Mars Probes [Paperback]

Various (Author), Peter Crowther (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 2002

Mars has been a seminal setting for countless science fiction adventures-from the worship of Mars as the god of war, to the image of the "angry red planet," the invaders from The War of the Worlds, the mysterious "canals" of Mars, the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels set on Mars, innumerable science fiction movies set on Mars or featuring Martians who come to Earth, and of course, Ray Bradbury's classic The Martian Chronicles.

This fine volume contains seventeen imagination-grabbing tales ranging from the incredible discovery made by a native Martian species which may change the entire course of their future...to a reporter hunting down the crew of the very first mission to land on Mars...to a "rescue" mission to recover an astronaut "kidnapped" by Martians...to a Ray Bradbury Mars story never before published in the United States.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

From Ray Bradbury's gentle tale of love's conquest of fear ("The Love Affair"), never before published in the United States, to Michael Moorcock's ebullient homage to the Mars fiction of Leigh Brackett ("The Lost Sorceress of the Silent Citadel"), the 16 original stories in this collection capture the eternal fascination with the red planet. Including tales by Ian McDonald, Gene Wolfe, and other veteran sf authors, the stories in this volume range from science fantasy to high-tech adventure and belong in most libraries' sf collections.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: DAW (June 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756400880
• ISBN-13: 978-0756400880
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,452,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars The Angry Red Planet in Our Future, June 27, 2011

By 

John M. Ford "johnDC" (near DC, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mars Probes (Paperback)

Peter Crowther collects sixteen stories about Mars. They differ in tone and in their vision of the red planets future. We have learned a great deal about the fourth planet since Edgar Rice Burroughs populated it with alien life and human passions. These stories reflect that evolving perspective. Crowther sees real-world Mars colonies in our future and believes we can prepare for them by examining these well-envisioned fictional futures of Mars.

My favorite three of the sixteen stories:

Ray Bradbury's "The Love Affair" takes us to a Mars where the men and women of Earth are colonizing and growing in number, while the Martians are hiding and dying. One Martian is drawn by the beauty and danger of a woman alone.

In Alastair Reynolds' "The Real Story" a reporter interviews a man who may or may not be the first person to set foot on Mars.

In James Lovegrove's "Out of the Blue, Into the Red" a father and son exchange letters while the son is away on an expedition to Mars. Their respective views of the sky are different, yet touchingly similar.

This is an enjoyable collection with a wide range of perspectives on Mars. The story quality is moderately high, not as common for a themed collection as it is for Best of the Year anthologies. Recommended for those interested in possible futures of the red planet and also for plain, ordinary science fiction fans like me.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sixteen strong tales of Mars, June 7, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mars Probes (Paperback)

In terms of the arts and sciences, Mars apparently has been a fad as it has appears in several movies last year, space probes have visited the red planet and now this anthology center on either a voyage to or surviving on the "Angry Red Planet". The films were fine, the probes fascinating, but this collection is fabulous. The sixteen strong tales are all but one brand new. The exception is a reprint from Ray Bradbury, perhaps one of the top two well known chroniclers of the planet. Each tale brings to life Mars though the contributions vastly differ in content. The book is worth reading for its entertainment value and comparing its scientific premises to the knowledge that the NASA probes have brought with its data and pictures from the fourth planet from the sun.

Harriet Klausner