Review by Jamie McNeil
Adaptations of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds are plentiful in film, radio, games and literature, but few recent versions stay true to the original’s era or its commentary on the horrors of war, the arrogance of empire, and the way crisis exposes both fascism and kindness. Ian Edginton and D’Israeli’s Scarlet Traces is a rare exception.
The series begins with the premise that the British government has repurposed abandoned Martian technology to accelerate its own military and imperial ambitions, rewriting world history against the backdrop of an ongoing alien threat. Across the earlier volumes, Edginton introduces a cast navigating dangers both domestic and cosmic, all while Britain’s complicated legacy of empire unfolds from the early 20th century through to the 1960s. Each book ends on an epic cliffhanger, and while Volume Three offered a conclusion they could easily have continued from, Edginton and D’Israeli (Matt Brooker) instead place Volume Four just weeks after the events of The War of the Worlds in 1889.
When French gold vanishes from a London bank, one of Scotland Yard’s own becomes the prime suspect. To avoid a diplomatic scandal, Detective Sergeant Bey is assigned to recover the gold and apprehend the culprits. Knowing he’ll be the scapegoat if the investigation goes wrong, Bey recruits beat cop Constable Stranks and Sergeant Penny, the lone survivor of the HMS Thunder Child. Their inquiry soon reveals that gold, silver, and mercury aren’t the only things being stolen as Londoners themselves are disappearing. Meanwhile, Kapthein Karstein is tasked by the German Kaiser with acquiring a Martian machine to further the Kaiser’s imperial ambitions.
Volume Four carries a sinister air as all these threads converge on a deadly threat. Edginton and D’Israeli maintain the undertone of fear and hopelessness that defined the earlier books, delivering another strong entry in the series. Edginton continues to explore how crisis reshapes people, for better or worse. Danger comes from every direction, including Bey’s own government, and the plot keeps you braced for disaster. Yet the cast remains emotionally engaging: Bey striving to prove himself beyond an unspoken family legacy; Stranks burdened by regret for failing to protect his beat; Penny wrestling with survivor’s guilt; Karstein torn between personal honour and loyalty to a Kaiser whose ambitions may be misguided. As always with Edginton’s writing, it’s the human element resonates most strongly.
Artistically, D’Israeli shifts his style for each volume to suit its tone and era. Here he uses sepia palettes punctuated by brighter colours during action sequences, giving London a vivid 1889 feel. The city’s eerie emptiness, its usual bustle muted by the aftermath of invasion, heightens the tension. When crowds do appear, they’re frightened and furious, convinced their government has abandoned them. It’s a tinderbox waiting for a spark. The action, when it erupts, is inventive and striking. D’Israeli’s style is distinctive, but he’s never afraid to adjust it for maximum impact, and this is another example of that boldness.
Scarlet Traces Volume Four continues a ripping yarn. Fans will spot familiar faces from Volume One, neatly tying earlier events together while leaving space for future stories. While the earlier books leaned heavily into scathing social commentary, Edginton strikes a more hopeful note here without losing sight of humanity’s greed and ambition. Scarlet Traces remains class and one of the most powerful adaptations of its source material.
