The fate of the earth hangs in the balance as H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds is transformed from the work of one writer’s imagination into a terrifying reality for all mankind.

1898. New York socialite Emma Harlow agrees to marry well-to-do Montgomery Gilmore, but only if he first accepts her audacious challenge: to reproduce the Martian invasion featured in H. G. Wells’s popular novel The War of the Worlds. Meanwhile in London, Wells himself is unexpectedly made privy to certain objects, apparently of extraterrestrial origin, that were discovered decades earlier on an ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic. On that same expedition was an American crew member named Edgar Allan Poe, whose inexplicable experiences in the frozen wasteland would ultimately inspire him to create one of his most enduring works of literature.

When eerie, alien-looking cylinders begin appearing in London, Wells is certain it is all part of some elaborate hoax. But soon, to his great horror, he realizes that a true invasion of Earth has indeed begun. As brave bands of citizens converge on a crumbling London to defend it against utter ruin, Emma and her suitor must confront the enigma that is their love, a bright spark of hope even against the darkening light of apocalypse.

Palma dazzled readers with his instant New York Times bestseller The Map of Time. In The Map of the Sky, he embarks on an even more thrilling speculative journey, one that links the earth and the heavens, the familiar and the bizarre, the impossible and the inevitable.

About The Author

Félix J. Palma

Félix J. Palma has been acclaimed by critics as one of the most brilliant and original storytellers of our time. His devotion to the short story genre has earned him more than a hundred awards. The Map of Time, his first book published in the United States, was an instant New York Times bestseller and received the prestigious 2008 Ateneo de Sevila XL Prize. It has been published in more than thirty countries. Along with The Map of Time Trilogy, he is also the author of The Heart and Other Viscera. Palma lives in Spain. Please visit FelixJPalma.es.

Product Details

Publisher: Atria Books (September 4, 2012)
Length: 608 pages
ISBN13: 9781451660333

Raves and Reviews

“The unreal becomes real, fantasy becomes history, and the reader is thoroughly entertained by an unending parade of bafflements and surprises. This book is a complete delight.”

– K.W. Jeter author of Infernal Devices

“"The Map of the Sky" keeps the reader guessing, checking and thinking, all the while providing many sidelights on the literary history of sci-fi itself.”

– The Wall Street Journal

“This story is much akin to what Orson Welles tried on Halloween, 1938, with his radio show. This time the saucers really fly. All this, simmered in a rich broth of keen imagination, exceptional narrative control, wit, and an obvious affection for sci-fi and adventure stories and with great respect for the readers of same. Cool factor: 3-D end papers. Glasses included with first editions only.”

– Tulsa World

"A cross-genre masterpiece"

– Associated Press

“Having used H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine as the starting point for 2011’s The Map of Time, Palma now takes The War of the Worlds as the basis for this top-notch sequel…Fans of intelligent science fiction as well as historical thrillers will be rewarded.”

– Publisher's Weekly starred review

“Palma's gorgeous prose works its magic yet again...in this worthy successor to The Map of Time.”

– Library Journal

“Palma writes with shrewdness and glee.”

– The Washington Post

“Palma keeps the reader guessing, and the twists and turns coming.”

– Booklist