Thursday 4 November 2021

Mars, Lost And Found

Mars has come a long way in sf, from a sword-and-science fantasy realm to a scientifically informed hard sf setting. Poul Anderson's Harvest Of Stars Tetralogy reflects this progression because Volume I describes a virtual reality visit to Barsoom, ERB's Mars, whereas Volume IV features a town in Valles Marineris, a real place, that might in this century be featured in contemporary fiction.

This is my last blogging thought for tonight. Tomorrow looks like being a normal day but the following day, Saturday, will hopefully involve a day trip to Glasgow with, therefore, little or no blogging. 

On closer inspection, that cover image is a very good picture of John Carter leaping, in Barsoomian gravity, at a green Martian. On even closer inspection, we have seen it before while discussing ERBian Cosmology and SM Stirling's "The Jasoom Project."

6 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Anderson's "The Martian Crown Jewels" and THE WAR OF TWO WORLDS also Mars in them, written when there was still some lingering hope of intelligent life living there.

And Stirling also wrote a scientifically informed setting for the Mars we see IN THE COURTS OF THE CRIMSON KINGS.

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

Martian gravity is a bit more than 1/3 Earth's. You'd be able to jump about 2.5 times higher than you can on Earth, perhaps a little more, other things being equal.

S.M. Stirling said...

The men's high-jump record is a hair over 8 feet, so the limit on Mars would be around 20 feet -- but that's an Olympic athlete.

A very fit man from Earth but not a specialized athlete (like John Carter, frex) should be able to do 10-12 feet.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling!

That impresses me! And much as I love ERB's Barsoom stories, I don't think I ever believed in the fantastic leaps and jumps of John Carter.

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

Sean: they're actually not that exaggerated, most of the time. Frex, John Carter would be able to jump off a building say two stories high and land without injury.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling!

THAT gives me the shivers! I don't think I could do that, even on Mars, without breaking bones.

Ad astra! Sean