The Martians are coming

[russ2]

I've always had a big thing about Mars. I think it's cos its a real place and so near. Usually in SF it's like those made up places, Tatooine or Gallifrey which we know are purely imaginary. But Mars is real so it grips my imagination. I read all the stuff coming out now from Curiosity and Rover and love to wonder what Mars used to be like.
I'm not so much into hardcore such as the Martian as that's very realistic with no aliens. I like the romance of ancient civilizations and strangeness of three-fingered freaks. It was Bradbury who started me off as a boy. I made a list of some of the books about Martians I love but could anyone give me some recommendations. Nothing on the list, obs. Also what are your thoughts on the books below? Am I totally bonkers to be crazy into these?

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (Just the best ever)
The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson (Couldn’t put it down)
War of the Worlds by HG Wells (Although it doesn’t actually visit the red planet)
Moving Mars by Greg Bear (I didn’t finish this tbh)
Number of the Beast by Heinlein (bit giddy)

The Barsoom Books by Edgar Rice Burroughs (haven't read them all yet but the film was pants)
Lost on Mars by Paul Magrs (I read his name is pronounced Mars! how cool is that, and I was saying Maggers )

Someone said Arthur C Clarke wrote one but I can’t find it. Any ideas?

Any titles you can add to the list to keep me reading? Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Dennis E. Taylor]

Others by Heinlein: Stranger In A Strange Land . Podkayne of Mars. Red Planet. Between Planets.

Donald A. Wollheim: Secret of the Martian Moons.

 

[Vince W]

Clarke's first published novel was Sands of Mars. A science fiction author takes a trip to mars.

Asimov's first Lucky Starr book (written as Paul French), David Starr, Space Ranger, was set on Mars.

I enjoyed Mars Crossing by Geoffrey A. Landis, but it's not well know. And another not well know book I read in the 80's and enjoyed was Red Genesis by S.C. Sykes.

 

[Vertigo]

Are you after books about Mars or just books set on Mars? Some more:

Philip K Dick - Martian Time-Slip
Charles Stross - Saturn's Children - despite the name it does not take place anywhere near Saturn and most of the action is on Mars.
Andy Weir - The Martian - how come no one's mentioned this recent (and excellent) offering!

 

[Bick]

I loved The Martian Chronicles too. I read it a year or so ago, and there is quite a bit of discussion on it on here somewhere - have a search I'm sure it will pop up.

I've also really enjoyed Mars by Ben Bova - terrific book.
Quite a bit of Niven's earlier Known Space stuff has stories or scenes set on Mars that are pretty memorable. His martians are killed by contact with water.
Have you read Stanley Weinbaum's classic story A Martian Odyssey?

 

[Bick]

Andy Weir - The Martian - how come no one's mentioned this recent (and excellent) offering!

OP mentioned it and said it wasn't what he was after...

 

[BAYLOR]

War of the Worlds Global Dispatches anthology edited by Kevin J Anderson

The Martian War by Kevin J Anderson

War of the Worlds Goliath this is a steampunk animated movie sequel to H G Wells novels. It takes place about 15 years after the event in the book. In the this prior of time men like Nicholas Tesla have reverse engineered Martian technology so now we have out war machos and heat ray weapons, Airplanes and air Battleships. The Martians have come back for second war with earth , they developed immunity to our diseases and they brought more advanced and deadlier weapons.

 

[WaylanderToo]

sorry (and I know it's not what the OP wants!) but.... no mention of Mars is complete without mentioning Marvin

 

[BAYLOR]

sorry (and I know it's not what the OP wants!) but.... no mention of Mars is complete without mentioning Marvin

Duck Dodgers in the 24th and Half century The original Cartoons and the series.

 

[russ2]

Wow, (or whatever they say in martian). There are enough suggestions here to start a Martian library. Gee, one day there WILL be a library on Mars. maybe a whole chain.
Thank you very much this has given me plenty to to carry on my journey. And I love Marvin the Martian. CAn he have a rebooot, please?

 

[Vertigo]

OP mentioned it and said it wasn't what he was after...

Whoops! I missed that, I did read the OP, honest, but that somehow went straight over my head Strange though as Kim Stanley Robinson's are pretty hard SF as well.

 

[Dennis E. Taylor]

sorry (and I know it's not what the OP wants!) but.... no mention of Mars is complete without mentioning Marvin

My ears are burning.

uh.... assuming I have ears.

 

[russ2]

In a way, but it covers the transformation of Mars over a long time and is very imaginative compared to The Martian which si right here and now book. I havent actually read the Martian other than skin through it. Its a gripping thriller Sf. The MArs Trilogy they travel to the galaxy in inter stellar ships and terra form lots of places.