The Red Planet

Naturally I bought The Coming of the Terrans by Leigh Brackett (1967) for the awesome red Martian cover, complete with a crouching bondage dude who wears way too much mouse in his hair. The cover was so goofy, that it even took me a bit to get into the book -- I figured that it would be a silly science fiction novel and not much else beyond that.

As usual, I was surprised by how thoughtful and well written my pulpy cover selection ended up being. And is it any wonder? Leigh Brackett was the author of dozens of science fiction and crime novels, a friend and collaborator of Ray Bradbury, and a screen writer (often uncredited) for a whole slew of Howard Hawks movies, including The Big Sleep, which she co-wrote with William Faulkner and Jules Furthman, Rio Bravo, Hatari!, and Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye

The Coming of the Terrans was written in the middle of Brackett's career and consists of a group of five longish short stories set between 1998 and 2038 on Mars. Brackett's Mars is inhabited by an ancient race that has been around for many thousands of years longer than humans have been on Earth. The receding water in the Martian canals has created a haunting series of abandoned cities and dry harbors that move further and further down, following the water level. The Martians have traditions and technologies that greatly surpass those found on Earth, but have largely forgotten the knowledge behind them. Humans are gradually settling on Mars, creating trade cities in large air-conditioned domes, but there are still unexplored regions of the planet where groups of Martians carry on their traditions.

The stories are all inventive, engaging, and filled with action, but are also rather thoughtful explorations of race, colonization, and the responsibilities that come with scientific discovery. I also like that the stories move forward in time -- as they progress, the reader can watch the subtle changes in the relationships between the Martians and the Earthlings.

Plus just look at that little green guy on the cover.