Wednesday 28 November 2018

On Mars

Poul Anderson, The Fleet Of Stars, 22.

Pavonis Mons rises above Tharsis plateau. ("Tharsis" sounds ERBian: "Thark" and "Thoris.") There is "...aa lava..." and "...weather-polished pahoehoe..." (ibid.)

High on Pavonis Mons, Fenn and Kinna, surrounded by "...titanic black blocks and clinkers..." (ibid.), see obsidian pahoehoe, the rose plateau and a few ice-clouds floating in the deeply blue sky. Phobos and Deimos are almost lost among the stars which are as if seen from space. The Milky Way is:

"...a cold noiseless river..." (p. 287)

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I hope, when people finally colonize Mars, that some place names will be taken from ERB's Barsoom stories!

Sean