Whats everyone reading?

[Dandontdare]

it misses out on some minor details that might arguably be essential, such as the - admittedly baffling - decision for the Martian colonists to return to Earth when war breaks out, leaving the planet sparsely populated once again - this wasn't explained in the tv show, Mars was simply a ghost planet all of a sudden, but here it's an essential part of the mythos of why humanity follows the Martians into extinction

It's been years since I read it, but I thought that the humans moved into the mountains and "became" martians, gradually forgetting their humanity - when the next ships arrive they find deserted towns but not because they'd gone back to earth or died out.


EDIT : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_They_Were,_and_Golden-Eyed (what a fantastic title)


It's a wonderful book (or rather collection of short stories) well overdue for a  re-read- the martian Jesus one was particularly effective.

[Professor Bear]

It's pretty explicit across several stories that the start of nuclear war triggers a reverse-exodus (not sure why, but a priest remarks in one of the earlier stories that he thinks people would go home if war broke out), and the few humans remaining cling to their ways and lifestyles - even the reclusive hermit guy - rather than go native.
A quick read of that wiki seems to suggest Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed isn't actually Martian Chronicles canon.

[Theblazeuk]

That god-awful radio adaptation won Best Drama in the International Radio Awards.

I quite liked it too. But don't have any connection to Bradbury's Mars beyond a few short stories read hither and thither, so might be why.

Funnily enough the reverse exodus is something they do explain in the radio show; that if they didn't go back to Earth immediately, Mission Control and the only facilities for landing were going to be a thing of the past.

[Dandontdare]

Now this is weird - I could've sworn that my old paperback copy of Martian Chronicles included 'Dark they Were and Golden-eyed', it's the one that really stuck in my mind, but I've just flicked through and it doesn't appear to be there after all. It's decades since I saw the TV version (once), so it must've been that radio adaptation that I had in mind, or I read it more recently in another collection. Very odd.

It's a great story if you can find it.

[Professor Bear]

Some of the stories seem to have conflicting versions of the bog-standard Martians, so it's possible Dark They Were could have been included in some versions of the book - though it seems like it would overlap with material in the final chapter.

Funnily enough the reverse exodus is something they do explain in the radio show; that if they didn't go back to Earth immediately, Mission Control and the only facilities for landing were going to be a thing of the past.

Except that makes even less sense, because they're colonists in the BBC version, they aren't meant to ever be going back.
And what's with the space-bus full of schoolkids out of nowhere if all the ships were grounded or in government hands?  And what was the point of the storyline about the guy with the hotdog stand?  What was the point of the "secret classified orders"?

If you check out Youtube, you can find some of the original stories being read by fans or - GET IN - Leonard Nimoy.

[Theblazeuk]

Nah in the BBC version the settlers are miners, industrial workers. The colony exists to pave the way for the exploitation. But it never comes. The Hot Dog stand was the trite commercial exploitation, the 'grand dreams' of the crass prick of a marine (for it is he after cashing out of the service) who killed the lass and spelled doom for even the memories of the martian people.

The space-bus full of school kids was nicked by traitorous breakaways looking to "leave the madness of Earth behind" and the captain of the Mars/Pluto mission was ordered to shoot them down by EarthGov as he passed them.

By the time they get back from Pluto, it's been years. The wars been over some time, but it ruined the planet. The rogue flight of 'traitors' turns out to be a group of refugees trying to save some of the people not ruined by memories of the war.

This is all explicitly said, but off the top of my head I can't remember the secret classified orders. Is that from the first bit? I suppose that was the classified orders to identify a place for the mining facility, to start the grand dream of extended humanity's rapacious on to the red planet rather than respecting it for what it is.

[Professor Bear]

The marine is quite clearly there for good, hence his trying to convince his wife/girlfriend his hot dog stand is a good idea, but I more sort of meant how the adaptation of The Off Season (the hot dog stand bit) went from a parable about how a man's encounter with a dead civilisation teaches him a lesson about the fleeting pursuits of the material world to a single soundbite from a passing soldier.
The space bus I understand as an element within the adaptation that occurs, but I ask what it contributes to the story rather than detracts, if only because it negates Mission Control's supposed pivotal importance to space exploration.  Although I will grant you my main objection to it is the scene in which kids in no way traumatised by years of war and/or losing their families and homes and being chased across the solar system by a government trying to kill them before being dumped on another planet and then cheering as they go off to die in a haunted desert just seems stupid.

[Apestrife]

I finished A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro the other day, and I really liked it. Basically about a japanese woman living in England, who's daughter just committed suicide. She remembers her years in post ww2 japan and there's something up with her memories. As a reader, you're not sure if she's using "memories" to cope with what happened to her daughter, or if there's some bad stuff buried in them.

I'd really recommend the book to those who like Paul Auster's NY-trilogy or Murakami.

[Fungus]

Ishiguro a terrific writer, I part-listened to A Pale View Of Hills when Radio 4 broadcast/abridged it ages ago. That didn't appeal much but his other books are great. Remains of the Day is possibly my favourite book.

Murakami I'm undecided on. Only read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and it was a bit adolescent for my tastes. Not awful though.

[Colin Zeal]

I've been on a bit of a Steven King binge recently, reading Needful Things, Insomnia and the first two books of the Dark Tower series. First time for all of them and they were generally quite good. Not sure what to make of Dark Tower so far. I did start the third book but had to take a break after a few chapters as I was starting to OD on King. Read A Song Of Shadows by John Connolly instead, the latest in his Charlie Parker series. I enjoyed it and it seems that finally he's starting to move towards the climax hinted at for the past dozen or so books.

[Sideshow Bob]

Read A Song Of Shadows by John Connolly instead, the latest in his Charlie Parker series. I enjoyed it and it seems that finally he's starting to move towards the climax hinted at for the past dozen or so books..

Got to agree with Colin Zeal here. I've been a fan of John Connollys' Charlie Parker series since about the 2nd or 3rd book,  and just love the way it's moving towards it's climax. Cannot recommend this series highly enough. If you enjoy a good crime thriller with supernatural overtones,  this is one series you need to catch. Great stuff.
Cheers

[Mikey]

I'd usually wait until I finished such a book before offering an opinion, but I'm a couple of stories into Jagganath, the first shorts collection from Karin Tidbeck. It's as fantastic and odd as the reviews promised: the first yarn has a man who falls in love with one airship only to settle for another, and a woman who falls in love with a steam engine who's baby she has. The second takes the form of a series of letters written to a dead father, the protagonist's childhood and where the her mother came from...

The tone and mood I can only describe as 'Autumnal, with the cracks in reality showing'. So far so good!

M.

[sheldipez]

Finished Star Wars Aftermath - the worst Star Wars novel I have ever read.

Most way through "Hitler's Last Witness: The Memoirs of Hitler's Bodyguard" by Rochus Misch - title says it all really. Was 70p for the Kindle version. Good read if history is your cuppa.

[Darren Stephens]

Currently reading Nimona (brilliant, but damn those speech balloons are tiny!) and Dungeon Fun, which is very good indeed. Just finished Millar and Fegredos MPH, which was ace, but stalled a few pages into Jupiters Odyssey. Not my thing at all. Lovely art though!

[Hawkmumbler]

Oh Darren, Nimona is all kinds of wonderful and do make sure to give us your full opinion once you've finished it*. Noelle Stevenson is an up and coming creator we should all keep our eyes on.



*Though I will agree, speech balloons are WAAAAY too tiny!