The First Cylinder

by Joseph Dougherty

“ No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own . . . ” And so H. G. Wells opened his thrilling The War of the Worlds in 1897. Since then millions of readers have shivered and shrieked at his depiction of a Martian invasion of Earth. The tale has become part of our cultural memory, but Wells didn' t tell the whole story. He never gave us the Martian side of the conflict. Now, Joseph Dougherty, the Emmy-winning writer who combined Raymond Chandler and H. P. Lovecraft to create the cult movie Cast a Deadly Spell, reports on the invasion of Earth from an up-close-and-personal Martian point of view. Dougherty views Wells' s epic battles from an all new, painfully modern perspective. Our narrator is Vvv, a reluctant conscript on board The First Cylinder to reach Earth in the invasion. Vvv is the Martian incarnation of all reluctant warriors, from Yossarian in Catch-22 to Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse-Five. War is hell . . . for aliens and humans alike. Sardonic and heartrending, tragic and comic, The First Cylinder is a breakout science fiction novel in the tradition of Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, and the master H. G. Wells.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 5, 2023

Reviews

[Casey Dorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Cylinder is a hilarious science fiction novel, but also one that’s a shrewd metaphor for the absurdity of human behavior. Remember H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds?” Even if you didn’t read it, most people have seen Steven Spielberg’s 2005 movie, with Tom Cruise, or perhaps even George Pal’s 1953 version with Gene Barry. It’s an enduring story. The First Cylinder is about the same Martian invasion of Earth portrayed in the original novel and the later films, but told in first person by Vvv, one of the Martians. The Introduction to the story has echoes of Orson Welles’ famous 1938 radio broadcast that convinced a large number of listeners that they were hearing a real invasion as it was happening. In the case of the novel, the Introduction is supposedly written by an executive of a publishing company, which typically published cookbooks, and details how the author brought the story to them in 1901and convinced them to publish it. An Afterward, purportedly by the author in his fictional persona as a newspaper reporter in 1900, details how the manuscript fell into his hands as an account of the Martian invasion by Vvv, dictated after his death through a medium in a series of seances.

Vvv is a hapless Martian invader, conscripted by the Martian government in a hastily and ill-planned attempt to extend their dying civilization to a new planet, but perhaps just as an activity designed to distract and pacify the Martian citizenry. The Martians are more clueless than hostile and have no idea that the humans they meet are intelligent beings and members of a highly developed civilization. They see them as Earth versions of the “cardos” they consume as a domesticated species of animal on their home planet. In fact, in their first encounter with humans, the Martians stick a straw into them and suck out their blood and innards, as they are used to doing with their own cardos, some of whom they brought with them, but who died during the flight.

Vvv tells a story, beginning with a crash landing that kills his cylinder’s pilot and the group’s leader as well as the cardos on board. He and his fellow crew members are stuck on Earth, without food, realizing that their cylinder, which was more or less shot toward Earth as a projectile, offers no means to return home. Because of the Martians’ strong ethno- and planet-centric bias, it never occurs to them that they will encounter a species that is intelligent, resourceful and lives in a civilized society, and they don’t recognize human civilization as such when they encounter it. By the end of the story, they are only just realizing their misconceptions. Up to that point, they still see humans as a slightly more intelligent version of their own cardos and have roamed our planet destroying everything they see in order to find food and clear the way for more Martians to come later. There are strong echoes of European imperialism and ethnocentric racial superiority throughout the book.

Besides becoming infected from Earth bacteria and viruses and dying one by one until only Vvv is left, the Martians, in a final revelation to Vvv, get their ultimate comeuppance when, in a vision, their race’s origin is revealed. I won’t say what that is, because it might spoil the story for some, but suffice it to say that it strikes a death blow to the Martians’ overblown assessment of their own place in the universe and the superiority of their race. In this sense, The First Cylinder is a parable, more about humans, than about fictional Martians.

Joseph Dougherty is an Emmy-award winning screenwriter, and The First Cylinder appears to be his first venture into authoring a sci-fi novel. He has produced one of the most clever and original novels within the genre. It’s great fun and a worthwhile read.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

This dad read The First Cylinder by Joseph Dougherty. Dougherty is an Emmy-winning TV producer, writer, director and playwright. The First Cylinder is a creative retelling of H.G. Wells’ groundbreaking science fiction work, The War of the Worlds, but from the perspective of the invading martians. Written with humor and emotion, Cylinder’s protagonist is Vvv, a conscript who gets more than they bargained for as their cylinder ends up being the first to successfully land on Earth. Vvv stumbles into a leadership role as the Martians stumble through their invasion and learn that Earth contains more sentient life than they expected. Taking inspiration from 1938’s panic-inducing radio drama of The War of the Worlds, The First Cylinder acts as a “found” story, one that Dougherty (the author as a character) has discovered, transcribed and is now sharing with the world.

Dougherty has crafted a clever and well-written novel that twists the science fiction genre in such a way that forces readers to ponder the question of who our enemies really are. The First Cylinder shines a light on how no one species, from any planet, truly has everything figured out. Vvv and his fellow Martians (who have similar alien-esque names like Mmm, Ppp, Qqq) display traits and qualities that are heartbreakingly and humorously human. The invading Martians have the technology and plans for their invasion but flounder as things don’t quite go the way they thought. They’re surprised by the intelligence of Earth’s denizens (or cardos, as they know the refer to them) and Vvv begins to question their motives. As the disparate aliens make their way across the planet they realize their downfall may be imminent. Can Vvv come to a greater understanding of the universe as his time on Earth comes to a close?

As a science fiction fan I enjoyed The First Cylinder. Dougherty is a more than competent writer and the subject matter is interesting. I will say that, having never read The War of the Worlds, I found some portions to be difficult to understand contextually. I think readers familiar with the source material will find more interesting connections and will greatly enjoy The First Cylinder. Dougherty does a great job of interpreting Earth concepts through a Martian’s eyes. Things like watches and locomotives are described in great detail, something that makes sense from an alien’s perspective, but often I found these descriptions almost too detailed. I found myself trying to parse out just what the Martians are seeing instead of staying grounded in the story. A small gripe, but one that could potentially be a struggle for other readers.

In all, The First Cylinder is a quick, interesting read that will surprise and delight science fiction fans. I give this book 🧢🧢🧢/ 5 – recommend with the caveat to read The War of the Worlds first for maximum enjoyment.

[Glen Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very much a novel written on two levels. The first is the outstanding writing style that captures the tone of the time. His portrayal of the invasion from the Martian perspective is very well done, and has a enough twists to keep the reader engaged.

The other level is the seemingly complete lack of continuity with the original novel this story is based on. The occupants of the cylinder witness all the major events outlined in Wells' novel. This is impossible, the two stories told in the original novel take place in separate parts of the country and the same tripod could not be present in both narratives.

The author also presents the story as one of isolation for the occupants of the first cylinder, but we know (again from Wells' novel) that three cylinders fell in a pattern roughly two miles apart and the occupants of all the cylinders became active fairly quickly.

If you are a fan of the original novel you will probably find yourself disliking this story. If have only heard about the story, or are only familiar with the later movies, then you probably have a very enjoyable read.

[Johnny Belew · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a great concept that could have been executed a little better. The idea of The War of the Worlds as seen from the hapless point of view of a reluctant Martian draftee is just brilliant. Kind of a War of the Worlds meets Catch 22. It’s very funny in places and quite poignant in others. I didn’t like The Afterward part at all.

[Tony Figueroa]

Joseph Dougherty did a wonderful job giving the Martians a heart and a soul. I think of it as a blending of H. G. Wells and Rod Serling's Twilight Zone with a sprinkling Captain Kirk's ethos.