Futurism logo

Best Sci-Fi Books About Mars

Journey through the stars and across the black void to the martian world in these best sci-fi books about Mars.

By Salvador LorenzPublished 6 years ago 6 min read
Like

So distant, yet so close, the little red planet seems to consistently wink at us from high and far, yet we know so little about it. While travel plans to the sand-filled world are in the works by a number of different agencies besides NASA, the all-too unimaginable brilliance wrought by it seems to only come out in the best sci-fi books about Mars.

You would actually be quite surprised at the vast array of titles associated with the martian world, though not all of them can claim this immediate stardom. Mars is so impeccably wondrous to us, despite being still so far away. Now, written amongst the pages of these books, we can uncover the myriad of secrets that could very well be plausible and just waiting for us 2,106 miles away.

Until we can reach it safely, shuttle to Mars in any of the following novels.

One of the most well known and celebrated in the best sci-fi books about Mars, The Martian will remain one of the most awe-inspiring and daunting stories to ever portray the red world in its entirety.

Weir's immediate classic gives spellbinding action, millions of planetary and space travel facts, plus an all-around character botanist by the name of Mark Watney, the astronaut to be left on Mars by NASA. Pressed with his newfound mission in mind, Watney does his utmost best to survive the martian conditions in order to get back home without a scratch. Obviously, things don't go so well as he planned.

Ray Bradbury's bountiful work of fiction takes to the stars with an epic tale of martian ingenuity. With Earth in seedy decay, the human populace must traverse to the distant world in the hopes of reclaiming their humanity, but in fact end up separating themselves from the term entirely.

Through a series of timely narratives, all of which seem to capture different aspects of the red planet, The Martian Chronicles can be considered as one of the best sci-fi books about Mars, because it seems to challenge the way in which we currently aim to populate the planet and make it our very own.

First in a trilogy of color-coded martian classics, Red Mars is one of the best sci-fi books about Mars, because it brings 100 people to the distant world, wherein a host of dangers seem to make their trip that much more perilous.

With years of research backing up these untimely classics, Red Mars, in addition to both Blue and Green Mars, give readers an imaginative journey through spacetime and existence, showing off a number of debates into the necessity of terraforming, as well as populating the solar system.

Highly reminiscent of Troy and the love affair between Paris and Helen, A Princess of Mars paints an extremely lovely female who's been taken captive by a feral group of green giants.

First introduced in the All-Story Magazine on July 1912, A Princess of Mars would become the first in a long list of Mars series books published by Burroughs throughout the remainder of his writing career, making it one of the best sci-fi books about Mars for never once relenting.

All-time sci-fi champion Arthur C. Clarke delivers another masterpiece, which portrays the beautiful red planet as a vacationing spot for writers. One such man, named Martin Gibson, travels there with a heavy heart and an open mind for the unimaginable.

Stumbling upon a host of hidden secrets, Gibson unravels the dark pistons working under the backdrop of the martian world, thereby altering the very future of the planet itself, plus the entire human race as a result. Being one of the best sci-fi books about Mars, The Sands of Mars renders a wholistic story with an ever better setting that only adds to its flavor.

First in a long series of books dedicated to the beautify of Mars, Desolation Road brings us on a trip into the wonderful town of Desolation Road, wherein a host of interesting travelers seem to end up in the hopes of bringing entertainment and education across the planet.

Beginning 30 years in Mars' past, Desolation Road identifies the qualities of transportation, whether it be human or informational, for which moves across the red planet, inviting new and more exciting faces to enter the story in each passing page.

Manfred Steiner lives on the colony of Mars, where water is absolutely the most precious and essential thing on the planet. Well, maybe besides himself. Extraterrestrial real estate scams, political corruption, planetary immigration; these are all powerful themes that make Martian Time-Slip a must read for any avid sci-fi fan.

Philip K. Dick's classic is a superb addition to the best sci-fi books about Mars, because it reveals the conditions associated with life on Mars, in addition to the realities of diplomatic incentive mixed with the power of the people.

After being rescued from the Dilemma Prison, Jean la Flambeur is taken to the Oubliette, the Moving City of Mars, with a lovely woman by the name of Mieli. On Mars, time is literally money, memories are tokens of endearment, and the moon is their only source of illumination.

The Quantum Thief is a beautiful tale about love and foreverness, bringing out exceptional tropes in science fiction, as well as showcasing the tantalizing aspects still hidden in the far reaches of the cosmos. This is why it's one of the best sci-fi books about Mars.

Voyage to the Red Planet doesn't actually take place there, but instead discusses the journey to it, which involves a massive fleet and shuttle in the wake of the American government's bankruptcy and the sale of NASA to Disney.

Probably one of the most interesting on this list of the best sci-fi books about Mars, Bisson's lengthy classic captures a different mode of the martian tale, envying to bring his readers on a space exploration by way of prose and exceptional detail to the art of space travel.

If you want to get lost in the wilderness, The Sirens of Titan can and will take you there, that is far beyond the heavens and back. Kurt Vonnegut's timeless tale about a space odyssey discloses much and more about the human ideology, which he argues is slowly deteriorating.

Malachi Constant is the richest man on earth. When offered a trip into the ocean of stars beyond, he takes it without restraint, unknowing of the future insights that could very well break him along the way.

The Man Plus Program, plus his ill-fated luck, made Roger Torraway a monster through biological engineering, making him the only thing capable of living on Mars. Though the human race is set for extinction if not moving to Mars is made viable, Torraway has deeper emotional issues he himself must learn to control.

Man Plus strives to give readers one of the best sci-fi books about Mars through its cunning look into the nature of existence, technological advancement, and deliberate mistakes made by humans.

Winning the 1994 Nebula Award for Best Novel, Moving Mars tells the story of Earth and the red planet, which is a colonial world that lives off the success of its counterpart.

Encapsulating the process of moving beyond earth and describing in detail the nature of how diplomatic incentives will largely downplay how the martian planet gets colonized in the far future. As one of the best sci-fi books about Mars, Greg Bear's amazing classic will continue to grapple out hearts, minds, and imaginations for years to come.

From the author of Eternal Light, this martian classic details the events during and after Mars is terraformed in the far off future. What makes this book one of the best sci-fi books about Mars is that it literally uses the planet as a sort of protagonist.

Red Dust is a literal epic concerning the nature of planetary terraformation. It's an interesting look at how the citizens of Earth will one day re-populate the red planet above, thereby becoming the martian race.

book review
Like

About the Creator

Salvador Lorenz

Thinking in nodes of progress, futurism, science, culture, and existence. I experience life in a number of ways, pertaining to mathematical concepts mixed with rich flavors of art.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.