of all the real place names and the accurate geographical detail. You really do feel like you’re going on this fast paced journey with the protagonist wondering how he is going to escape danger as it arises and get back to his loved ones. The pace had a great very ‘stop and start' feel because at times when the best thing the character can do is wait for danger to pass, during these times however there is still a sense of tension of how will they get out of this one unscathed. The invaders are terrifying and brilliantly created, this version really does highlight the fear they would invoke in the characters. War of the Worlds is a true classic in the genre!
The story itself is a great read for any sci-fi fan and I would thoroughly recommend it, as someone from the UK I liked the use of all the real place names and the accurate geographical detail. You really do feel like you’re going on this fast paced journey with the protagonist wondering how he is going to escape danger as it arises and get back to his loved ones. The pace had a great very ‘stop and start' feel because at times when the best thing the character can do is wait for danger to pass, during these times however there is still a sense of tension of how will they get out of this one unscathed. The invaders are terrifying and brilliantly created, this version really does highlight the fear they would invoke in the characters. War of the Worlds is a true classic in the genre!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love HG Wells and gave this a whirl, and it was wonderful. Immersive audio drama with musical interludes. A fairly faithful version of the plot of the original book by HG Wells, except some of the adventures of George's brother in this adaptation happen to the wife (easier to follow the drama with less characters). The actors of this audio book are excellent, but Michael Sheen is standout amazing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence
Minor: Religious bigotry