Lost Mars: Stories from the Golden Age of the Red Planet

by Mike Ashley (Editor)

“I was suddenly struck with the sight of a trail of rich red vegetation of several miles in the midst of the eternal snows. I approached with curiosity this oasis in the frozen desert.”
            An antique-shop owner gets a glimpse of the Red Planet through an intriguing artifact. A Martian’s wife contemplates the possibility of life on Earth. A resident of Venus describes his travels across the two alien planets. From an arid desert to an advanced society far superior to that of Earth, portrayals of Mars have differed radically in their attempts to uncover the truth about our neighboring planet.
            Since the 1880s, after an astronomer first described “channels” on the surface of Mars, writers have been fascinated with the planet, endlessly speculating on what life on Mars might look like and what might happen should we make contact with the planet's inhabitants. This wonderful collection offers ten wildly imaginative short stories from the golden age of science fiction by such classic sci-fi writers as H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, and J. G. Ballard, as well as hard-to-find stories by unjustly forgotten writers from the genre.
            Assembled and introduced by acclaimed anthologist Mike Ashley, these stories vividly evoke a time when notions of life on other planets—from vegetation and water to space invaders and utopian societies—were new and startling. As we continue to imagine landing people on Mars, these stories are well worth revisiting as gripping and vivid dispatches from futurists past.
 

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Ebooks, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Michael Raymond Donald Ashley is the author and editor of over sixty books that in total have sold over a million copies worldwide. He lives in Chatham, Kent.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOST MARS
The Golden Age of the Red Planet
Edited by Mike Ashley

This volume is one of the British Library series of Science Fiction Classics. The editor Mike Ashley writes that it “. . . brings together a selection of the more diverse science fiction that has been set on Mars in those years from the 1880s to the 1960s.” There is an excellent 26 page introduction which provides a historical context for the ten stories which follow. Each story has its own preliminary material discussing the author and tale.

The first three stories are early attempts to create Martian civilisations. They do foreshadow later developments in the genre.”The Crystal Egg” (1897) by H. G. Wells is the best written with an implied sense of danger. “Letters From Mars” (1887) by W. S. Lach-Szyrma was popular in its day and one wonders if it had any influence on “Out of the Silent Planet” by C.S. Lewis in its didactic Victorian approach. Ashley has chosen “In the Antarctic Regions of Mars” from the lengthy work. Finally, “The Great Sacrifice” (1903) by George C. Wallis introduces the theme of an advanced beneficent civilisation protecting Earth. One can find this idea more powerfully developed in Chad Oliver’s powerful but grim novella “Blood’s a Rover”, itself in Groff Conklin’s “Golden Age” era anthology, “Operation Future” (1955).

The seven stories that follow are excellent. “The Forgotten Man of Space” by P. Schuyler Miller is very fine and quite moving with several layers of meaning flowing from the title. Stanley G. Weinbaum’s “A Martian Odyssey” is an acknowledged classic. “Ylla” (original title “I’ll Not Look For Wine”) is a good example of Bradbury’s ability to undercut his stories with a sense of horror. “Measureless To Man” by Marion Zimmer Bradley deals with humanity’s attempt to enter an ancient Martian City with quite unexpected results. E. C. Tubb in “Without Bugles” presents an unromantic gritty tale of what early Martian exploration might be like. “Crucifixus Etiam” is a powerful quasi-religious story which conveys in Mike Ashley’s words a “ . . . soul-searching feeling of sacrifice . . . .” a quality in much of the other work of Walter M. Miller, Jr. Finally, in “The Time-Tombs” J. G. Ballard’s main character—a member of a tomb raiding gang— discovers an ancient Martian crypt. But within is a beautiful figure lying in state. Does he tell his companions?

We know now that Mars is not going to be the planet of Canals and ancient Ruins of lost civilizations. But I will conclude with the words of Mike Ashley.

“The realization that Mars might not host life has not diminished our desire to reach the planet . . . . Mars will continue to exert its fascination as much as it has for the last century, and the stories selected here are a reflection of that desire to explore those hopes and dreams.”

[Iona Sharma · Rating 2 out of 5]

A couple of interesting stories in this -- particularly "Crucifixus Etiam", by Walter Miller of Canticle For Leibowitz fame, but they're mostly forgettable Golden Age stuff, save the Miller and HG Wells story. What bothers me about these British Library collections is that they're meant to present the Golden Age stories to a new audience, but the extensive new introductions don't engage with the incredible racism and misogyny of the works, not even to merely acknowledge their existence. The only story that gets a pass on its treatment of women is "The Great Sacrifice", which is amazingly non-sexist given it's about 50 years older than some of the others in the collection; the worst on this account is "Ylla", the Bradbury story that employs the Martian landscape as window dressing on what's really an uncritical, pedestrian story about male violence against women. The only story that has any non-white characters is "Crucifixus", presenting us with some noble-savage Tibetans and Peruvians. Again, the introductions don't even mention it. Not impressed.

[Otherwyrld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent collection of short stories that examines the romantic ideal of a Mars that never really existed. Pretty much all of the stories are solid, with a couple of excellent tales. Many are tragic and reflect on the loss of a Martian civilization or of the pioneer humans who sacrifice so much to live on the Red Planet.

I was hoping for a companion book on Venus to complement this one and the Moon stories, but alas couldn't find one. Perhaps there are too few really good Venusian tales to fill a book, and I would rather have that than a collection of mediocre stories.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENGLISH: Of these ten stories, the one I liked best was "A Martian Odyssey" by Stanley Weinbaum (1934), about a man's journey through Mars, where he encounters many strange beings: life based on silicon, a kind of intelligent ostrich that makes enormous jumps and ends up with its head buried in the sand, terrible predators that make you see your girlfriend so you'll come closer and be devoured, and so on. This tale may have influenced Bradbury in his Martian chronicle "The Third Expedition."

Six of the other nine stories are also quite good. True, all of them were written before we really knew Mars, therefore what they describe is pure imagination, but taken that way, they are very satisfactory.

I had read three of the stories before, one by Ray Bradbury ("Ylla," one of the Martian Chronicles), one by J.G. Ballard ("The Time Tombs") and one by Walter M. Miller Jr. ("Crucifixus etiam"), also included in the collection "Dark Benediction."

ESPAÑOL: De estos 10 cuentos, el que más me ha gustado es "A Martian Odyssey" de Stanley Weinbaum (1934), sobre el viaje de un hombre por Marte en el que encuentra muchos seres extraños: vida basada en silicio, una especie de avestruz inteligente que da saltos enormes y acaba con la cabeza hundida en la arena, predadores terribles que te hacen ver a tu novia para que te acerques y te devoren, etcétera. Este cuento quizá influyera a Bradbury en su crónica marciana "La tercera expedición".

Seis de los otros nueve cuentos son también bastante buenos. Es cierto que todos fueron escritos antes de que conociéramos realmente cómo es Marte, por lo que lo que cuentan es pura imaginación, pero tomados así son muy satisfactorios.

Había leído antes tres de los cuentos, uno de Ray Bradbury ("Ylla", una de las Crónicas marcianas), otro de J.G. Ballard ("The Time Tombs") y otro de Walter M. Miller Jr. ("Crucifixus etiam"), que también está en la colección "Dark Benediction".

[Peter Tillman]

Free ebook copy from the publisher this month:
https://press.uchicago.edu/books/free...
Promising TOC:
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?6...

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following on from its Classics Crime series, The British Library is expanding its genre interest by releasing two anthologies of classic science-fiction stories: Lost Mars and Moonrise.

Lost Mars is a collection of 10 sci-fi short-stories, classics of the genre, set on Mars or interested in the red planet. Knowledgeable sci-fi fans and new readers of sci-fi will find a volume filled with literary gems that span from 1887 (with W.S. Lach-Szyrma who maps out Mars in ' Letters from Mars') to 1963 (with J.G. Ballard and human looters of Martian tombs in The Time Tombs).

Lost Mars is a captivating collection that compiles stories by writers who marked their time and genre, some now lesser known like P Schuyler Miller (The Forgotten Man, 1933) or George C. Wallis (The Great Sacrifice, 1903), and others still remembered today as masters like H.G. Wells (The Crystal Egg, 1897) or Ray Bradbury (Yulla, 1950).

Lost Mars opens with H.G. Wells "regarded as the Father of Science Fiction" and his story The Crystal Egg, a short story described by Ashley as "magic shop" fiction in which an antiquarian discovers that his prized crystal egg is a window into Mars. The collection closes with The Time Tombs by J.G. Ballard who follows human tomb-raiders who specialize in Martian tombs that survived for millennia.

This anthology is introduced by the bibliographer Mike Ashley, author of the multi-volume History of the Science Fiction Magazine. Before each story, Ashley succinctly introduces the writer, the context and time in which these stories were written and published. The striking cover art is by Chesley Bonestell, 1953.

My favourite writer and most prized discovery was Stanley G. Weinbaum and his 'A Martian Odyssey', a story in which a human explorer lost on Mars discovers an alien explorer and helps him out. The alien then decides to accompany this strange human until he finds his ship. Despite the language barrier and their physical capabilities, both become fast friends along their journey. I liked this story most because it focuses on ecology, and it is one of the rare stories in which an alien's higher intelligence is portrayed as non-threatening to a human being who realises that other life forms are positively amazing, and accepts it with grace.

A miner who must find a way to survive after being abandoned on the red planet by colleagues who have no intention of returning, Martians who look out for Earthlings to protect them, a Martian husband jealous of his wife's dreams of a man from Earth, are a few of the brilliant stories in "The Golden Age of the Red Planet".

Is there water or enough oxygen on Mars to sustain human life? Who are or were this planet's inhabitants? What does this planet look like? When technology could not yet answer these questions, these fiction writers explored them. By portraying humans and Martians as invaders, explorers, survivors or distant observers the writers of this anthology looked at what our relationship to the red planet could be, and ultimately questioned our relationship to our universe.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of these stories were really good, some were dated but still good. My main issue is that a lot of these had some editing issues, such as misspellings and the such. A must read for any sci fi fan, however!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

In "Lost Mars", Mike Ashley collects 10 stories published over a span of about 75 years, from the 1880's to the 1960's, and presents them in approximately chronological order (probably exactly chronological order, using the particular publications that Ashley used). I used Ashley's table of contents and ISFDB (The Internet Speculative Fiction Database; http://www.isfdb.org), to produce the table below:

H.G. Wells The Crystal Egg 1897
W.S. Lach-Szyrma Letters from Mars [1887]
George C. Wallis The Great Sacrifice 1903
P. Schuyler Miller The Forgotten Man of Space 1933
Stanley G. Weinbaum A Martian Odyssey 1934
Ray Bradbury Ylla 1950
Marion Zimmer Bradley Measureless to Man 1962
E.C. Tubb Without Bugles [1952]
Walter M. Miller, Jr. Crucifixus Etiam [1953]
J.G. Ballard The Time-Tombs 1963
[Dates in brackets are from ISFDB.]

Even mildly enthusiastic science fiction readers will recognize some very famous authors in that list.

Any anthology should have an introduction, to put the included stories into some kind of historical or literary context, and Ashley does indeed provide a 16-page introduction. The first page or so would probably suffice for most readers, as it briefly mentions seven of the ten stories in "Lost Mars", and effectively defines the "golden age of the red planet". The second, much longer part is for hard-core, sci-fi literary analysts and historians. In other words: it's boring. On first reading, it is short on analysis and long on lists, seeming little more than a compendium of 19th and 20th Century science fiction about Mars. However, it improves on the second reading, after you've read all the stories in this anthology. Still, it's not for the faint of heart.

Ashley suggests that the "Golden Age" of Martian science fiction was that time period when the popular imagination (and that of sci-fi writers) was free to explore the possibility of intelligent life on Mars. Thus, it ran from 1882, when astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli's canali were misinterpreted as "canals", to 1964 when the Mariner 4 fly-by showed that Mars was basically a dead world, with no water and little air (and, therefore, no life, intelligent or otherwise).

In this review, it isn't feasible to discuss all ten stories in "Lost Mars", so one early example of Martian science fiction will have to do. The second chapter is Lach-Szyrma's "Letters from Mars" (originally "Letters from the Planets: Letter the Second", 1887), which was part of a sequel to Aleriel, or a Voyage to the Other Worlds (1883). In this short story, the narrator is the traveler Aleriel who makes two trips to Mars. He describes what he sees (with commentary) to the reader, as if in a letter to someone here on Earth. Mars is seen as a utopia and the story is reminiscent of Francis Bacon's New Atlantis (1627). In fact, it bears some similarities to Plato's story comparing Athens to Atlantis, but the roles are switched so that the fictional place is the better society. Thus, Lach-Szyrma describes the wonders of Martian society and makes explicit comparisons to Earth. He clearly believes that warfare is a terrible thing that sucks the energy out of all other human endeavors. He also suggests that, with greater technology, we should use the seas much more than we currently do. Unfortunately, the story reads like a travelogue: all description with didactic commentary but no plot.

One of the things I liked about Ashley's collection was its price. In December 2020, the University of Chicago made an electronic version of "Lost Mars" available as a free, downloadable epub file. It is no longer availabe at that price, but the Kindle edition is $9.99. Another thing I liked is the historical perspective that it both represents (in ten stories that cover three-quarters of a century) and provides (in the historical analysis Ashley gives us). Overall, the stories in "Lost Mars" are not great, but they are good, and with its introduction the anthology is a good book for more serious fans of science fiction as literature.

[Fanni Sütő · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm happy I've read this collection. There were 2 or 3 stories that really touched me, but the rest... I didn't really care sadly.

[Marileen]

Great, stupid and decent stories in this one!

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOST MARS is another sci-fi anthology from editor Mike Ashley released by the British Library for their 'Science Fiction Classics' imprint. I'm primarily a fan of horror and weird fiction so I wasn't as engaged with this collection, which contains a lot of imaginative backgrounds and scenarios but less when it comes to concrete plotting. If you love sci-fi you'll probably be a lot more interested in it, and Ashley's editorial – looking at fictional explorations of the red planet and how they progressed with astronomical discoveries – is interesting.

H.G. Wells' THE CRYSTAL EGG is a good place to start, with one of our greatest sci-fi authors on one of his favourite topics. It's minor but depicts a kind of CCTV camera to Mars which works nicely. W.S. Lach-Szyrma's LETTERS FROM MARS is much worse, a real slog, forming speculative travel writing. It's an extract from a longer work and really drags this collection down. George C. Wallis' THE GREAT SACRIFICE is more interesting, playing out like an Earth-bound disaster movie, better because of what's left unseen.

THE FORGOTTEN MAN OF SPACE sees P. Schuyler Miller writing a kind of space opera in which a stranded astronaut befriends a race of furry critters. Lightweight, but with an ending that packs a real punch and lifts it. Stanley G. Weinbaum's A MARTIAN ODYSSEY seems written for a younger audience and sees an astronaut and his alien pal going on an adventure; a bit too twee for my liking. Ray Bradbury's YLLA is inevitably a highlight, a very short gut-puncher about the nature of mankind.

Next up is Marion Zimmer Bradley's MEASURELESS TO MAN, about a Martian man-killing plague. It starts out as a murder mystery and ends up as pure imagination, although it's a little overlong which makes it a slog at times. Similarly, E.C. Tubb's WITHOUT BUGLES tells of a Martian dust with the power to destroy the human lung, but it doesn't have much thrust to the narrative and is more description based. The same can also be said of the final two stories collected here: CRUCIFIXUS ETIAM sees Walter M. Miller, Jr. looking at men working on the red planet contemplating their fate, while J.G. Ballard's THE TIME-TOMBS explores grave robbing with a future twist.

[Jay Maxfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good idea for the British Library to resurrect long forgotten classical sci-fi short stories based around a central theme. I have very much enjoyed their Classical Crime Series and hope their venture into Sci-Fi Literature will be a success. This anthology consists of 10 short stories which I will list below (with the year of publication). The book contains an interesting introduction (by Mike Ashley) on the subject of how ideas have changed over time towards life on mars - each story also comes with a mini intro regarding the author and his/her other works. At the rear of the book is a very helpful source list - detailing the earliest known book or magazine that each story appeared in.
I find it interesting that the later stories take into consideration newly found information in regards to the planets composition and atmosphere. My favourite story was the HG Wells story as it was one I hadn't read and it was very much like a cross between a BBC period drama and a Dr. Who episode. Many of the stories anticipated modern day themes: Environmental Damage, Women's Rights, Refugees etc that make them interesting. Most of the stories are easy enough to grasp their meaning and have interesting concepts or fantasies that make you think or bring a smile to your face - which is what I enjoy about the better earlier sci-fi literature. Well worth a read for any Sci-fi fan - if The British Library are reading this I would really like to see other anthologies on Time Travel & Parallel Worlds. I would give this book 8.5 out of 10.
The Crystal Egg - HG Wells (1897)
Letters from Mars - WS Lach-Szyrma (1887)
The Great Sacrifice - George C. Wallis (1903)
The Forgotton Man of Space - P Schuyler Miller (1933)
A Martian Odyssey - Stanley G Weinbaum (1934)
Ylla - Ray Bradbury (1950)
Measureless to Man - Marion Zimmer Bradley (1962)
Without Bugles - EC Tubb (1952)
Crucifixus Etiam - Walter M. Miller Jr (1953)
The Time-Tombs - JG Ballard (1963)

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories in this book were really great. I am giving this book three stars because there were so many typos that the stories kept stuttering to a halt while I figured out what word or phrase was supposed to be printed.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost Mars is a collection of stories about Mars. They range in date from the 1880s to the 1960s. Some of the authors are well known and other's may have been when the story was published but their fame has faded.

Introduction

Often introductions are a few words about the collection and that's it, but this is an essay on the history of science fiction about Mars. It covers not just English language works, but also some foreign stories. An interesting read.

The Crystal Egg by H. G. Wells

I hadn't heard of this Wells story but then I really have only heard of his more famous novels. Its not a bad story, but the writing style of the 1890s is the problem for me. There is little or no dialogue, it is someone recounting a story/experiment and consequently it comes out rather flat and dry.

Letters From Mars by W. S. Lach-Szyrma

This story was similar in style to the Wells one, but more of a travelogue. It was in a number of parts which I think must have been either individually published or part of a larger work. Rather disjointed.

The Great Sacrifice by George C. Wallis

This is a really good story. Its one of those when you read it you just say wow, haven't heard that before. I read it on Remembrance Sunday when were remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

The Forgotten Man of Space by P. Schuyler Miller

The thing that grabbed me about this story is, we quite often hear about the environmental aspects of what we do to Earth, but how shall we protect other planets we visit in space. Surely we should be treating them with respect as if they were our own? This was a very good story.

A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaun

This story had elements of The Forgotten Man of Space, but that was a very good story, this missed the mark at every turn.

Ylla by Ray Bradbury

I can't comment on what Ylla is about without giving Spoilers. I will just say that the plot is different, but not in a bad way and it is a good read.

Measureless To Man by Marion Zimmer Bradley

I thought I had probably read the best story in the book, but now I am not convinced, because this might be it. In this Mars is the forgotten planet that is seemingly uninteresting, where as Venus and some of the moons are the places to be or are they? This is an excellent story, I really enjoyed it.

Without Bugles by E.C.Tubb

This is another really good story. The idea is someone from the government comes to Mars with a view to shutting down the operations there and a reporter who wants to show the men of Mars as heroes (there are no women on Mars except the reporter). There is a twist in the tail.

Crucifixus Etiam by Walter M. Miller, Jr.

This story has similarities with Without Bugles and could be considered a companion to it. It might also have been part of Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars. One of the main plot elements is used from Without Bugles, but it is told from a different perspective. Another thing it has in common is it is very good.

The Time-Tombs by J.G. Ballard

Not a bad story, but not the best in the book. It has a different feel to it from the others.

Overall this is a very good collection of Mars stories. Forget some of the bad science. Forget that history has overtaken some of the stories. This is about story telling. There are a couple I didn't like but that might have been me. The good ones, I thought, were really good. I will look out other books in the series.

[D J Rout · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read other books in this series, notably (and as of this writing, only) Born of the Sun: Adventures in Our Solar System and The Tide Went Out and I wasn't particularly impressed. It is important to collect these old stories, firstly to show how well they were written (which is, admittedly, cherry-picking to show that they were written well) and also because the stories can be judged for quality based on the story, which is something you don't see that much nowadays, because stories are judged on the personality of the author or, increasingly commonly, on what demographic they're the synecdoche of.

So, this anthology collects the good stories about Mars. The introduction covers what changes in our knowledge of Mars did to the stories written about it, and the selection shows what themes and concerns about the human condition are reflected in the way Mars is shown in each story. For example, Mars as a possible threat to Earth is sown in "The Crystal Egg" by H.G. Wells, the exploration of Mars in "A Martian Odyssey" (Stanley G. Weinbaum, colonisation in "Crucifixius Etiam" (WALTER M MILLER JR) and the decadence of dead Martian civilisation—"The Time Tombs" (J G Ballard ).

The only good Mars story it lacks is "Omnilingual" by H. Beam Piper but you can't have everything. Well worth a re-read…

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of 19th and 20th century science fiction produced by the British Library and available on Kindle Unlimited.

The introduction by Mike Ashley is an interesting history of science fiction works, from the 17th century onwards, which mention the planet Mars. It’s fascinating to see where more recent works got their inspiration from. Each of the stories in the collection has an instructive little introduction to provide context. Four stars for all these editorial pieces.

The Crystal Egg (1897) by H G Wells concerns an object which allows an Earthly observer to see Mars, and possibly conversely, like a form of Palantir. The explanation provided made me think of the spooky entanglement of quantum particles. Curious. Three stars.

Letters from Mars (1887-1892) by W S Lach-Szyrman is very old fashioned in its epistolary form and didactic religiousness, but makes some startling predictions: geothermal energy, tidal energy, colonising Mars by living in caves as considered now by NASA, a form of Prime Directive, anti-gravity propulsion, photography from orbit, the list goes on. Three stars.

The Great Sacrifice (1903) by George C Wallis has an apocalyptic theme, the threat of extrasolar bodies zooming towards Earth on galactic orbits, which was a startling prediction of Oumuamua’s detection over a century later, as well as having an early notion of an international sky watch organisation. Three stars.

The Forgotten Man Of Space (1933) by P Schuyler Miller is the tale of a prospector stranded on Mars who protects the autochthonous people that rescued him from exploitation and destruction by other prospectors. A forward thinking story for the times. Three stars.

A Martian Odyssey (1934) by Stanley G Weinbaum is an imaginative description of alien life within a rollicking adventure story. Very weird and entertaining. The creature befriended by the narrator made me think of the Puppeteers of Ringworld. Three stars again.

Ylla (1946) by Ray Bradbury, part of The Martian Chronicles, is an exquisitely written tale with dazzling visual imagination, but a disturbing subject matter: the oppression by a jealous Martian husband of his wife, who may or may not have made first contact with Human explorers. Very much representative of the repressive mores of the time of writing. Two stars in that respect - despite the superb writing.

Measureless to Man (1962) by Marion Zimmer Bradley is a rousing tale of assistance brought by Human explorers to an almost vanished Martian race. Startling imagination and humanity throughout. Easily four stars. The best story so far.

Without Bugles (from the collection “Alien Dust”, 1955) by E C Tubb concerns the environmental health dangers of living on Mars. The dust invalidates the colonists to such an extent they would not survive the return to Earth. A very well developed idea. The rather caricatural flighty female journalist is a let down on the other hand. Three stars.

Crucifixus Etiam (1953) by Walter M Miller Jr is a beautifully written examination of what it is to toil for an end the worker will never see, especially when the toll taken by working on Mars, a slow crippling asphyxiation, means the worker cannot return to Earth either. Again, easily four stars.

The Time-Tombs (1963) by J G Ballard is an introspective meditation on existence and immortality in the guise of a tomb robbing yarn. Three stars.

Overall, I don’t expect to return to this collection although time will tell. Three stars.

[Elkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this little gem while browsing the new book shelves at the main branch of the Denver Public Library. Born in the 50’s, my childhood reading included fantastic fiction about amazing discoveries and about colonizing nearby planets. I used to devour the Danny Dunn books by Jay Williams, as well as the Miss Pickerell books by Ellen MacGregor and the Mr. Bass books by Eleanor Cameron. As a teen I grew up on Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov.

But then I left the classics behind, moving on to more modern sci-fi and fantasy. This volume gave me the opportunity to learn about some of the very earliest sci-fi writers and their stories about Mars. Lost Mars: Stories From the Golden Age of the Red Planet covers short stories about Mars from the late 1800’s to the early 1960’s. Some of the authors were familiar to me, but most were not. I found the stories to be deep, reflective and intelligent for the time in which they were written. Note the phrase “for the time in which they were written”. Yes several are misogynistic, written in good old dead white guy style, but while that would rankle in a story written today, these tales laid a solid foundation for generations of writers to come– writers who continue to expand our horizons with their far-reaching imaginations.

Recommended for sci-fi enthusiasts.

[Bob Churchill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good collection with a well-researched introduction and prefaces to each story. A few stories that stand out: Walter M. Miller's Crucifixus Etiam, P. Schuyler Miller's The Forgotten Man of Space, and I quite enjoyed George C. Wallis's reverse-War-of-the-Worlds, The Great Sacrifice. Overall the collection moves forward, with stories near the beginning seeing Mars as something distant from which beings or information might come, then as a fantastical place to visit, before the science begins to encroach, so that as we get forward in time it essentially gets harder and harder to breathe. The next-to-last two stories are about the sacrifices that any pioneers would have to make, and the final story by J. G. Ballard moves to the far future as human Martians literally pillage the tombs of their colonist forebears. Like much classic science fiction, it can hard to get over the feeling that each story on its own by modern standards would get a terrible rating for its clunkiness, cultural assumptions, wishful thinking or failed science. But they can be appreciated in historical context, and Lost Mars provides that necessary survey over the genre's evolving vision of the red planet.

[Ian Massey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice little collection of stories that does exactly what it says on the tin - provides a representation of stories set on or about Mars, written during the Golden Age of SF (and a bit beyond...)

It's hard to criticise the selection without knowing what else is out there, and I can't think of any other stories I would have added. Personal favourites are Bradbury's Ylla and Ballard's The Time-Tombs, but there wasn't one story I didn't enjoy (closest was The Great Sacrifice).

Mostly they are charming and perhaps a little ridiculous by modern standards, but none were difficult to read (unlike some if the novels from similar times that I have tried to read and found hard going.

Add in an introduction in the shape of a brief history of Martian fiction and this is a book I can see myself dipping into again.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am enjoying this range of books far more than I should :-)

They are mostly public domain pulp stories but the variety is ver entertaining.

This one is about the Mars of the imagination. That period after Victorian 'lost world' stories left Earth and before probes explored the solar system.

Here, you will find ancient cities linked by canals, but also harsh frontier worlds.

It is an interesting companion to Old Mars which has stories that look back on that period.

[Danny Sherwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going into this book, I had only heard of two authors featured here: H.G. Wells and Ray Bradbury. This collection of stories, edited, excellently, I might add, by Mike Ashley really opened me up to various authors such as George C. Wallace, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Walter M. Miller, Jr., Who wrote the Science Fiction classic, A Canticle for Leibowitz. This book, in conjunction with our probes we have sent to the Red Planet, makes me hopeful that we can one day, send at least a team of humans to orbit Mars. This was a great book to read and would recommend it to anybody who sees humanity's destiny going beyond our Planet.

[Stephen Curran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read two of the stories in this collection before, which happen to be the first and the last: THE CRYSTAL EGG by H.G. Wells (about interplanetary eavesdropping in a London shop) and, from his earlier and more space-y work, J.G. Ballard’s THE TIME-TOMBS. As is to be expected, LOST MARS: THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE RED PLANET is a mixed bag, but I like these ‘playlist’ books; knowledgeably curated collections on a theme. The editor in this case, Mike Ashley, knows his marbles, and I appreciate the chance to read long forgotten authors alongside big-hitters from the genre.

[Vanjr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely recommend this book in the British Library science fiction series. The opening introduction is academic, but covers most of the main works on Mars pretty comprehensively.
Initial stories are pre-1900 and show their age, but are interesting. The stories get better. I recognized three of the authors, but had read none of the stories. If you particularly like 1950s and 1960s sci fi you will like this volume. I guess I would give it 3.5 stars. Looking forward to my next read in this series (I have probably 5 or so more).

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of short stories about Mars, all written before Mariner 4 got a close look at the Red Planet, and we see the wishes and fears (and bias and prejudices - some of these stories did not age well) of previous generations, laid out on a fantastic alien landscape filled with crumbling tombs and temples, strange flora and fauna, intense hots and colds, dying civilizations, and on top of all that, the kind of chaos only humans can bring when they show up.

[Laura Steinert · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some great authors here, but not one of these stories would make it into an anthology I would offer. The "science" in science fiction had not yet entered the genre when most of these were written, and what science we did have at the time was ignored. The only enjoyable story was from the 1955 collection _Alien Dust_ by E.C. Tubb's, "Without Bugles." It was worth getting the book for that story alone.

[Kevinjwoods · Rating 3 out of 5]

forgettable

[Sara Cutaia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great anthology about the little Red Planet and some of the best/classic stories to be written about it in science fiction.

[Jsaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favourite story was great sacrifice

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Variable quality of stories, took me a while to get through but I'm glad I did. Good premise for a book and it is interesting to see how Mars captured the imagination of various writers

[Lyle Blosser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good and some very good tales of Mars. It was interesting to see the progression from older stories to newer ones, as the reality concerning conditions on Mars began to be uncovered.