On our drive up to
Scotland we listened to Sherwood Sound's new audio adaptation of War of the
Worlds, 'The Coming of the Martians.' It's dark and scary and has just the
right ratio of HUGE crashing, blaring noise with tense silence and almost
whispered dialogue.
I really loved it
because it feels brave: the way in which things just happen and there's no
crude attempt at over-explaining everything to the listener. When our hero is
hiding behind a door, hearing his fellow-prisoner being dragged away and eaten
by a Martian, we just have to imagine what's going in as we listen to the
crunching and slurping and sobbing. And after almost wordless scenes like this,
soon enough we hear through the dialogue what's been happening, and we get a
few more details. It's the same with describing the appearance of the Martians
themselves, and their tripod machines - the details aren't shoe-horned
awkwardly in. We are invited to imagine first... and that's important, I think.
So, overall, this
feels very much like we're eavesdropping on an alien invasion of Edwardian
England. It is submersive: plopping us down in the middle of the Common, in the
drawing rooms and the ruined London streets and the catacombs under the earth.
It does have its moments of overdone bombast in the music and sound effects,
but that's all to the good, I think - these are balanced by the very quiet
moments which rely simply on the language and the actors, as in the late scene
when we are told how the Martians are lying dead in their machines with the
birds pecking at them.
It's plain to see
this is a labour of love and I liked it very much. I'm glad I pre-ordered it
and saved it for a good long journey. It'll be something - like a handful of
other audio dramas - that feels rich enough to return to for repeated listens.
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