Difference between revisions of "Mars Science Fiction"
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| − | Science Fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculation based on current trends in science or technology. It can be termed speculative fiction that encompasses creative works or works of fantasy that include imaginative elements not found in current reality. Today's library shelves often are labeled "science fiction/fantasy" because they include both types of stories. | + | Science Fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculation based on current trends in science or technology. See [[:Category:Art|Category:Art]] |
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| + | It can be termed speculative fiction that encompasses creative works or works of fantasy that include imaginative elements not found in current reality. Today's library shelves often are labeled "science fiction/fantasy" because they include both types of stories. | ||
Science fiction differs from fantasy in that the elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature. Science fantasy is largely based on writing entertainingly and rationally about alternate possibilities in settings that are contrary to known reality.<ref>Goodreads[https://www.goodreads.com/genres/science-fiction]</ref> One should note that the works of Edward R. Burroughs - The john Carter on Mars Series - would properly be termed fantasy today, but early in the 20th century when they were written, some scientists believed there was evidence for water-containing canals on Mars, so then one might have categorized the John Carter series as science fiction and not fantasy. | Science fiction differs from fantasy in that the elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature. Science fantasy is largely based on writing entertainingly and rationally about alternate possibilities in settings that are contrary to known reality.<ref>Goodreads[https://www.goodreads.com/genres/science-fiction]</ref> One should note that the works of Edward R. Burroughs - The john Carter on Mars Series - would properly be termed fantasy today, but early in the 20th century when they were written, some scientists believed there was evidence for water-containing canals on Mars, so then one might have categorized the John Carter series as science fiction and not fantasy. | ||
Latest revision as of 17:03, 10 November 2020
Science Fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculation based on current trends in science or technology. See Category:Art
It can be termed speculative fiction that encompasses creative works or works of fantasy that include imaginative elements not found in current reality. Today's library shelves often are labeled "science fiction/fantasy" because they include both types of stories. Science fiction differs from fantasy in that the elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature. Science fantasy is largely based on writing entertainingly and rationally about alternate possibilities in settings that are contrary to known reality.[1] One should note that the works of Edward R. Burroughs - The john Carter on Mars Series - would properly be termed fantasy today, but early in the 20th century when they were written, some scientists believed there was evidence for water-containing canals on Mars, so then one might have categorized the John Carter series as science fiction and not fantasy.
Common to both types of fiction is a story that deals with the reaction of people to changes in science and technology.[2] Both types of fiction have been written using Mars as background. If one wishes to contemplate what the future of humans on Mars will be, the Mars Science Fiction works listed in the table may provide much food for thought. By clicking on the appropriate carrot in the header row, the table can be sorted chronologically by year of publication or by rank of the number of sales (as of Aug 2019) either in ebook (Kindle) or paperback formats.[3] Note that not all books are available in both formats. A rank of zero is entered where data is Not Available.
| Title | Author | Year | ebook rank | paperback rank | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Star | Alexander Bogdanov | 1922 | 321,499 | 341,354 | A Communist society on Mars |
| The Martian | Andy Weir | 2011 | 5,003 | 1,244 | Survival alone on Mars |
| The Sands of Mars | Arthur C. Clarke | 1951 | 170,740 | 656,072 | Mars Colony |
| Mars | Ben Bova | 1992 | 74,194 | 0 | Exploring Mars |
| White Mars | Brian Aldiss and Roger Penrose | 2000 | 0 | 5,317,726 | Can Mars Colony Survive with no Earth support |
| The Forge of Mars | Bruce Balfour | 2002 | 2,043,498 | 5,334,725 | Alien ruins found on Mars |
| Shambleau | C. L. Moore | 1953 | 1,395,739 | 0 | Newest human colony on Mars |
| The Mars Run | Chris Gerrib | 2018 | 1,074,048 | 10,224,278 | Book 1 of Pirates Trilogy |
| A Princess of Mars | Edgar Rice Burroughs | 1912 | 7,364 | 0 | Vol. 1 of John Carter on Mars Series |
| The Gods of Mars | Edgar Rice Burroughs | 1913 | 4,806 | 2145107 | Vol. 2 of John Carter on Mars Series |
| The Warlord of Mars | Edgar Rice Burroughs | 1913 | 6,565 | 0 | Vol. 3 of John Carter on Mars Series |
| Thuvia, Maid of Mars | Edgar Rice Burroughs | 1916 | 10,611 | 0 | Vol. 4 of John Carter on Mars Series |
| The Chessmen of Mars | Edgar Rice Burroughs | 1922 | 10,690 | 0 | Vol. 5 of John Carter on Mars Series |
| The Master Mind of Mars | Edgar Rice Burroughs | 1927 | 226,764 | 272,383 | Vol. 6 of John Carter on Mars Series |
| A Fighting Man of Mars | Edgar Rice Burroughs | 1930 | 228,366 | 4,714,220 | Vol. 7 of John Carter on Mars Series |
| Swords of Mars | Edgar Rice Burroughs | 1934 | 362,413 | 0 | Vol. 8 of John Carter on Mars Series |
| Synthetic Men of Mars | Edgar Rice Burroughs | 1938 | 401,015 | 1,649,664 | Vol. 9 of John Carter on Mars Series |
| Llana of Gathol | Edgar Rice Burroughs | 1941 | 154,891 | 252,411 | Vol. 10 of John Carter on Mars Series |
| Warriors of Mars | Edward P. Bradbury(Michael Moorcock) | 1965 | 0 | 3,185,731 | Vol. 1 of Michael Kane Series |
| Blades of Mars | Edward P. Bradbury(Michael Moorcock) | 1965 | 0 | 3,185,731 | Vol. 2 of Michael Kane Series |
| Barbarians of Mars | Edward P. Bradbury(Michael Moorcock) | 1966 | 0 | 3,185,731 | Vol. 3 of Michael Kane Series |
| The Road to Mars | Eric Idle | 2001 | 238,265 | 892,641 | Robot vaudville circuit "The Road to Mars" |
| Man Plus | Frederik Pohl | 1976 | 355,737 | 1,457,769 | A cybernetic android for Mars |
| Mars Plus | Frederik Pohl and Thomas T. Thomas | 1994 | 3,512,086 | 3,284,813 | Humans and cyborgs on Mars |
| Edison's Conquest of Mars | Garrett Puttman Serviss | 1898 | 1,588,605 | 1,342,718 | Edison, Kelvin, and Roentgen led attack on Mars |
| Moving Mars | Greg Bear | 1993 | 147,800 | 1,657,319 | Mars politics |
| The Martian Race | Gregory Benford | 1999 | 124,507 | 20,093,648 | The race to land on Mars |
| War of the Worlds | H. G. Wells | 1898 | 66,007 | 70,016 | Martians attack Earth. Microbes win. |
| Welcome to Mars | James Blish | 1983 | 0 | 2,618,089 | Teenager travels to Mars and is stranded |
| The Greening of Mars | James Lovelock and Michael Allaby | 1984 | 0 | 2,574,750 | History of the terraforming of Mars |
| Red Lightning | Jon Varley | 2006 | 329,925 | 1,045,791 | Vol. 2 Thunder & Lightning Series |
| Rolling Thunder | John Varley | 2008 | 276,155 | 1,031,742 | Vol. 3 Thunder & Lightning Series |
| Dark Lightning | John Varley | 2014 | 578,904 | 1,377,944 | Vol. 4 Thunder & Lightning Series |
| Red Thunder | John Varley | 2004 | 190,889 | 631,405 | Vol. 1 Thunder & Lightning Series |
| The Stone Canal | Ken Macleod | 1997 | 276,271 | 3,113,133 | A clone comes to Mars |
| Red Mars | Kim Stanley Robinson | 1993 | 17,204 | 545,723 | Vol. 1 of Mars Triology |
| Green Mars | Kim Stanley Robinson | 1994 | 53,903 | 131,276 | Vol. 2 of Mars Triology |
| Blue Mars | Kim Stanley Robinson | 1996 | 60,289 | 769,763 | Vol. 3 of Mars Triology |
| The Martians | Kim Stanley Robinson | 2003 | 151,750 | 916,598 | Crew training to settle Mars |
| Rainbow Mars | Larry Niven | 1999 | 554,168 | 6,816,111 | The origin of the Martian canals |
| The Sword of Rhiannon | Leigh Brackett | 2009 | 0 | 2,356,366 | A Burroughs-like fantasy of a wet Mars |
| Red Dust | Paul J. McAuley | 1995 | 1,287,310 | 4,393,454 | Chinese terraforming of Mars is failing |
| Martian Time-Slip | Philip K. Dick | 1964 | 158,240 | 0 | Real estate deals on Mars |
| We Can Remember It For You Wholesale | Phillip K. Dick | 1966 | 0 | 679,295 | Plot of the movies "Total Recall" |
| The Martian Chronicles | Ray Bradbury | 1950 | 34,131 | 114,279 | Chronological stories linked to ancient Martians |
| No Man Friday | Rex Gordon | 1997 | 0 | 7,475,987 | A Robinson Crusoe story set on Mars |
| Podkayne of Mars | Robert Heinlein | 1963 | 75,640 | 737,974 | Interplanetary adventures of a Mars woman |
| Red Planet | Robert Heinlein | 1949 | 78,069 | 523,829 | A boarding school on Mars |
| Stranger in a Strange Land | Robert Heinlein | 1991 | 14,481 | 18,434 | Martian culture brought to Earth |
| Red Planet Blues | Robert J. Sawyer | 2013 | 634,633 | 1,453,201 | A story noir about a private eye on Mars |
| Rose for Ecclesiastes | Roger Zelazny | 1969 | 0 | 2,991,783 | Linguists learns the high language of Mars |
| Mars Run | Stanley Salmons | 2018 | 2,533,670 | 6,274,522 | Test pilot and a orbiting mystery around Mars |
References
