The War of the Worlds

H.G. Wells's classic novel of alien invasion, published in 1898, seems to thrive on being adapted for screen and audio. Its most famous incarnation may have been the most convincing audio performance of all time: Orson Welles's panic-inducing broadcast of 1938. Sean Barrett may not have listeners running into the streets, but his work in this recording is superb. He is utterly convincing as the novel's narrator, a turn-of the-century English gentleman. The characters this narrator meets during the invasion are rendered with wonderful accents, too. The novel feels like something of a chestnut today, but Barrett's reading brings out of all the urgency and energy the text has to offer. D.B. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine