Destination Mars: In Art, Myth, and Science

by Martin Caidin, Jay Barbree, Susan Wright

Looks at the history of Mars, describes its depiction in films and fiction, and traces efforts to explore the planet

Genres: Nonfiction, Space, Astronomy, Science

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1997

About the author

Martin Caidin was a prolific and controversial writer. Most of his work centered around the adventures of pilots and astronauts. A number of his books were notable for their reasonable, realistic predictions of then-futuristic technology.

Caidin's body of work was prolific and varied, ranging from additional speculative/SF novels such as Marooned, which was made into an acclaimed film and considered a harbinger of the Apollo 13 accident, to a novel based upon the character Indiana Jones. He also wrote many non-fiction books about science, aviation and warfare.

Caidin began writing fiction in 1957. In his career he authored more than 50 fiction and nonfiction books as well as more than 1,000 magazine articles. His best-known novel is Cyborg, which was the basis for "The Six Million Dollar Man" franchise. He also wrote numerous works of military history, especially concerning aviation.

In addition to his writing Caidin was a pilot and active in the restoration and flying of older planes.

Reviews

[The_J · Rating 4 out of 5]

A joy of our close planetary companion, even if it has the fake red tinged photos from NASA.

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the original Destination Mars by Martin Caidin in 1974. This is evidently an updated version.

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin Caidin's final book is a wonderful mix of "art, myth and science" (as the sub-title proclaims). He traces the evolution of our views about Mars throughout history in an enjoyable tale.