-
Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Musical Drama
- An Audible Original Drama
- Narrated by: Michael Sheen, Taron Egerton, Theo James, Adrian Edmondson, Anna-Marie Wayne
- Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins
- Categories: Arts & Entertainment, Audio Performances & Dramatizations
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $21.81
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's Summary
When H. G. Wells first published The War of The Worlds in 1898, the novel quickly became a sci-fi classic. The story of extraterrestrials from Mars invading Earth captured the public’s imagination, inspiring a famed 1938 radio broadcast with Orson Welles, several feature films, countless video games, and a best-selling musical concept album by Jeff Wayne in 1978, among others.
Immersing listeners in a world that is as thrilling as it is desolate, Jeff Wayne’s eerie and pulsating score brings the suspense, drama, and urgency of Wells’s original novel to a fever pitch in this Audible Original Drama. Michael Sheen headlines an ensemble cast of talented performers that also includes Taron Egerton, Adrian Edmondson, Theo James, and Anna-Marie Wayne.
©2018 Music Masters: Sony Music Entertainment
©2018 Existing compositions: Universal Music Publishing Group, Jeff Wayne Music (Publishing) Ltd
©2018 Newly composed music: Jeff Wayne Music (P)2018 Audible, Ltd
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea & The Mysterious Island
- Two BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: Jules Verne
- Narrated by: Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, full cast, Kerry Gooderson, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jules Verne's two novels featuring Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island), condensed down to two thrilling hours. In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, marine scientist Professor Aronnax and his stowaway daughter, Connie, join whaler Ned Land aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln to hunt an aggressive sea monster, believed to be a giant narwhale. When they engage the monster, they find to their astonishment it's an electrically powered submarine, the Nautilus, technologically far superior to any vessel known.
-
-
good stuff overall - shorter than i exected.
- By Jorge on 02-23-20
By: Jules Verne
-
Classic Radio Sci-Fi: BBC Drama Collection
- Five BBC radio full-cast dramatisations
- By: H G Wells, Stanislaw Lem, Karel Čapek, and others
- Narrated by: William Gaunt, full cast, Robert Glenister, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five seminal science fiction classics are brought vividly to life in these gripping BBC Radio dramatisations, with casts including Robert Glenister, William Gaunt, Carleton Hobbs and Joanne Froggatt. Titles include Frankenstein (1994), The Time Machine (2009), The Lost World (1975), R.U.R. (1989) and Solaris (2007). Accompanying this collection is a bonus PDF file featuring extensive sleeve notes by Andrew Pixley.
-
-
CHAPTER LIST:
- By Anonymous User on 08-28-18
By: H G Wells, and others
-
The Sandman
- By: Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs
- Narrated by: Riz Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When The Sandman, also known as Lord Morpheus - the immortal king of dreams, stories and the imagination - is pulled from his realm and imprisoned on Earth by a nefarious cult, he languishes for decades before finally escaping. Once free, he must retrieve the three “tools” that will restore his power and help him to rebuild his dominion, which has deteriorated in his absence.
-
-
absolutely Epic!
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 07-16-20
By: Neil Gaiman, and others
-
The War of the Worlds (Dramatized)
- By: Orson Welles
- Narrated by: Orson Welles
- Length: 56 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the evening of October 30th, 1938, Earth went to war with Mars. Martians invaded New Jersey! Here is the famous panic-inducing broadcast that shook the world, starring Orson Welles.
-
-
Great Romp in History
- By Mark Mahar on 03-23-15
By: Orson Welles
-
The War of the Worlds
- By: H. G. Wells
- Narrated by: Michael Scott
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This story begins at an observatory in England where the narrator witnesses explosions on Mars. This event is followed by what is thought to be a meteor landing not far from the observatory. Once the narrator travels to the spot of the meteor landing he discovers it is actually a cylinder and the cylinder contains Martians. The story chronicles the Martian attacks throughout many parts of England, even devastating London and the narrator escapes with many chilling and near death adventures.
-
-
bad narrator
- By Laura Wishart on 08-09-19
By: H. G. Wells
-
H.G. Wells: The Science Fiction Collection
- By: H. G. Wells
- Narrated by: Hugh Bonneville, Jason Isaacs, Sophie Okonedo, and others
- Length: 27 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Known as ‘The Father of Science Fiction’, Herbert George Wells’ writing career spanned over 60 years. He was a writer of novels, short stories, nonfiction books and articles. As a young man, Wells won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in London, sparking his infamous vocation as a science fiction writer. Introduced by film director and H. G. Wells fanboy Eli Roth, this collection features unabridged recordings of the novels performed by Hugh Bonneville, Jason Isaacs, Sophie Okonedo, David Tennant and Alexander Vlahos.
-
-
Largely enjoyable.
- By lk on 06-24-19
By: H. G. Wells
-
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea & The Mysterious Island
- Two BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: Jules Verne
- Narrated by: Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, full cast, Kerry Gooderson, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jules Verne's two novels featuring Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island), condensed down to two thrilling hours. In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, marine scientist Professor Aronnax and his stowaway daughter, Connie, join whaler Ned Land aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln to hunt an aggressive sea monster, believed to be a giant narwhale. When they engage the monster, they find to their astonishment it's an electrically powered submarine, the Nautilus, technologically far superior to any vessel known.
-
-
good stuff overall - shorter than i exected.
- By Jorge on 02-23-20
By: Jules Verne
-
Classic Radio Sci-Fi: BBC Drama Collection
- Five BBC radio full-cast dramatisations
- By: H G Wells, Stanislaw Lem, Karel Čapek, and others
- Narrated by: William Gaunt, full cast, Robert Glenister, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five seminal science fiction classics are brought vividly to life in these gripping BBC Radio dramatisations, with casts including Robert Glenister, William Gaunt, Carleton Hobbs and Joanne Froggatt. Titles include Frankenstein (1994), The Time Machine (2009), The Lost World (1975), R.U.R. (1989) and Solaris (2007). Accompanying this collection is a bonus PDF file featuring extensive sleeve notes by Andrew Pixley.
-
-
CHAPTER LIST:
- By Anonymous User on 08-28-18
By: H G Wells, and others
-
The Sandman
- By: Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs
- Narrated by: Riz Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When The Sandman, also known as Lord Morpheus - the immortal king of dreams, stories and the imagination - is pulled from his realm and imprisoned on Earth by a nefarious cult, he languishes for decades before finally escaping. Once free, he must retrieve the three “tools” that will restore his power and help him to rebuild his dominion, which has deteriorated in his absence.
-
-
absolutely Epic!
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 07-16-20
By: Neil Gaiman, and others
-
The War of the Worlds (Dramatized)
- By: Orson Welles
- Narrated by: Orson Welles
- Length: 56 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the evening of October 30th, 1938, Earth went to war with Mars. Martians invaded New Jersey! Here is the famous panic-inducing broadcast that shook the world, starring Orson Welles.
-
-
Great Romp in History
- By Mark Mahar on 03-23-15
By: Orson Welles
-
The War of the Worlds
- By: H. G. Wells
- Narrated by: Michael Scott
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This story begins at an observatory in England where the narrator witnesses explosions on Mars. This event is followed by what is thought to be a meteor landing not far from the observatory. Once the narrator travels to the spot of the meteor landing he discovers it is actually a cylinder and the cylinder contains Martians. The story chronicles the Martian attacks throughout many parts of England, even devastating London and the narrator escapes with many chilling and near death adventures.
-
-
bad narrator
- By Laura Wishart on 08-09-19
By: H. G. Wells
-
H.G. Wells: The Science Fiction Collection
- By: H. G. Wells
- Narrated by: Hugh Bonneville, Jason Isaacs, Sophie Okonedo, and others
- Length: 27 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Known as ‘The Father of Science Fiction’, Herbert George Wells’ writing career spanned over 60 years. He was a writer of novels, short stories, nonfiction books and articles. As a young man, Wells won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in London, sparking his infamous vocation as a science fiction writer. Introduced by film director and H. G. Wells fanboy Eli Roth, this collection features unabridged recordings of the novels performed by Hugh Bonneville, Jason Isaacs, Sophie Okonedo, David Tennant and Alexander Vlahos.
-
-
Largely enjoyable.
- By lk on 06-24-19
By: H. G. Wells
-
Arkham County
- An Audible Original Drama
- By: Guy Adams, AK Benedict
- Narrated by: David Annen, Emily Barber, Burn Gorman, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lying northeast of Massachusetts, just south of Hell, Arkham County is somewhere you find yourself, not somewhere you ever mean to go. Once you do find it though, you'd better get used to living there, as you may be there for however long you have left to live.
-
-
Get rid of the background noise!
- By c.bohm on 11-19-20
By: Guy Adams, and others
-
John Wyndham: A BBC Radio Drama Collection
- Six classic BBC radio adaptations
- By: John Wyndham
- Narrated by: Bill Nighy, Peter Sallis, Barbara Shelley
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill Nighy, Barbara Shelley and Peter Sallis are among the cast in six classic BBC Radio dramatisations of stories by one of Britain's most popular science fiction authors. 'The Day of the Triffids', first broadcast in 1968, is set in a world in which most people have been left blind after a meteor shower, and lethal carnivorous triffids are roaming the land. 'The Kraken Wakes', dramatised for radio in 1998, is a gripping story of monsters from the deep, alien invasion and ecological disaster.
-
-
coocoo's
- By Dr. Joe de Beauchamp on 02-21-19
By: John Wyndham
-
Me
- Elton John Official Autobiography
- By: Elton John
- Narrated by: Elton John, Taron Egerton
- Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his first and only official autobiography, music icon Elton John reveals the truth about his extraordinary life, from his roller-coaster lifestyle as shown in the film Rocketman, to becoming a living legend.
-
-
A Book as Extraordinary as Elton
- By Tracey Brown on 10-17-19
By: Elton John
-
Dark Adventure Radio Theatre: Masks of Nyarlathotep
- By: H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society
- Narrated by: H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dark Adventure Radio Theatre: Masks of Nyarlathotep is an epic tale of globe-trotting adventure inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, presented as a 1930s-style radio drama. Dark Adventure Radio Theatre presents the tale with an absurdly large cast of professional actors, exciting sound effects and thrilling original music by Troy Sterling Nies. Now, in partnership with Chaosium, we've adapted their most famed and beloved game supplement of all time - Masks of Nyarlathotep - into a fully dramatized super episode of Dark Adventure Radio Theatre.
-
-
Great Lovecraftian style adaptation!
- By Brothanoomsy on 01-08-20
-
EC Comics Presents...The Vault of Horror!
- By: Johnny Craig, Jack Davis, Jules Feiffer, and others
- Narrated by: Kevin Grevioux, Phil Proctor, Denise Poirier, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the history of horror comics was written, one name stood and still stands above the rest: EC Comics. With equal parts suspense, gore, camp, and revenge, the triumvirate of EC’s horror output laid the groundwork for what was to come from many of the genre’s greatest writers and directors. Now, AudioComics (a division of Pocket Universe Productions) presents EC’s The Vault of Horror, its stories adapted and presented in an audiorich fully immersive setting complete with a full cast, scoring, and soundscapes.
-
-
Absolutely AMAZING tribute to EC Comics
- By Mr. LBW on 10-26-19
By: Johnny Craig, and others
-
Carmilla
- By: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
- Narrated by: Phoebe Fox, Rose Leslie, David Tennant, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Audible Originals bring you a brand new audiobook adaptation of J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic gothic novella, Carmilla - starring Rose Leslie ( Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey), David Tennant ( Doctor Who and Broadchurch) and Phoebe Fox ( Life in Squares and The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death)
-
-
Darkly atmospheric
- By Charli on 03-11-16
-
Treasure Island
- An Audible Original Drama
- By: Robert Louis Stevenson, Marty Ross - adaptation
- Narrated by: Philip Glenister, Daniel Mays, Catherine Tate, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Audible Originals takes to the high seas to bring to life this timeless tale of pirates, lost treasure maps and mutiny. When weathered old sailor Billy Bones arrives at the inn of young Jim Hawkins' parents, it is the start of an adventure beyond anything he could have imagined. When Bones dies mysteriously, Jim stumbles across a map of a mysterious island in his sea chest, where X marks the spot of a stash of buried pirate gold.
-
-
Hard to listen to.
- By G. Vanlo on 09-11-19
By: Robert Louis Stevenson, and others
-
Escape from Virtual Island
- An Audio Comedy
- By: John Lutz
- Narrated by: Paul Rudd, Jack McBrayer, Sue Galloway, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the year 2038, there’s only one destination that can play host to the world’s wealthiest adventure seekers: the Pengalaman Island Resort and Virtual Reality Theme Park. Located on a private South Pacific island, guests here live out their wildest fantasies in custom-made virtual reality simulations while also enjoying the usual amenities of an exclusive five-star getaway. All is relatively breezy until famed billionaire and avid guest, Mr. Wagner, goes missing within a virtual simulation. His only hope? A daring rescue led by Derek Ambrose and his ragtag search party.
-
-
Talented, but relied too heavily on one thing.
- By happydisabledmom on 04-07-20
By: John Lutz
-
Alien III
- An Audible Original Drama
- By: William Gibson
- Narrated by: Tom Alexander, Barbara Barnes, Michael Biehn, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Father of cyberpunk William Gibson’s original script for Alien III, written in 1987 as a sequel to Aliens, never made it to our screens, although it went on to achieve cult status among fans as the third instalment that might have been after being leaked online. This terrifying, cinematic multicast dramatisation - directed by the multi-award-winning Dirk Maggs - is the chance to experience William Gibson’s untold story and its terrifying, claustrophobic and dark encounters between humans and aliens, as a completely immersive audio experience.
-
-
The movie that should have been!
- By Mary Karowski on 11-09-19
By: William Gibson
-
Planet Hulk
- A Novel of the Marvel Universe
- By: Greg Pak, Marvel
- Narrated by: Richard Rohan, Full Cast
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Betrayed by Earth's heroes and exiled into outer space, the man-monster known as the Incredible Hulk has landed on the distant planet Sakaar, ruled by the tyrannical Red King. Sold into slavery, the Hulk becomes the Green Scar, the planet's mightiest gladiator! But his new masters get more than they bargained for when he forges a bond of brotherhood with his fellow fighters: crafty insectoid Miek, the horrific Brood, wise rock-man Korg, Shadow Warrior Hiroim, noble-born rebel Elloe, and her loyal guardsman Skee. Together, these gladiators start a revolution.
-
-
why did they change the ending? ol
- By Amazon Customer on 11-01-20
By: Greg Pak, and others
-
Peter Pan
- An Audible Original Drama
- By: J. M. Barrie
- Narrated by: Adeel Akhtar, Rupert Everett, Gerran Howell, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story begins at home in London during The Blitz, and Mary Darling is planning to evacuate her children to the countryside. However, her plans take an unexpected turn when a familiar face from her childhood returns...the one and only Peter Pan, the mysterious boy from Kensington Gardens. Intrigued by their mother’s friend, Wendy, Michael and John seek Peter Pan out, resulting in them being whisked off to Neverland and setting up home with Peter, Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys.
-
-
Enjoyed narration but puzzled by "updated" story
- By CarrieO on 12-16-19
By: J. M. Barrie
-
The H G Wells BBC Radio Collection
- Dramatisations and Readings Including the Time Machine, The War of the Worlds & Other Science Fiction Classics
- By: H.G. Wells
- Narrated by: Amy Hoggart, Bernard Cribbins, Bill Nighy, and others
- Length: 29 hrs and 12 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
H. G. Wells wrote dozens of novels and short stories and is often called the 'father of science fiction'. Here we collect together the works of H. G. Wells as broadcast on BBC Radio. With full-cast dramatisations of novels including The Time Machine, The Island of Dr Moreau, The War of the Worlds, Ann Veronica, The First Men in the Moon and The Wonderful Visit; plus readings of The Invisible Man, Love and Mr Lewisham and several short stories including The Inexperienced Ghost and In the Abyss.
By: H.G. Wells
Go Behind the Scenes with Michael Sheen, Taron Egerton, and Jeff Wayne
Our favorite moments from Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Musical Drama
About the Creator
Born in Forest Hills, New York, Jeff Wayne is an award-winning composer, arranger, conductor, and producer for stage, film, TV, records, advertising, and interactive projects. His 1978 hit musical interpretation, Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, continues to be one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history, and has been the basis for countless performances and tours for audiences worldwide. The progressive creation struck a power chord with audiences, selling millions of copies around the world, and inspired a 1999 Play Station video game, a laser light show, and a 2016 stage production on London’s West End.
About the Performer
Michael Sheen spent much of his early career on the stage, with his performances in Amadeus and Look Back in Anger being nominated for Olivier Awards. Michael has become better known as a screen actor, in particular through his roles in various biopics such as Tony Blair in The Queen, as Kenneth Williams in BBC Four's Fantabulosa!, and David Frost in Frost/Nixon. In 2013, he received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Masters of Sex.
About the Performer
Taron Egerton rose to fame with starring roles in films such as Kingsman: The Secret Service and the sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Taron has played Olympic ski jumper Eddie Edwards in Eddie the Eagle, and showed off his musical prowess in the animated film, Sing. He takes on two iconic roles as Robin of Loxley in the 2018 film, Robin Hood, and as Elton John in the upcoming Rocketman.
Audible Originals
We’re raising the bar on audio entertainment with these original listens produced in the Audible studios.



Scripted Audio
Next level listening with big stars, immersive, cinematic storytelling, and rich sound design.



20 Best Sci-Fi Listens
There’s a certain magic in losing yourself in the imaginative world of science fiction. Settle in as reality fades away.



What listeners say about Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Musical Drama
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Matt
- 12-03-18
Wonderful production paired with a classic story.
I've loved Jeff Wayne's rendition of 'The War of the Worlds' ever since I was a kid. So once I heard of this audiobook I immediately had to get it. After listening to it in practically a single sitting I was not disappointed and was impressed with how this turned out
If you're thinking about getting this, please understand this is not an unabridged telling of H.G. Wells' classic, nor is this a complete recreation of Jeff Wayne's musical; It is it's own thing. While the story beats are identical, with just extremely minor changes to help make the audiobook flow better. The narrative here is classic and well put together, as to be expected judging from the source material.
As you can tell by the credits, there are a good deal of narrators, each playing individual characters from the novel, and each one does a spectacular performance. Michael Sheen does a jaw dropping job playing the main character (dubbed George in this rendition). You can feel the despair and loss as the story continues through his delivery. I was especially surprised with Anna-Marie Wayne's performance as George's wife. I wasn't familiar with her previous works but she blew it out of the water here. Everyone did a spectacular performance, and all the different characters were fun and interesting to listen to. Kudos all around.
Now, we get to Jeff Wayne himself. His music from the Next Generation version of the musical is used all throughout the book. Individual music queues, sound effects and references are used in the appropriate time in the story to add the appropriate atmosphere. When the main character is at Horsell Common and you've heard Jeff Wayne's musical before; you already know what is being played in the background. However this isn't a complete copy and paste from the musical. There is some original or remixed pieces of music created for this, and that variation did actually keep me more interested. Also there is no singing in the audiobook, which means no Spirit of Man, Thunder Child, Eve of the War or Forever Autumn. There are call backs to it, but... we don't get to hear Justin Hayward singing about how the winter winds will be much colder in this rendition.
I could go on about the sound design, and production quality, but this review is getting long enough as it is (I didn't mean to write an essay. Haha). If you can't tell, I absolutely adore this audiobook. It captures the fantastic story about an empire's fall that helped defined a genre, paired with the music we've loved so well. If you're a fan of the classic H.G. Wells' novel and have yet to listened to Jeff Wayne's musical, or if you're a fan of both. Do yourself a favor and pick this up. You won't be disappointed.
19 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Charles Duncan
- 11-30-18
Unexpected and Amazing
I grew up in the 80s and 90s listening to the Jeff Wayne musical of War of the World on vinyl as my dad was a fan of it from the very beginning. WotW has been a part of my life practically since I was born, and it is important to me as something I shared with my dad who passed away about 12 years ago. I found out about this shortly after waking up this morning, and I had purchased it before I even had time to realize what I was doing. I do not regret this decision. The story is great (even with the deviations from the original, which I actually quite enjoyed.) The acting is great. The music is great. I just wish my dad was still alive so he could listen to this.
30 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Linda
- 12-01-18
HG Wells meets Jeff Wayne
A more or less full cast production of the novel set against the backdrop of Jeff Wayne's wonderful musical score. I have the original version of Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds Musical Drama, and at first I missed Richard Burton as the Voice of the Narrator, but Michael Sheen did a wonderful job, as did the rest of the cast. I felt I was there in several spots. Very well done, very much enjoyed, very highly recommended if you're looking for a one sitting listen. And even if you're not.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 12-18-18
Strange and wonderful
Let me preface my review by saying that I have always been an avid fan of nineteenth century European literature, especially British. Wells' War of the Worlds is along my favorites, I've read it several times. Also, I've never heard of Wayne's musical from the eighties, until I read about it in a review here a few days ago, nor am I a big fan of musicals.
I almost stopped listening to this in the first chapter, but pressed on, and I'm so happy that I did, because I very much enjoyed this musical. My first impression was that the music did not match the story, in my mind I was expecting the music to match the period. The music is a strange mix of mostly eighties arcade video game music, with occasional eighties rock and disco-like music, and even a few hints of dubstep. While I was initially appalled that one of my favorite classics would be defiled in this way, it really grew on me and, strangely, I came to like it.
The sound effects were incredible, they did a fantastic job of painting a mental picture of the details of the story and creating mood...dread, hope, wonder, etc. The acting was excellent, and although the story deviated from the original by using the protagonist's wife as a major character, it worked very well.
One thing that I did very much dislike about this musical was the addition of things and ideas from the wrong century. For example, the use of a gender-neutral pronoun (a 21st century concept) and a mosque in Victorian London (which did not exist until the 20th century). These details may seem minor, but they distract the listener from the story and show that the writer did not do any homework before altering the original story.
Overall, this was amazing and I would highly recommend it, but with a warning not to expect the original Victorian version, but rather a Rocky Horror Picture Show version.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- GWhizYMe
- 12-03-18
Beautifully Done
First, I have been a huge fan of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds since the original came out in 1978. I have collected nearly every version and format released since then, including the computer game.
This version is amazing. It focuses more on the drama instead of the music, but the music is still there and sounds as great as it ever did. This is a good thing as this is a drama and the music is the focus on all of the previous albums and concerts.
The performances are all top-notch.
This version really adds some great new elements to the story, as well as keeping of the best parts of the original.
As a huge fan of the original I absolutely loved this. If you have not ever heard the original, I would suggest that you should listen to it first. I believe that you might enjoy this more if you did. This is just a suggestion though; I think you will love this either way.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Arin
- 12-04-18
Updated War of the Worlds
A very interesting remix. I have long been a fan of Jeff Wayne’s musical and having his additions on music to the book was striking. Michael Sheen as the journalist was fantastic as was Taron Edgerton.
My biggest complaint was that the songs weren’t in this version, just the background and symphonic stuff. I kept breaking out into song when I expected the music to lead that way.
Weird to see the heat ray shifted away from the Ulla that I am familiar with, but I understand the change.
All told, well done!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dustin Fisher
- 12-14-18
A radio style drama is very fitting
Since this is based off of the musical, it finds a very natural home as a radio drama. Imagine the musical, but with the story fleshed out, foley sounds and instrumental music added and that is what you get. The cast performs brilliantly in telling the story with the music and sound effects. The music itself is very recognizable to fans of the musical- there are classic themes such as the Eve of the War, Forever Autumn and the Spirit of Man woven throughout. There is a slight update/difference to the music, for instance- Thunder Child's theme now includes some subtle (?!) dub-step, which actually fits very well and tastefully within the music, the Spirit of Man has a brass horn rendition that is very emotional, and many other classic themes have wonderful additions/differences, and yet still remain very recognizable.
All in all this is an excellent rendition of the story with Jeff Wayne's oversight keeping it on track. I think it would work on it's it's own without prior knowledge of the musical, as it is very fittingly told as a radio style drama, but I will be interested to see the reviews of people who have no experience with the musical.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mossias
- 12-14-18
What a performance!
It is not what expected at all, but also what I was hoping for and so...so much more.
The voice acting, background sounds and sound effects, it was all so effortlessly easy to immerse yourself into.
Good job audible, this is beyond perfection.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dad / Husband (who rarely reviews)
- 11-29-18
It's different...
Less music and more story make for something different with plenty of callbacks. Still great.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jorge
- 02-27-20
Fantastic, a must listen
I actually had an older Audible version of this book - just a straight forward, unabridged narration of the book. Yawn... never finished it.
This version of the book is something special - they really brought the story to life with the music and talented voice actors - no expenses spared for this production.
I hope I can find more titles similar to this...
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- AJ Poulter
- 05-22-19
Great, but…
I love Jeff Wayne’s ‘The War of the Worlds’, and I love the source material from the great H.G. Wells - so in balance I should’ve completely loved this fusion of the two. And I kind of did. Except that for me it somewhat fell between two stools. There was far too much music for an audiobook (though to be fair it didn’t claim to be one); but not enough of the music in a single contiguous block to let you enjoy it as music. I do recommend it still as it was very good - but for most listeners there will be either too much or too little music. Or possibly both.
27 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Simon
- 11-29-18
Stunning Interpretation of Jeff Wayne's Classic!
If like me you still get a small frisson thinking of the words, No-one would have believed . . . they drew their plans against us, then put this right on your wish list! I can still remember the sheer awe I felt as a young lad when I started to listen to the cassette tapes I had received for my birthday and Burton's chilling opening words came out of the speakers like it was yesterday. Forty years on and this new version had me absolutely captivated from start to finish.
It's the same story, just completely remixed and with a lot of additional sound and detail. That sound is fantastic, like many of the great bands the bass is high in the mix giving it full expression and the use of stereo is superb. Definitely one to be listened to with quality headphones and preferably not in noisy areas to get the very best out of it. There are great riffs from that glorious score, thunderous explosions and more subtle sounds too. The overall soundscape is the best I have experienced in an Audible production.
The voice acting is top quality. Anna-Marie Wayne, who is Jeff's daughter of course, as Carrie and Michael Sheen as the journalist give outstanding performances and the supporting cast don't let them down by any stretch of the imagination.
I never thought that anything could match the original. This is different and stands in its own right but those forty years were suddenly a mere instant in time and I was transported back through the decades to that same feeling of excitement that the younger Simon felt. If you can, just don the headphones, turn off the lights, shut your eyes and crank up the volume!
Absolutely superb!
123 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Tony Swinton
- 11-29-18
Just brilliant
I love the classic version with Richard Burton but this is just brilliant with added dialogue it adds so much more to a classic
I downloaded the pre order as soon as it became available and listened in one sitting
I will be sure to listen to this book again
It is in my top 5 audio books
29 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- IoBB
- 02-25-19
Sorry, poor sound control and random music
Firstly, I love his original War of the Worlds narrated musical version... but that hasn't been well merged into this. The music (instrumental only) snippets chosen for this are repetitive and random, particularly in the first half, often with too little spoken audible voice between. The spoken voice is far quieter than the music, so I'd be constantly turning the car volume up and down by 12 or more volume steps. some voices are quieter than others, Carrie's for example I'd have to turn up to the car's maximum just to hear. It could have been a great recording but it's not one I'll listen to again... I'll stick with the narrated musical version i bought nearly 30 years ago instead!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Karl
- 12-05-18
Very, Very Good!
Short review: Superb production of the book and the musical blended into a sweet mixture. If your a fan, you should buy it!
Longer review:
I'm writing this review having only listened to two chapters. I could have well done this after only one. It reminds me of an idea I had a only a little time ago: I already knew the book was superb, having read it numerous times, I already knew that the musical version was utterly superb, having literally grown up listening to it countless times over the years. Create a uber-masterpiece from the two masterpieces! Have the narrative blended with the goodness of the music Jeff Wayne created, but use more, if not all of the book.
And they did it.
But who would take the narrator/journalist role? This above all was most important, but who? When I listened to the sample, I actually thought they'd used Richard Burtons' voice somehow, then read that Michael Sheen had done it. Absolutely perfect! Adrian Edmonson is brilliant! I'm getting to know the rest of the cast as I go, but I know that they WILL be exceptional performances. You have to get something like this right, and I feel they've nailed it sweetly.
Some slight niggles though, but this is mainly due to the use of the newer musical versions' music, the dance beat style portions just didn't feel right. Having said that I will say I eventually began to like the newer musical version, very well produced!
Some of the books' greatest fans may not like this production much as they may say there is too much music for it to be called an audio book as such, and so its called a audio drama/book maybe? Maybe not a musical in the true form? Well they seem to use a good portion of music, and have used pieces in different places too. Nicely done!
AND the BBC TV version of the book is just around the corner. Finally set IN THE RIGHT COUNTRY AND TIME PERIOD.
Thankyou for the time taken to read this giddy fans mumblings. Thankyou to the good people behind this production.
Now go buy it!
Very Best Regards,
Karl Hart
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- tony foggin
- 11-29-18
Brilliant Jeff Wayne does it again!!
I hope Jeff Wayne never gives up with his adaptations of his wonderful classic. What a cast as well. Michael Sheen sounds very much like the late great Richard Burton. Brilliant cast. I wonder if Jeff Wayne had a hand in choosing them also. JUST BRILLIANT!! Highly Recommended
40 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- RSLEGION
- 11-30-18
A Gripping way to listen to H. G. Wells classic
Jeff Wayne's The Musical Version of The War of the Worlds is a classic and must hear musical now this Musical Drama accompanies The Musical Version very well, I found it very gripping and at the end found I wanted more. The Musical Drama has the great instrumental music from Jeff Wayne's Musical Version along with great sound effects and audio acting. A gripping new way to tell the classic H.G. Wells story.
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- DHeppell_UK
- 11-29-18
Oooo Laaaa
If you like the original musical version by Jeff Wayne, then this is a must, the mix of Story, Drama and Music, is Nostalgic and brilliantly retold.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Dave
- 11-29-18
Amazing
An amazing array of talent and very well put together. This is War of the Worlds as it should be heard.
19 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- James Hayman
- 11-29-18
Loved the 80s version, I still have it on CD
My dad introduced me the Jeff Wanynes's 1978 World of the worlds in the mid 80's when he bought it on CD, I can;t even being to imagine how many times i listened to it over the years, now here I am 35 years later introducing my dad to the 2018 remake and believe me this version is amazing, it is a little different in that there is no singing unlike the 1978 original which did come as a bit of a surprise but not a bad one at all. This version still has the iconic music but focuses so much more on the story by H.G Wells and it is awesome!!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Sammee
- 09-28-19
Great adaptation but could have been better
The original musical was the first album that I ever owned. At the tender age of 8, it came down to a choice between War of the Worlds or a slinky for my birthday and I certainly have never regretted that choice. I have listened to it more times than I can even guess to count.
This would have been 5 stars all the way for me but for 2 things.
1. It took me a long time to get used to the motifs from the original album being used in different parts of the story but I did eventually slip away from that expectation.
2. Anna-Marie Wayne's over acting almost killed those chapters for me. There were moments that I had to force myself not to skip through that part.
Apart from that, this was a very clever adaptation which I would recommend to anyone who knows the story.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 12-08-18
The best of both novel and album
Noone would've believed, in the last years of the 19th century that H.G. Wells would change the existing genre of "Invasion fiction" by adding the terrifying inhuman Martians.
Noone would've dreamed that 80 years later a musical composer Jeff Wayne would use that story to make one of the most dramatic and intense albums of music.
And now the two meet in a stunning audio drama.
The beauty of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds, An Audio Drama is not only the addition of music but also a reexamination of the characters. In the book the protagonist is unnamed, simply being the author. However this version adds a name George (as H.G Wells himself was called that) and most interestingly his wife Carrie who narrates a portion of the story.
Together with the music and excellent acting this is the best telling of the tale.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Emily Wrayburn
- 09-03-19
great adaptation!
I was wary at first but this turned out to be as good as the original! The songs aren't performed but the performances of the actors more than make up for that.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Ella
- 08-07-19
Great idea in theory..
I firstly want to say that the performances given by Michael Sheen, Taron Egerton and the others were fantastic. Michael Sheen is a phenomenal narrator! With that being said.. Overall, the music was quite jarring and distracting from the story and narration. I did like the added sound effects BUT the music from the musical for some reason took me out of the story half of the time. I think it was the long instrumental parts which felt like it didn't belong (although some of the instrumental parts really helped move the story along). In the end, I can see what they were trying to do.. but it didn't have the pay off.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- O. G. Millin
- 03-01-21
what's not to love!
Have loved Jeff Wayne's WotW ever since i discovered the pc game in the 90s as well as the musical itself. This is an extended version with lots of flowing story elements that tie in nicely with all of the tracks from his musical production. if you love the original stuff or want something fun and quirky then this is a lovely title to add to your collection!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kurt Hepple
- 09-10-20
a job well done
I really enjoyed this story it was well done thanks for the story book it was a pleasure
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 08-28-20
Very entertaining
Loved the narration and the story! The sound effects really added to the atmosphere. I found the music a little tedious in some parts, but overall it was very enjoyable! The voice actors did an amazing job
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 08-05-20
Absolutely Awesome!
Thoroughly enjoyed the choice of narrators for this rendition of my childhood favourite. Well Done!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 06-07-20
...an incredible experience.
Wow, what an incredible experience. From the moment Michael Sheen began talking, I fell in love with this audio drama. I think the music was effective in keeping me immersed, along with the sound effects, and the actors did a wonderful job. Sometimes, Anna-Marie Wayne teetered on the overdramatic side, however, I still found her parts enjoyable. I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout, even though I already know the story. I highly rate this and will tell all of my friends to give it a listen.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Lyndsie
- 04-03-20
overall an entertaining listen
I should start by saying I'm a fan of the original Jeff Wayne war of the worlds so it was great to hear the music, it was a more polished sound.This is not a musical so you won't hear any singing but it blends the music with the story and the result was great.i did however find the music at the end of each chapter a bit repetitive but it didn't annoy me enough to stop listening.I like the music in the middle of the story it just added to the tension, this is not a bedtime audio book that's for sure.I am a big fan of Michael sheen as both an actor and narrator he performed the role of the writer very well and I also enjoyed hearing the story from Carrie's perspective.I will definetly listen to it again