Last Thoughts on The Martian Chronicles

On this cloudy and slightly damp Sunday afternoon I have just finished reading The Martian Chronicles.  In my mind’s eye I see my own reflection in that Martian canal as the novel comes to a close and a thought comes full blossom with roots running into the ground to stabilize it.

It has been discussed ad nauseam, this peculiar phenomenon of Ray Bradbury imagining a Mars that is scientifically absurd with its “thin” but breathable atmosphere, canals full of blue water, exotic vegetation… and yet we WANT to believe it against all that we know to be true.

The discussion then flows to the author’s assertion that it is not Science Fiction as such but Fantasy.  The circle refuses to be squared.  There are astronauts, there are rocket ships, and there are “aliens”.  It’s like saying it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck but isn’t a darn duck.

The thought that comes to mind today is that this is a story set in an alternate or parallel universe where Mars is closer to Earth.  As a result it is more conducive to the conditions Ray describes to include being able to spot Earth easily in the Martian sky and having similar climates.

And the frequent rocket ship trips made by individual families makes so much more sense if it takes weeks instead of several months to reach Mars.  Just this little adjustment in my mind makes the stories so much more satisfying to me and hard hitting as “reality” replaces fantasy. 

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