The Star Trek Franchise: 1966 to 1979

We appreciate your interest in “Star Trek” and are sorry we have to continue to disappoint you. NBC, however, has no plans for the return of the series.

As reported in recent press stories, our Program Department does have under consideration a two-hour-science fiction film. Several concepts have been proposed for this project – one of which is “Star Trek”. While no decision has been made — nor can we tell you when one will – we are aware of your own high regard for “Star Trek” 

 NBC Audience Services

Title of Star Trek: The Original Series which aired from 1967 to 1969.

This short statement is what those who wrote letters to NBC received in reply to their correspondence. It was written on a post card and was most certainly read by thousands of disappointed fans in the immediate years after the cancellation of the first Star Trek television show. Of course, what came before this is one of sci-fi fandoms best known results – a letter writing campaign that saw NBC receive almost 116,000 letters between December 1967 and March 1968 – which kept Star Trek from being cancelled after its second season. However, what you might not know is that while Star Trek was on life-support almost as soon as NBC first aired the show on television, there were also licenced and Paramount-owned products that further enriched the fan's overall experience with the franchise, almost from its very beginning. This short piece will look at early Star Trek licenced and spin-off products and hopefully give you a sense of how fans were able to consume Star Trek in the earliest days of this now venerable franchise. 

The crew of the USS Enterprise from Star Trek: The Animated Series.This show featured the voice talents of the Original Series actors but only lasted two seasons.

In 1972 NBC went to Filmation and Norway Productions which – working with Desilu Studios who produced the live-action show in the early seasons, and using the same actors who portrayed the original crew – produced two seasons, one of 16 episodes and the other of six of Star Trek: The Animated Series which expanded the in-canon universe and filled the void felt by an increasingly vocal fanbase. Since the last airing of an episode in June 1969, the 79 episode show almost immediately went into syndication. Indeed, as its popularity started to grow, fans started to organize and the very first Star Trek convention was organized in 1971 by Elyse Pins, Devra Landsam and Al Schuster and took place on the weekend of January 21-23, 1972 at the Statler-Hilton Hotel in New York City. This event was covered by Variety, the trade publication, and featured sci-fi legend Issac Asimov, along with the king and queen of Star Trek themselves, Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett. 

The cover of the Gold Key Comics' Star Trek #4 (June 1969) with a reprint as Star Trek #35 (November 1975). Written by Dick Wood with art by Alberto Giolitti. Unless otherwise noted, all subsequent images are from Star Trek #4.

Comic book fans will appreciate that Star Trek comics started to appear on the shelves of stores in July 1967, shortly after the first season had completed. They were published by Gold Key Comics, an imprint of Wisconsin-based Western Publishing and interestingly, these books didn't come out with the frequency of other, more established comic publishers. The first was available in July 1967 and called the The Planet of No Return; the second called The Devil's Isle in Space and not available until March 1968. From there The Invasion of the City Builders appeared in December 1968; The Peril of Planet Quick Change in June 1969; The Ghost Planet in September 1969; When Planets Collide in December 1969; The Voodoo Planet in March 1970 and The Youth Trap in September 1970, the latter five issues having been produced after the television show ceased filming in January of 1969. The early comics universally featured a still photo of the television crew (usually Kirk and Spock) on the cover, but the similarities ended there. Have a look: from June 1969's Star Trek #4 The Peril of Planet Quick Change: 

Sulu beams down the crew to "Metamorpha", a quickly changing planet. Where's the Redshirt?

When you special effects budget is limited to what the mind can imagine, Star Trek can get kinda crazy... 

... and even use heavy machinery which was rarely seen on the television show. In the comics they were common place. How did they beam this tank down?

Splash from Part II of Star Trek #4.The comics were divided into chapters.

Not beholden to budgets or technology, the comics were much more detailed in their depiction of alien life and worlds. And the Enterprise crew always seemed better equipped with tools and rucksacks too. In a similar vein, the comics also make it clear that the artists had very little contact with the television show, with the backgrounds and crew tools being very different from the set designs of the television show.   

Splash from Gold Key's Star Trek #31 (July 1975). The writer of unknown but the art is by Alberto Giolitti.

Star Trek #31 was titled The Final Truth and had a Gamesters of Triskelion feel to it  – but with robots! 

First piece of licenced original Star Trek prose fiction was titled Mission to Horatius and was written by author Mack Renolds and published by Whitman Books (which was also owned by Western Publishing). It was the first original piece, as there had been previous Star Trek "novels" but they were actually adaptations of the television series from Bantam Books starting in early 1967. Following Mission to Horatius, Spock Must Die! by James Blish – which as the title suggests, was targeted more at adult readers – was released in 1970. Interestingly, despite the growing popularity of Star Trek and hints from Gene Roddenberry himself that the show might come back (which were most pronounced in the lead up to the failed launch of Star Trek: Phase II in 1978), the next Star Trek novel was Spock, Messiah! which was released in 1976 and written by Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles A. Spano Jr.  After the second novel, the Star Trek universe took off and novels based on the franchise proliferated. 

Cover of Spock, Messiah! by Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles A. Spano Jr. Published by Bantam Books.

Both Star Trek novels and comic books would bounce from publisher to publisher, in the latter case with Marvel Comics picking up the licence for a short period beginning in 1979 with the comics adaptation of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. However, that will be discussed later in the next installment of this ongoing mission based on the Star Trek Franchise where we will look at the 1980s and 1990s, covering the bulk of the Star Trek feature films as well as Star Trek: The Next Generation. Thanks for reading and have a great day!   

Exploring the Nebulas: 2013 winner Kim Stanley Robinson's 2312

Welcome to the first edition of Exploring the Nebulas, a new ongoing series from WGTB. In this series we will briefly review novels that have won the Nebula Award, the prize awarded by the Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as the best novel of that genre each year. The scale used to rate each book is one of three: Good, Great or Legendary and the first winner to be reviewed is also the most recent; 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson.

2312, Kim Stanley Robinson, Orbit, 2012, pp. 576, C$ 29.00

2312 is Kim Stanley Robinson’s second Nebula win for Best Novel (his previous being Red Mars in 1993) and continues in a similar vein as a more 'high' or even literary science-fictional work. The book is set in the eponymous year and envisions the Solar System as a place where humans have moved to almost every major planet or planetoid available including Mercury, the home of our protagonist Swan Er Hong. Space travel is achieved through massive hollowed-out asteroid-ships called Terrariums that also serve as giant nature reservations or specialised theme parks. Other technological and societal advancements include space elevators on Earth and Mars; a moving city on Mercury; a free and independent Martian republic; a massive Venetian blind-like heat shield above Venus; the insertion of animal genetic material into human beings; as well as changes to human sexual organs. Despite all these amazing achievements, perhaps the most significant advancement is artificial intelligence that has both augmented the human brain and is on the verge of becoming its own political force. The Earth of 2312 is much less amazing and has become the "sad planet" with years of abuse and environmental degradation having left it a poverty stricken mess. Indeed, the damage caused by humanity has led to near extinction for many of its species and this is a major theme of the story. 

For the most part this Nebula winner is good, but is not without its problems. The book is interspersed with quasi-scientific "Excerpts” and “Lists” that provide insight into our future and at times are very interesting. But I also found that they could be distracting and towards the end of the story found them to disrupt the flow of the story which made the book feel longer than it needed to be. In 2312 Robinson also doesn't hide his politics and heartfelt belief that the prevailing economic system that we know, namely "capitalism", needs to be eliminated and the story has an economy of 2312 effectively extinquishing it by use of powerful computers. Personally, I'm highly skeptical that the future will confine capitalism to the domain of hobbyists and collectors as Robinson has, but the author is entitled to his opinion and – while having a significant political aspect to it – 2312 can be enjoyed by someone who doesn't agree with the author's politics.

The biggest problem I have with the book is that while it was very long, the ending was too Deus ex machina for my taste and appeared (paradoxically) rushed. I don't want to spoil the story for those who have not read it, but it's essentially a "who did it" caper, yet ends so abruptly and easily that it gnaws away at the suspension of disbelief every reader carries. Of course, it's likely that the intention of the book was that the journey was to be its own reward, and to this end it was speculative science-fiction done well. Not great, and by the final hundred pages I was ready to move on, but good. As such, it gets that exact rating: 2312 is a Good Nebula winner.   

*At the time of posting 2312 was the most recent recent Nebula Award winner for best novel. The ceremonies for the 2013 books take place in San Jose, at the San Jose Marriott, May 15-18, 2014.  

Exploring the Nebulas: A New Series from WGTB

This year I’m starting a new blog series called: “Exploring the Nebulas”. Being a sci-fi fan, I’ve long understood the importance the Nebula Awards have to readers and writers of science-fiction and fantasy. Yet, while I’ve read a lot of these books, I haven’t yet read them all and have wanted to do so for many years. So to start 2014, I'm setting out to accomplish this goal and will write a short review for this blog after each book.  

Logo of the Nebula Awards.

As I'm not a particularly fast reader, this is a significant time commitment and I may not get it accomplished before the natural life of this blog comes to an end. But I’m going to give it my best and may even cheat by posting reviews of winners I've read within recent memory. I've also decided not to keep any specific time commitment (a book per week for example) or to read them in chronological order, so this should make things a little more manageable. Also, reviews will not be long, and given that each book has already been well received, I will won’t pick them apart. I will however point out where I think they might have been better and note how the genre has evolved from the first winner Frank Herbert's Dune (1965) to its most recent, 2312 (2012) by Kim Stanley Robinson. I’ll also note any sequels, prequels, comics, television shows, films, etc. that are related and of interest to readers of this blog.

As well as documenting winners, I’ll also read and review significant runners-up or books that with 20/20 hindsight might have won the prize instead. The best example of these would be George R.R. Martin’s, A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords which were nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1996, 1997 and 2001 respectively but did not win. These novels are now (arguably) more famous than any other winner or nominee thanks in large part to the popular HBO television series Game of Thrones. 

Title card of HBO's popular television show Game of Thrones. This led to a resurgence of George R.R. Martin's books with A Game of Thrones reaching #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers List in July 2011, 15 years after its initial release.  

What are the Nebula Awards? 

The Nebula Awards stand at the pinnacle of American science-fiction and fantasy writing. They are voted on each year by members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a professional association that works to advance the interests of its members. To qualify for membership, one must have sold one novel or script or three short stories and membership is not exclusive to Americans. The SFWA's Nebula Awards are – along with their International cousins the Hugo Awards – presented each year to the winner. The five categories for the Nebulas include: Best Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story and Script. Perhaps unsurprisingly, while the first Nebula for Best Novel was awarded in 1966 and the first Hugo in 1954, there has since been considerable overlap, with the winner of the Nebula Award having won the corresponding Hugo on 22 occasions. 

The Nebula Awards for 2013 will be awarded In San Jose, California in May 2014 and I'll certainly follow that contest closely. In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoy Exploring the Nebulas and when the reviews are up, please feel free to voice any opinions you have about the reviewed book. And as always, thanks for reading WGTB.   

May the 4th Be With You!

Happy Star Wars Day everyone! And Happy Free Comic Book Day too. With one of my Star Wars t-shirts on, I'm about to head down to my local funny book emporium for a few freebies. But before that I thought I'd share a few images and commentary from a small sampling of the Star Wars books I've collected over the years. Of late, I've been very busy with exams so I feel terrible about not spending as much time on my blog as I'd like. But I promise to get back to writing reviews and features as soon as possible and in the meanwhile hope you enjoy the art. May the Force be with you!

There's no order for the images, except to start with the comic that re-booted things for Star Wars in the early 90s: Dark Horse's Star Wars: Dark Empire #1 (August 1992) by Tom Veitch with art by Cam Kennedy. 

This image comes from Dark Horse's Star Wars: Dark Empire #2 (April 1992) Creators are the same as above.

Here's an image from Dark Horse's Star Wars: Crimson Empire #1 (December 1997) written by Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley with pencils by Paul Gulacy and inks by P. Craig Russell. This was the last comic I bought before I took my 'I'm too cool for this stuff' hiatus from comics. I was gone for too long!

The splash from Dark Horse's Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith #1 (October 1994) Written by Tom Veitch & Kevin J. Anderson with pencils by Chris Gossett and inks by Mike Barreiro. It was one of the early efforts by Dark Horse/Lucasfilm Ltd. to explain the Sith/Jedi conflict.  

Here's a page from Dark Horse's Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War #1 (August 1995). It was written by Kevin J. Anderson with pencils by Dario Carrasco, Jr. and inks by Jordi Ensign. Note the familiar look to the helmet.

Remember when Han mentioned the 'bounty hunter on Ord Mantell' in The Empire Strikes Back? Well, here he is! It's from a reprint of an original newspaper comic published shortly after the original film. It's called Dark Horse's Classic Star Wars #2 (September 1992) written by Archie Goodwin with art by Al Williamson and colours by Steve Buccellato.

Yoda and Luke in Marvel's official comics adaptation of Return of the Jedi #2 (November 1983). The story was adopted by Archie Goodwin with art by Al Williamson & Carlo Garzon.

From Marvel's Star Wars #61 (July 1982) written by David Michelinie with plot by Walter Simonson and finishes by Tom Palmer. The Star Wars universe always had the coolest looking spaceships.

I love this comic. I first read the story when it was on one of those Books on Records/Tapes back in the early 80s. The image is from Marvel's Star Wars #55 (January 1982) written by David Michelinie with pencils by Walt Simonson and inks by Tom Palmer. Thanks for reading! 

Spaceknights and Just Wars

One of my favourite comic book writers is Bill Mantlo. Bill started writing in the late 70s and was prolific: having fantastic runs with The Incredible Hulk, Spectacular Spider-Man, Alpha Flight, The Micronauts and one of my favourites, ROM Spaceknight. And while I’m not going to talk about what happened to Bill right now, I invite you to read his story here and do whatever you can to support him at this time.   

This comic is 30 years old this month. Marvel's ROM Spaceknight #26, January 1982

Recently, I went back to Bill’s enjoyable run on ROM and found myself absorbed in the 30 year old #26 and #27, a story called 'Galactus on Galador'. Like most of Bill’s work, I found this short story both enjoyable and provocative, raising some interesting ethical and legal issues with regard to the conflict the Spaceknights have with Galactus and their old enemies the Dire Wraiths. 

Marvel's ROM Spaceknight #27, February 1982

It begins with what one might call a borrowed story from Lee/Kirby's Fantastic Four ‘Galactus Trilogy’, but quickly evolves into something else. When Galactus and his herald arrive on Galador, (home world of the Spaceknight's people), the Spaceknights understand the looming threat and do their best to repulse Terrax. Meanwhile, ROM heads to Galactus’ ship to attempt a negotiation. During that parley a deal is struck: 

From Marvel's ROM Spaceknight #26, January 1982

Splash from Marvel's ROM Spaceknight #27, February 1982

From Marvel's ROM Spaceknight #27, February 1982

'Give up on this world and we will give you another' is ROM's proposal. Of course, this world is Wraithworld, home of the Dire Wraiths.

From Marvel's ROM Spaceknight #27, February 1982

Which provoked me: is this is a moral or legal bridge too far by the Spaceknights? In both this and earlier ROM comics, we learn of the Galadorians just and long-standing grievance with the Dire Wraiths, and I would say they have an absolute right and duty to defend themselves. This is the whole raison d'être of the Spaceknights to begin with.

From Marvel's ROM Spaceknight #27, February 1982

But by manipulating Galactus into obliterating the Dire Wraith home world, has ROM crossed the line into the illegal or immoral? The Dire Wraiths are unquestionably evil, but do they also not have a right to live? This is what got me thinking about Just Wars and how we humans have come to determine what is legal and illegal in war.
  

From Marvel's ROM Spaceknight #27, February 1982

While the idea of a 'Just War' goes back to Classical times, it was in 1625 that Dutch philosopher Hugo Grotius wrote De jure belli ac pacis (On the Law of War and Peace) which summed up the evolved Western thinking about just war, itself an idea descended from ancient and medieval thinkers including Cicero and St. Thomas Aquinas. Grotius’ list was fivefold:

1) There must be a just cause

2) There must be a right authority or legitimate sovereign initiating the war.

3) There must be right intention on the part of the parties using force

4) The response must be proportional

5) The force must be last resort

In the conflict between Galactus and the Spaceknights, it seems they are doing what is needed to protect themselves. But once they make an ally of Galactus and decide to use his overwhelming power against their enemy, have they crossed the line? No one would doubt the Dire Wraiths are evil and the cause against them is a just one. Moreover, the Spaceknights derive their authority from a legitimate sovereign and their battle is (mostly) fought with good intentions and is one of last resort. But by enlisting Galactus to annihilate the Dire Wraiths, are they being proportionate as per number four (and possibly number three) of the Grotius criteria? 

To determine this let's look at proportionality, a very important and pervasive concept in almost every legal system in the western world. Just like you might say in criminal law, the punishment should fit the crime, so too in warfare you might say that any just war would not include the absolute destruction of a nation, even if they initiated the conflict.  

But isn't this what ROM knows will happen if Galactus devours Wraithworld: the destruction of that place and the end of the Dire Wraiths? And is this a proportionate or well intentioned response? Personally, I’m not convinced. I know of Marvel villains, the Dire Wraiths are among the worst, but do they also not have a right to live?  

From Marvel's ROM Spaceknight #27, February 1982

In recent human history we need only look at the Nuremberg trials, themselves the precursors of International Criminal Court in The Hague as examples of proportionality in action. When even as great a leader as Churchill wanted swift, bullet-based retribution against the surviving Nazi leadership, President Roosevelt and later President Truman (thanks to persuasive arguments made by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the US and eventual Chief Prosecutor at Nuremberg, Robert H. Jackson) decided that even these despicable men should have their day in court. This in turn, led to hastened reconciliation with the German people, who would eventually become an important pillar of the world community. Likewise in Japan, the similar Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal eventually let the Japanese move on and become another important contributor to the world community.   

From Marvel's ROM Spaceknight #27, February 1982

Of course, Galactus fails in devouring Wraithworld and I am now going well beyond the scope of a comic blog. (Nor do I think Marvel will ever publish a comic that has the Dire Wraiths putting the Spaceknights on trial.) But I do believe that ROM, by enlisting Galactus to destroy Wraithworld, went too far. Of course, this is just an opinion, but it's also a reason why Bill Mantlo's writing was so good and why I'd like to thank him again for using comic books to provoke thought. Although ROM Spaceknight #26 and #27 are thirty years old this month, they are just as interesting and enjoyable to read today as they would have been then.  

If you are interested in starting an investigation into just wars and the law, I highly recommend The Nuremberg Legacy: How the Nazi War Crimes Trials Changed the Course of History by California Judge Norbert Ehrenfreund. Ehrenfreund was a US Army journalist for The Stars and Stripes during the war and witnessed the main trial first hand. His book is an accessible primer for anyone interested in Nuremberg and its legacy. Further, as a law student, I do not claim to be an expert on these legal issues so if you think I've missed something important or would just like to offer a comment, please feel free to (respectfully) add one.

WGTB reviews The Mighty Thor: The Black Galaxy Saga

Now, I know it is somewhat odd to write a review of a story that has been out since late 1990, but this past weekend I picked up the relatively new (August 2011) trade paperback The Mighty Thor: The Black Galaxy Saga which collected issues 419-425 (July 1990 to October 1990) and thought I’d write a review. Enjoy!  

The Black Galaxy Saga tells the story of Thor and his friend Hercules’ involvement with the Black Galaxy, an organic space entity situated in the deeper regions of the Milky Way. Written by long-time Marvel Editor-in-Chief, Tom DeFalco with art by Ron Frenz, the story begins with Thor and Herc in New York City, both in the middle of serious personal problems: Hercules a crisis of confidence after a failure in the same Black Galaxy, and Thor/Eric Masterson in the midst of a custody battle.  When a continuous stream of villains and interlopers arrive on Earth to harass the two friends, it is eventually realised they are needed back in the Black Galaxy to deal with the cataclysmic events happening there. After a ride in the Avenger’s Quinjet, the two reach this organic place and encounter an old Thor/Avengers nemesis, The High Evolutionary and involve themselves in one of the great events of the Marvel Universe: the birth of a Celestial. In the second story starring the Asgardians, we witness strange events happening in the eternal realm which eventually ends with the return of Thor from the Black Galaxy and a plan to rid that realm of an ancient nemesis.   

Splash of The Mighty Thor #422, Early September 1990

From Marvel's The Mighty Thor #423, Late September 1990

While I’m not the biggest fan of early 90s comic book writing, this story by DeFalco and Frenz is quite enjoyable and does an good job at showcasing the limitless boundaries  of comics when dealing with archetypes, the origins of the universe and extra-terrestrial life. In this story, for example, we have a deluge of human and non-human superheroes, Norse, Roman and Celtic gods, clones, ancient and new aliens, space vampires, evolving humans and, of course, mere mortals like you and me.  Because of this, anyone who enjoys the depth good science-fiction can take a reader or the paradoxical relationship it can sometimes have with religion (like TV's Babylon 5 or writers Frank Herbert or Arthur C. Clarke) will really enjoy this story. 

Channeling The Empire Strikes Back? From Marvel's The Mighty Thor #422, Early September 1990

From Marvel's The Mighty Thor #424, Early October 1990

The splash in Marvel's The Mighty Thor #419, July 1990

Artistically the comics are good too. Ron Frenz pencils are not outside the typical of late 80s and early 90s comic art, but the story has great splash pages and panels that do a good job at portraying deep space and the majesty of Marvel Cosmic. Interestingly, in one part early in the story we meet a genetic duplicate of Thor, who looks nearly identical to Jack Kirby’s Captain Victory of Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers. I’m sure this was intentional and ‘Replicoid’ is almost certainly an homage to Kirby’s earlier work on both Journey Into Mystery/The Mighty Thor and The Eternals, themselves a creation of the Celestials. Below are some comparison images for you to judge.   

Captain Victory in Jack Kirby's Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers #3, March 1983 by Pacific Comics

A Kirby homage in Marvel's The Mighty Thor #419, July 1990

The Black Galaxy Saga is a good story that works very well in trade paperback. I suspect back in 1990, it was probably more than a little confusing for those readers who missed a couple issues or jumped in late in the story. Of course, this was near the height of the early 90s comic boom, so that number might have been smaller than one would expect today. But in  2011, it is a good Thor story with a great mix of science-fiction and quasi-religious ‘what does it all mean?’ material and good old-fashioned comic book fun. So give it a read (if you didn't in 1990, of course) and thanks for reading what is today at least, a very appropriately named blog: Whatever Gods There Be!

Arthur C. Clarke's Sands of Mars: 60 Years Later

It was 60 years ago this year that science-fiction grandmaster, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, wrote one of his lesser known books The Sands of Mars. It was never as famous as Childhood's End (1953), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) or Rendezvous with Rama (1972), but it was great book none-the-less, and I would like to now share with you some of my thoughts about it, as it nears the end of its sixtieth orbit around our Sun.  

The Hohmann Transfer Orbit, a means for us to leave Earth's orbit and head to Mars.

The story follows writer Martin Gibson as he travels to Mars in an effort to publicise the nascent colony's efforts to grow the Red Planet. The first part of the story recalls his crossing between Earth and Mars on the Ares, a ship that it is hoped will one day be a Cunard-like vehicle for people leaving Earth permanently. As he travels, we watch him adapt to three months in space and befriend and learn from the crew, all the while writing reports to his publishing company back on Earth. 

Upon arrival on Mars, he interacts with and befriends the citizens of this New World, not only growing to admire their early efforts to bring civilization to this distant place, but himself becoming Martian in outlook and in one instance making a discovery that changes humanity forever.

A 2005 NASA impression of an early human settlement on Mars

NASA's 'Spirit Mars Exploration Rover - A', 2004-2010

The book is an enjoyable story and it is hard to believe it is sixty years old. As with most science-fiction, there are some errors, the biggest being the Martian-based biological discriptions that subsequent exploration efforts have proved non-existent. But these errors are completely outweighed by the amazing insight -- both the scientific and psychological -- Clarke brings to the early human effort of travelling to other planets and exploring the stars. For example, in one of my favourite passages, Gibson recalls the momentous occasion of him leaving Earth’s orbit for the first time: 

Down there is all my past life and the lives of all my ancestors back to the first blob of jelly in the first primeval sea. No colonist or explorer setting sail from his native land ever left so much behind as I am leaving now. Down beneath those clouds lays the whole of human history: soon I shall be able to eclipse with my little finger what was, until a lifetime ago, all of Man’s dominion and everything that his art has saved from time. (Page 22) 

As well as capturing the genius, courage and audacity of humanity's first efforts to become a space-faring race, Clarke also notes how, as human beings, we will inevitability take our failings to the stars as well. In one instance while the protagonist is outside the ship exploring space, he encounters some of the rubbish that has been cast from the spaceship pulling him along. Here, Clarke  writes in a way anyone who regularly walks around London, Toronto or New York knows only too well: “We’ve been throwing out waste every day for weeks... and all our junk will soon go shooting out from the solar system.” When traveling around Mars in an aircraft there is a crash, and while I don't want to give too much away, this episode not only has a lasting impact on Gibson and the story, it also gives us an idea of how both terrifying and magnificent it will be when  we finally examine Mars by foot, wing and wheel.

NASA artist impression in the late 1980s

Despite some technological issues, none of which really distract from the story and could easily be updated by word replacement software – 'typewriter' to 'tablet computer', etc., Clarke’s 1951 story of a voyage to and life on Mars remains remarkably visionary and inspiring. We know now that Mars has a barren and lifeless surface, but we also know that one day many years ago, it had liquid water and perhaps even life. We also know that the spaceships in our future will not launch from Earth, but rather a giant orbiting space station just like the ‘Space Station One’ of Gibson’s time. Further, and on a slightly more mundane note, we also know how viral marketing and earned media are often the best way to excite people about something new and fresh. Clarke wasn't writing a marketing manual, but in these aspects of Sands, he was spot on. 

An artist impression of an O'Neill cylinder space station from The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space by American physicist Gerard K. O'Neill 

So if you’re looking for something interesting to read and you are already familiar with Sir Arthur C. Clarke's more famous works, then give Sands of Mars a read. At 60 years, it’s still a fun, inspiring and reasonably accurate book that will satisfy anyone looking for some hard science-fiction to supplement their diet of Silver Surfer or Captain Atomic. 

(The author of this piece read the reprinted Sidgwick and Jackson 1982 edition which was found at Orbital Comics in London, UK)