Sand Of Mars

Author: Arthur C. Clarke

Back to a Mars that draws on contemporary scientific knowledge of the red planet. In this version, Mars is little more than a research establishment, as a very small colony comes to terms with a planet that hasn't yet been fully explored. A famous science fiction writer travels to Mars, and the novel basically describes his tour of the planet. At one point, the plane he is on is forced down in a Martian dust storm, and he encounters a previously unsuspected Martian life form. He also learns about plans to make Mars self-sufficient, including a scheme to turn Phobos into a mini-sun. In the end he is so enchanted by this scientific frontier spirit that he decides to stay on the planet. Our knowledge of Mars has moved on considerably in the 60 or more years since this novel appeared, but for the time it was remarkably faithful to what was known. Indeed it was one of the first novels to make a serious attempt to describe the planet as science knew it.