Status Updates From The Martian Chronicles

Gets darker as it goes; pessimistic about technology & human nature, grapples with mixed hopes & fears of postwar: middle class boom & technology advancements mixed with nuclear/cold war paranoia. Stories vary in quality & relevance, but continuity makes each important in its place. Sombre, thought provoking, while also charming & goofy at times. Part time capsule, part still-relevant warning. Solid but pulpy sci fi!

Up to April 2005: Usher II.

We Earth Men have a talent for ruining big, beautiful things. The only reason we didn’t set up hot-dog stands in the midst of the Egyptian temple of Karnak is because it was out of the way and served no large commercial purpose.