Fourth Planet from the Sun: Tales of Mars from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction [Paperback]

Gordon Van Gelder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2005

In the minds of readers and writers of science fiction and fantasy since H. G. Wells's War of the Worlds, Mars has been the hottest of topics. The fourth planet from the sun is the confirmed obsession of millions of Earthlings, and it is not a fixation that will go away. Perhaps noting the tens of millions of hits on the NASA websites during the recent exploration of Mars, President Bush has declared a manned visit to the red planet the next great goal of the space program.

The widespread passionate preoccupation with Mars, combined with the masterful storytelling of the legendary writers in this volume, will seize the imaginations of readers of any generation From the soul-searching poetry of Ray Bradbury's prose to the weirdly paranoid and baroque visions of Philip K. Dick, World Fantasy Award-winning editor Gordon Van Gelder offers some of the greatest science fiction writing on the red planet in Fourth Planet from the Sun..

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Recent publicity about the 2004 Mars rover expeditions and the perdurable popularity of such novels as Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy seem to have made anything anent the fourth planet a hot commodity inside and outside of sf. Veteran sf editor Van Gelder seizes the day by collecting Martian tales from the pages of the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Reaching into the archives, he emerges with some of the genre flagship-journal's earliest and latest Mars-related stories, and he tracks the shifting views of the red planet that sf authors have had over the years. Ray Bradbury's "Wilderness" and Arthur C. Clarke's "Crime on Mars" reflect the early view of Mars as birthplace of an old civilization. Alfred Coppel's "Mars Is Ours" and John Varley's "In the Hall of the Martian Kings" capture the more modern view of Mars as a barren wasteland. Notably included is Philip K. Dick's classic "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," the basis of the film Total Recall. Mars fanatics won't be disappointed. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press; First Edition edition (March 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560256664
• ISBN-13: 978-1560256663
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,145,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gordon Van Gelder worked as a book editor for St. Martin's Press for more than a decade. He has been the editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction since 1997. He lives in New jersey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Journey through time and space, December 20, 2005

By 

Steven Saus (Dayton, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fourth Planet from the Sun: Tales of Mars from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (Paperback)

It is rare that you can see a genre evolve in the space of a single book; this volume easily achieves that. In twelve stories collected from <U>The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction</u>, we run the gamut from space romance to modern "hard" sci-fi, all based around the theme of going to Mars. Seeing that progression of trends in a genre is enough to make this book reading all by itself.

But it's not that simple.

All of these stories, like all good sci-fi, are fundamentally about people. You don't have to appreciate what details are right (or wrong) about the tales to thoroughly enjoy them. There are stories from the masters of the genre - Clarke and Bradbury - the authors I obsessed over in college - Dick and Zelazny - and new writers I've never heard of before, but am deeply glad I've now found.

The tone ranges from almost whimsical to deeply serious. There is romance, science, social commentary... and most of all, there's deeply believable characters, whose adventures reflect on our own lives.

Let me summarize with the two highest bits of praise I can give to any writing:

Every one of these stories makes me want to read more by these authors.

All of these stories make me want to write more myself.

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, August 1, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fourth Planet from the Sun: Tales of Mars from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (Paperback)

This is definitely a good collection, as it averages 3.67. From adjusted rating formula, and story qualities that suggests 4.25, so an actual line ball. Given the editor throws in a bit of commentary and insight, and not just author bibliographies, worth rounding up to 4.5.

Fourth Planet from the Sun : The Wilderness - Ray Bradbury
Fourth Planet from the Sun : Mars Is Ours - Alfred Coppel
Fourth Planet from the Sun : Crime on Mars - Arthur C. Clarke
Fourth Planet from the Sun : Purple Prestess of the Mad Moon - Leigh Brackett
Fourth Planet from the Sun : A Rose for Ecclesiastes - Roger Zelazny
Fourth Planet from the Sun : We Can Remember It for You Wholesale - Philip K. Dick
Fourth Planet from the Sun : Hellas Is Florida - Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford
Fourth Planet from the Sun : In the Hall of the Martian Kings - John Varley
Fourth Planet from the Sun : The First Mars Mission - Robert F. Young
Fourth Planet from the Sun : The Last Mars Trip - Michael Cassutt
Fourth Planet from the Sun : The Great Martian Pyramid Hoax - Jerry Oltion
Fourth Planet from the Sun : Pictures from an Expedition - Alex Irvine


Will I stay or Will I go, now?

3.5 out of 5


East-West nuclear conflict, extended.

3.5 out of 5


Timezone tripup.

3.5 out of 5


Old time sacrifice.

3 out of 5


Martian mixing mission.

4 out of 5


Brain alteration badness.

4 out of 5


Martian life is odd.

2.5 out of 5


Local accomodations mostly plastic.

4 out of 5


Barsoom existence is rocky.

4 out of 5


Areolife assist.

4 out of 5


Wild space goose chase.

3.5 out of 5


Mars mission fishbowl celebrity isolation.

4.5 out of 5