Mike Ashley

An antique shop owner gets a glimpse of the Red Planet through an intriguing artefact. A Martian’s wife contemplates the possibility of life on Earth. A resident of Venus describes his travels across the two alien planets.

From an arid desert to an advanced society far superior to that of Earth, portrayals of Mars have differed radically in their attempt to uncover the truth about our neighbouring planet. Since the 1880s, writers of science fiction have delighted in speculating on what life on Mars might look like and what might happen should we make contact with the planet’s inhabitants.

These ten short stories from the golden age of science fiction feature classic SF writers alongside some unjustly forgotten writers from the genre. They reveal much about how we understand our place in the universe.

The golden age of the red planet

Lost Mars

Hard to believe this was written late 19th century 😮

Amira BEN

It was provided with powerful magnets and anti-gravitating machinery, and was of the strongest materials.

On their surfaces were floating islands of the Martians, crowded with houses and factories and towers (like moving cities). On their shores were also vast edifices, where we could see the great machines of the Martians work- ing and moving. Like a huge spider's web they spread over the crimson expanse of land.

So we went on passing cities and forests, both on sea and land, on this huge masterpiece of the marvellous skill and power of the Martians-an achievement as far superior to any man has yet achieved in this age of steam and iron, as the works of human skill in the nineteenth century are superior to the works of man in the Stone Age.

3rd short story: Liking this one so far. 

I guess if Newton’s and Kepler’s Laws didn’t exist the author couldn’t have imagine this kind of story 🙃

“Then it was the Martians who destroyed Phobos by some terrible projectile or exercise of force?” I cried. 

“Yes. Evidently to attract our attention or to make an experiment.”

does it mean the more intelligent, the less empathetic you are ? 😅

“That seems too terrible, unless we suppose the Martians to have reached such a pitch of intelligence as to feel no repugnance at the idea of a world-suicide.”

“It was true, after all; quite true. Mars had died so that the earth could live. Those unknown intelligences who had supreme sacrifice to avert the full fury of the great assault. It is a thought that even yet passes human comprehension, yet it is true that a world has sacrificed itself for a world, a race of intelligent beings has blotted itself out of existence in order that another and less-intellectual race might live.”

Little did they know we will find ice on Mars a century later 😂

But haven’t found Martians that look like rabbits just yet 💀

They ran back and down into the rock and at the bottom there were slender rivers running in the dark, and long lakes arched over with shadows. In one of them stood dripping columns of sweet coolness-of ice-of life!

Am I reading an early 20th century version of Alien romance now ? 😭😭

Funny thing is the female is a Martian and she’s dreaming about a human so of course an alien from her perspective 

 “A tall man, six feet one inch tall.”

 “How absurd; a giant, a misshapen giant.” 

"Somehow"-she tried the words-"he looked all right. In spite of being tall. And he had -oh, I know you'll think it silly-he had 

 "Blue eyes! Gods!" cried Mr. K. "What'll you dreamn next? I suppose he had black hair!" 

 "I picked the most unlikely colour," he replied coldly.

 "Well, black it was!" she cried. "And he had a very white skin; oh, he was most unusual! He was dressed in a strange uniform and he came down out of the sky and spoke pleasantly to me." She smiled. 

"If you worked harder you wouldn't have these silly dreams."

“I rather enjoyed it," she replied, lying back. "I never suspected myself of such an imagination. Black hair, blue eyes, and white skin! What a strange man, and yet--quite handsome.”

Lost Mars quotes

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