Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records Braille and Talking Books Division
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WELCOME TO BOOK TALK

This location presents Arizona Braille and Talking Book Readers
with book summaries and reviews suggested by our readers, staff, and volunteers.
Also provided will be recent library news.

(Writer’s note: Here’s your summer quiz. If you can answer this question you’ll be cool despite the heat! What novel was written over a hundred years ago, was released as a radio play on Halloween night in 1938 (which caused the panic of over 1.2 million people who thought it was a live broadcast), became a major motion picture in the 1950s, was adapted for T.V. and won an Emmy Award in 1975, and will premier as a summer movie sensation on June 29 th directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning?

If you guessed War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells your intellect is cool despite the heat and if you want to be a “cool lit cat” (sic) might I suggest a read or even a re-read of this sci-fi classic?)

 

Book Review:

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
RC 38464
By H.G. Wells
258 pages on one cassette
Narrated by Roy Avers

FROM THE BOOK JACKET

“Night after night, the bright lights can be seen dropping from the sky. Traveling thousands of miles through space, the Martians are landing on Earth! The strange, ugly creatures have three spindly legs and large metallic bodies. They have already destroyed London. Who or what can stop them from taking over the whole world?

The War of the Worlds describes the invasion of Earth by an intellectually superior race. H.G. Well’s popular story brings the hysteria and madness of such a nightmare to life.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Herbert George Wells was the son of a poor British tradesman. Through his outstanding academic achievements, Wells received a scholarship to attend the Royal School of Science. He received a Bachelor of Science in 1890 and also in the same year wrote a biology textbook and contributed short stories to numerous magazines.

1893 was a historic moment in Wells life because it marked the year he decided to become a full-time writer. During his writing career he wrote over a hundred books and some fifty of them were novels.

Political philosophy was a penchant for Wells and he became part of the intellectual socialist movement in England. Also in this group and closely affiliated with Wells were the noted English writers Rebecca West and George Bernard Shaw. In fact, in 1903 Wells joined the Fabian Society but had to exit the group after a political disagreement with George Bernard Shaw. Rebecca West was another matter. Herbert became involved in a long term love affair with her despite the fact he was 26 years her senior.

Throughout Wells novels and especially in The War of the Worlds, we witness his positive belief that both tragedy and scientific innovations would bring about the gradual perfection of humanity. Herbert George Wells died at the age of 80 in 1946 having witnessed both World War I and World War II, yet still believing that humans would learn from their mistakes and in the process create a better society.

ABOUT THE NARRATOR

On August 3 rd, 2003, American Printing House narrator Roy Avers recorded his 1000 th book for the National Library Service. He began recording for APH in 1974 and has also narrated both Newsweek and Readers Digest magazines. In 1990 Avers was awarded the Alexander Scourby Narrator of The Year Award for narration of fictional novels.

READER CRITIQUE

Picture yourself at night, looking into the sky. You witness a host of meteors that appear fairly close. No problem, it’s just an exciting meteor shower. So you settle back and enjoy the show until one falls close by. Driven by your curiosity you walk over a hill to discover a hole in a nearby sand pit with smoke bellowing out. The smoke abates so you draw nearer. Then to your surprise a metal like casing extends out of the crater and long metallic tentacles burst from the enclosure!

The above is a synopsis by this writer of the opening of The War of the Worlds. It is amazing that a book written so long ago could create as much spine tingling fear as any contemporary horror novel. In fact, since the style of writing in H.G. Wells era was more graphic and readers enjoyed the power of descriptive writing, Wells provides a visual interpretation of an alien invasion that would equal any movie!!

Besides providing pure terror and adventure, The War of the Worlds can also be viewed as a study of human nature. The author investigates both individual and collective human response to an unworldly tragedy. H.G. Wells was always a student of social conditions and never tired of investigating how people interacted with those around them and the society in which they lived. In this novel, the author creates an external threat and builds a sociological study around projected human response.

If this sounds complicated, don’t worry because the author creates unworldly terror and entertainment as he educates you in such areas as psychology and sociology. Seldom does a novel become a classic unless it both entertains and educates. The War of the Worlds is considered by critics to be classic precisely because it does both in a highly creative fashion.

NARRATOR REVIEW

Roy Avers is considered to be one of the top narrators amongst a host of great readers who specialize in making the printed word available to the visually and physically challenged. His achievements are numerous and to win the coveted Scourby Award is a testament to his narrative achievements. Yet, this listener finds his voice to be somewhat raspy and wispy at times. I do admit that Avers excels in providing the appropriate tonality in relationship to the plot so that the book becomes literally alive!!

Library News

The National Library Service is actively at work creating their own out-of-this-world experience. It’s not a spaceship but close. For the proposed digital talking-book machine may well provide a listening experience never encountered by any mere mortal.

Michael Katzmann, N.L.S. Engineering head, will coordinate efforts between the National Library Service and technological experts at Battelle Laboratories in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle has subcontracted with Human Ware Group ( formerly VisuAide), the National Federation of the Blind, and the Trace Center of the University of Wisconsin to develop a machine and cartridges that the machine will play. According to NLS director Frank Kurt Cylke, “The digital talking-book system will be designed specifically for blind and physically handicapped users. Unlike audio players aimed at the general consumer, ours will use tactile features, color differences, and large-print labels to inform users with various kinds of visual impairments about its functions.”

The transformation from current technology to this new “out-of-this- world” digital format is scheduled to invade the earth by 2008. But don’t worry, for those of you who wish to avoid this new human experience, we will continue to provide the standard cassette format.

(Comments and questions regarding “BookTalk” should be
directed to Reader Advisement Librarian Henry Hayden at hhayden@lib.az.us)

 

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Updated:  10/6/2006

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