Wade Wellman

This is a pastiche crossover novel featuring Arthur Conan Doyle's two characters Sherlock Holmes and Professor Challenger, and H.G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds. The stories within were published separately in magazines in the late 1960s, and were afterwards brought together into this single volume in 1975. The stories work well together because they recount the same events from three different perspectives, namely those of Sherlock Holmes, Professor Challenger and Doctor Watson. Eventually, these three come together to deal with the alien menace.

I was prepared to be disappointed when I started this book. However, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the execution. Although the story intentionally departs from some of what Doyle and Wells wrote, this is done in a way that makes the reader feel like they are gaining insights into previously undisclosed details regarding what occurred during the alien invasion. Having said that, I thought the Holmes character was a little weaker than the other two, and I am pretty sure Sherlock Holmes purists would find him a little hard to swallow.

If the reader comes to this novel without any knowledge of the stories it is based on, they will probably miss many of the finer points. It would therefore be a good idea at least to read the short story The Crystal Egg and the novel The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells before starting on this one. Other reading could include a couple of the original Sherlock Holmes adventures, and a story or two featuring Professor Challenger.

Although a few Americanisms present in the text were not spotted by the editors, the narrative is nevertheless a largely successful attempt to write in the style of late nineteenth-century England. And while the novel is not deep or introspective, it is certainly a well-told and enjoyable tale of deduction and adventure.



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While investigating the theft of a priceless ring Sherlock Holmes buys a crystal egg in a curios shop. While examining it he discovers a view of an alien landscape. He brings the egg to his associate Professor Challenge who also sees a foreign panorama. A few days later they read in the newspaper that astronomers have noticed gaseous explosions on Mars. The view in the crystal egg has changed to aliens in a cylindrical room. Holmes and Challenger are witnessing an alien invasion. Can these two great minds save England from hostile visitors from another world?

This is a retelling of H. G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds” through the eyes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters; Sherlock Holmes and Professor Challenger. Sherlock spends the invasion quietly observing while Challenger bulls his way through war torn England almost getting abducted by the aliens in the process. Sherlock is the first one to realize that the invaders consider humans to be below them on the evolutionary scale and there for edible. He also discovers that they are not immune to human bacterial disease. Challenger believes they are not from Mars, but used Mars as a jumping off point for invading Earth which contradicts H. G. Wells’ account. In fact John Watson, who takes turns writing the story along with Challenger’s journalist friend Edward Dunn Malone, dislikes Wells and writes him a letter printed at the end of the novel calling him out on his “fabrications.”

I read the Professor Challenger stories last year and that helped me to appreciate this novel. It’s funny to have these two characters together because it accentuates their differences. The authors did a very good job writing in the style of Conan Doyle. I have not read “The War of the Worlds”, but I was still able to enjoy this book. I do suggest that you be familiar with one of the plot elements: Sherlock, Challenger or Wells, before reading it.… (mehr)