C. A. Powell

British author of historical and war fiction

C. A. Powell

1898: as Martian tripods lay waste to Victorian Britain, the fate of the nation is witnessed through those who fought, endured, and survived.

One author, three bodies of work, all in reading order and one click from Amazon. A six-book Victorian invasion saga, a trilogy of WWI and WWII adventure, and standalone novels spanning 567 AD to 1945.

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C. A. Powell
The Victorian War of the Worlds adaptation artworkThe Victorian War of the Worlds adaptation artworkThe Victorian War of the Worlds adaptation artwork

The Victorian War of the Worlds Adaptations

Six books, one invasion. Each volume is a different vantage on 1898: the sea, the village, the lone survivor, gathered testimonies, resistance, and finally the rebuilding. A respectful pastiche of H. G. Wells, told in the measured voice of a fading empire.

01
Cover of The Last Days of Thunder Child by C. A. Powell

The Last Days of Thunder Child

Royal Navy ironclad crew face the Martian invasion from the sea.

1898: as strange cylinders fall upon England and towering Martian tripods lay waste to Victorian Britain, the fate of the nation is witnessed from two vantage points. Aboard the ironclad H.M.S. Thunder Child, officers and seamen of the Royal Navy prepare to face an enemy beyond human understanding. Sea and shore are drawn together as invasion becomes annihilation, and duty demands the ultimate sacrifice. A respectful pastiche of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, told in the measured voice of a fading empire at the brink of extinction.

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02
Cover of The Last Days of Chivalry and Entitlement by C. A. Powell

The Last Days of Chivalry and Entitlement

A Dorsetshire village militia defends a railway station.

1898: as Martian tripods advance and Britain collapses into chaos, a quiet Dorsetshire village faces the coming invasion. Smoke rises from ruined coastal towns and the last trains carry away women and children. Too old to flee and unwilling to yield, the remaining villagers form a citizens' militia, arming themselves with three field guns and a fierce sense of duty, resolving to defend the railway station at all costs.

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03
Cover of The Last Days of the Wake Men by C. A. Powell

The Last Days of the Wake Men

The Martians Invade the Victorian Fenland.

1898: as Martian war machines continue their relentless advance across England, a man awakens from a long slumber to find his world utterly transformed, the familiar streets of Victorian Britain now a wasteland of ash and ruin. This instalment lays bare the human cost of the invasion through the eyes of one ordinary man navigating an extraordinary apocalypse.

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04
Cover of The Last Days of the Fighting Machine by C. A. Powell

The Last Days of the Fighting Machine

The Martian Apocalypse of Victorian Britain.

1898: scattered across a devastated England, survivors cling to hope amidst the ruins of civilisation. This chapter is a mosaic of accounts, diaries, letters, and testimonies, painting a portrait of humanity under siege, forming a tapestry of courage and despair in the shadow of the Martian occupation.

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05
Cover of The Last Days of Purgatory by C. A. Powell

The Last Days of Purgatory

Our Lady of Martian Slayers.

1898: the red weed spreads across the land, choking rivers and consuming the countryside as the Martian grip on Earth tightens. But whispers of resistance grow louder, as survivors of the initial onslaught begin to organise, daring to believe humanity might yet endure. A story of resilience, sacrifice, and the indomitable human spirit.

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06
Cover of The Last Days of the Four Horsemen by C. A. Powell

The Last Days of the Four Horsemen

The Fighting Machines enter Victorian Scotland.

1898: the Martians are gone, but the world they leave behind is shattered beyond recognition. Survivors face the daunting challenge of rebuilding civilisation from the ashes. A powerful and moving finale to the Victorian War of the Worlds saga, asking what it means to be human when everything you knew has been destroyed.

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The Modest Conflict Series

Three books of WWI and WWII military adventure fiction, read in order from the open skies of the Great War to a battle-worn tank crew in 1945.

01
Cover of The Red Baron's Sky by C. A. Powell

The Red Baron's Sky

A mechanic forced into the observer's seat of a WWI biplane.

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02
Cover of The Valiant Crew of the Resilient French Tank by C. A. Powell

The Valiant Crew of the Resilient French Tank

British gunners and a French tank make a last stand near Dunkirk, 1940.

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03
Cover of Déjà vu McGrew and his Tank Crew by C. A. Powell

Déjà vu McGrew and his Tank Crew

A battle-worn WWII tank crew faces new dread before the Reichswald campaign, 1945.

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Stand Alone Novels

Elsewhere in history: a WWI trench thriller, a dark fairy tale, a Dark Ages quest, and Ireland in the turbulent summer of 1920.

Cover of THE KIND ELEPHANT MEN by C. A. Powell

THE KIND ELEPHANT MEN

WWI trench mystery and thriller, November 1918.

£13.99 / £10.99 / £4.99

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Cover of Never Let Them Kiss You by C. A. Powell

Never Let Them Kiss You

A dark fairy tale set in the New Forest.

£9.99 / £4.99

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Cover of The Black and Tan Summer by C. A. Powell

The Black and Tan Summer

Ireland, 1920, the Irish War of Independence.

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About C. A. Powell

C. A. Powell is a British author writing Victorian science-fiction pastiche and historical and war fiction. His work is known for being well-researched and character-driven, spanning the Dark Ages, the First World War, the Second World War, and the Irish War of Independence.

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Reader Praise

“Well-researched and character-driven. A respectful pastiche that honours Wells while standing entirely on its own.”

Reader review, The Last Days of Thunder Child

“Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars from 2 reviews.”

Amazon rating, The Red Baron's Sky

“The measured, sombre voice of a fading empire. You feel the weight of every sacrifice.”

Reader praise, Victorian War of the Worlds series