Wells-meets-Welles: Best War of Both Worlds

Before ensuring his cinematic immortality through the 1941 drama Citizen Kane—which he co-wrote, directed and starred in—Orson Welles was responsible for creating one of the most famous radio plays of all time.

The play was a loose adaptation of the 1898 novel of the same name—written by HG Wells aka "the father of science fiction"—who also gave us "The Time Machine" and "The Invisible Man".

Don't confuse this audible exclusive for an audiobook, even a dramatized one. This is that very radio play from 1938, part of the Mercury Theatre anthology series. The play is presented as a regular radio program that starts getting interrupted by news bulletins reporting increasingly alarming incidents of an alien invasion. It was Welles who conceived of the idea; and he plays the part of astronomy professor Richard Pierson, as well as that of the narrator. Legend has it that some people who tuned in late and missed the introduction of the play actually believed that Martians were indeed taking over and starting fleeing outside in panic, though contemporary journalists claim this story to be exaggerated.

It's a very well-acted and well-produced play. So well, in fact, that it hardly feels dated. At 58 minutes, it doesn't take a toll on your time. At 65 rupees, it doesn't take a toll on your wallet. And it's not like you can replicate this particular experience either in the original book, or Stephen Spielberg's 2005 adaptation starring Tom Cruise, or any other of the many adaptations, for that matter. I highly recommend this to any fan of science fiction.

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