Mars is more than just the red planet, it’s the world where sword and planet was born. The first generally recognized sword and planet story was Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Under the Moons of Mars, a six-part serial that started in the February 1912 issue of The All-Story, one of the first pulps.
The idea wasn’t entirely unique to Burroughs; he may have been inspired by Edwin Lester Arnold’s Lieut. Gullivar Jones: His Vacation (also known as Gulliver of Mars). While the parallels are obvious, there’s no question but that Burroughs’ book was better. I’ve read everything I’ve ever found of Burroughs, but only the one book by Arnold.
Others such as Otis Adalbert Kline, and Michael Moorcock wrote their own sword and planet adventures set on Mars, while Ralph Milne Farley struck out for Venus, where Kline set most of his works.
But still, it’s the red planet that rules our dreams.
As I get closer to the end of the first draft of The Skyscraper Thief, I’m putting together notes for the book currently titled The War Between the Worlds, Doc’s subsequent adventure. With current books in the series set in 1938, it should come as no secret that book eight will feature a Martian invasion. At the same time, my own tastes run more to Burroughs than Wells.
The problem is that we know a lot more about Mars now than either Burroughs or Wells did, and many of their ideas wouldn’t fly now. Also, Doc has seen what the surface of Mars looks like so he knows there is no civilization there…
I think I’ve found a way to deal with the contradiction, but you’ll have to wait until I’m further along before I’m willing to share it. If you have your own ideas, feel free to send them along…
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