The Haunting of H. G. Wells

By: Robert Masello

Narrated by: Steve West

Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

A plot against England that even the genius of H. G. Wells could not have imagined.

It’s 1914. The Great War grips the world - and from the Western Front a strange story emerges...a story of St. George and a brigade of angels descending from heaven to fight beside the beleaguered British troops. But can there be any truth to it?

H. G. Wells, the most celebrated writer of his day - author of The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man - is dispatched to find out. There, he finds an eerie wasteland inhabited by the living, the dead, and those forever stranded somewhere in between...a no-man’s-land whose unhappy souls trail him home to London, where a deadly plot, one that could turn the tide of war, is rapidly unfolding.

In league with his young love, the reporter and suffragette Rebecca West, Wells must do battle with diabolical forces - secret agents and depraved occultists - to save his sanity, his country, and ultimately the world.

©2020 Robert Masello (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Narrator Steve West superbly delivers Masello's latest historical imaginings. …West believably creates everyone from foot soldiers to Winston Churchill, from Satan worshipper Alistair Crowley to diabolical German spies, as well as anti-German locals; Wells's adoring wife, Jane; and his suffragette mistress, Rebecca West. With ghosts to lead the way, Wells and West attempt to foil a plot by occultists to destroy British lives and morale. Fascinating listening.” –Audiofile Magazine

“His blending of real and fictional events is utterly captivating. And casting the 49-year-old Wells as an action hero makes for great fun.” —Booklist

Enjoyed the story

Enjoyed how we got a fictional peak into HG Wells' life, with many tie ins to his books.

Great book

Personally hard for me to get over the overt infidelity of the protagonist, but great job by Masello and West here.

Best narration

Loved this story! Didn’t want to stop listening and finished it in 2 days. It’s read by my favorite narrator Steve West which made the book even better!

A great read

This was very good read. Great narrator easy to listen to. I really enjoyed the story line and the time period in which it was told. Well worth the read.

Well done supernatural historical fiction

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this book for free through Kindle Unlimited.

Audiobook Quality (5/5): I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was fantastic. I would highly recommend listening to this one on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks; West did an absolutely amazing job reading this.

Thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this. This is set mostly in WWI and involves HG Wells and a young female reporter (Rebecca West) unraveling a dastardly plot of bacterial warfare.

I really enjoyed the historical setting, the historical cast, and the slight supernatural elements (ghosts, potential cults, etc). The descriptions were fantastic and really made the settings come alive. I especially enjoyed the time spent in the trenches and underground with the ghouls; it was just very fascinating (and horrifying) to read about.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a great mystery, war story, and political thriller with some fascinating historical characters and an amazing setting. I enjoyed it and plan on checking out Masello's future books.

H. G. Wells comes to life

writer brought the events of WW 1 to life along with famous people and made you feel like you are there

Great narration...not great story

Well...I’m not really a fan of this story. It doesn’t make much sense and it is corny. The narrator did a great job with his characters and his voice is clear and calming. If you want a story that doesn’t require a bunch of thought...this would be a good one.

I liked it!

Don't expect a life altering experience, but it is an entertaining 12 hours+ listen. A solid narrated story about WWI, H.G. Wells, a few ghosts from the trenches, Winston Churchill and zeppeliner attacks. I will be checking out some of the authors earlier books because I liked this one.

Not a bad book, it just can't decide what it is.

It starts out as a somewhat historical (fictional) novel that brings in supernatural elements to help (deus ex machina) the characters solve a mystery, and adds a dash of supermarket romance-novel (traditional houswife-porn) thrown in for good measure... I got through it, but I wasn't very impressed.

Exceptional quality and historical reference

The title is good but you can't buy into it until a little way into the book. this a world wise citizen and a loyal government and an inquisitive young woman and loyal and wise woman and the trenches of world war I and brave and resolute loyal young men dying with a wish for one last kiss or a another summer of being 15. World War I as you've never thought of it before. And how close imagination and a heart can come to reality.