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COLONIZATION
LINKS Home Colonization Life on Mars Departure Background Analysis Ray Bradbury Bibliography	These stories deal with the first four missions to Mars, their affect on the citizens of the Earth, and the interactions with the Martian people. Rocket Summer, January 1999 As the first rockets blast off headed towards the Red Planet, the Ohio winter in the surrounding town becomes summer for a few seconds at a time. Ylla, February 1999 Ylla, a typical, affluent Martian woman, is haunted by disturbing, and yet wonderful dreams about a man who descends from the skies in a silver ship, and who has outlandish black hair, blue eyes, and white skin. As her dreams become more and more real, her jealous husband travels to the spot where the ships land in Ylla's dreams and, after two shots sound, returns home alone, no longer jealous of his wife's dreams. The Summer Night, August 1999 On a typical Martian night, in the middle of an operatic performance, the singer begins to sing strange songs in an unknown tongue, the musicians play an unfamiliar tune without knowing how or why. All over the planet, children begin to recite odd rhymes, such as "and when she got there the cupboard was bare, and so her poor dog had none!" The Earth Men, August 1999 The second great Earth expedition to Mars lands, and interacts with the Martian people. The four quickly learn that the Martians are telepaths, so communication is no problem. Yet no one seems to care that theyare from Earth. After being bounced from person to person, they finally reach a Mr. Xxx, who sends them to a room with other "Earthmen." When the four men escape the insane asylum and reach their ship, they are met by Mr. Xxx, who shoots the captain, expecting to see their hallucinations dissolve. When they don't, he commits suicide rather than be contaminated with their disease. The Taxpayer, March 2000 The taxpayer, a good citizen with rights, wants to go to Mars. But they won't let him. He cries to the astronauts to wait for him, to let him come too, but in the end, he is left to watch them launch from the back of a police car. The Third Expedition, April 2000 The sixteen men of the third expedition land on what is supposed to be Mars. What they find, however, is an amalgam of their childhood hometown, populated by all of their loved ones. They each go home to their respective parents and siblings. Yet at night, Captain John black begins to grow suspcious. What if his parents are Martians in disguise? What if his brother is just biding his time to strike? He rises to escape, but is cut down, and in the morning, sixteen coffins are lowered into the ground. -and the Moon be Still as Bright, June 2001 The fourth expedition lands with all twenty men safe, and the Martian populace completely destroyed by a plague of chicken pox, which they caught from the close assosciation with the men of the third mission. Spender the archaeologist and captain Wilder are the only two men to show respect for the lost civilzation. Disgusted at the others' disrespect, Spender leaves to explore the ruins. When Spender returns, he claims to have found the last Martian, himself, and procedes to kill off several members of the crew, believing that if he manages to kill off the expedition it may delay human colonization of the planet for a few more years, possibly long enough that the expected nuclear war on Earth will protect Mars from human colonization completely. Although Captain Wilder is sympathetic, he shoots Spender before the archaeologist can kill again. At the end, when the captain finds another member of the expedition destroying parts of the ruins, he knocks his teeth out. The Settlers, August 2001 And the men of Earth came, trickling through space to colonize the new planet. They came for their own reasons, in all shapes and forms, but they all had to contend with the loneliness. The Green Morning, December 2001 Benjamin Driscoll , one of the first to come to Mars, is stricken by the lack of oxygen on the planet and is almost forced to return to Earth. So he takes a motorcycle given him by the government and rides around the Martian landscape like Johnny Appleseed, planting seeds of trees and bushes everywhere. Over a month goes by, and not a sprout appears. One night, however, he wakes up to a torrential downpour. The next morning, he stands in the middle of a green valley, where over 5000 trees have grown tall in a few hours.

COLONIZATION

LINKS

Home

These stories deal with the first four missions to Mars, their affect on the citizens of the Earth, and the interactions with the Martian people.

Rocket Summer, January 1999

As the first rockets blast off headed towards the Red Planet, the Ohio winter in the surrounding town becomes summer for a few seconds at a time.

Ylla, February 1999

Ylla, a typical, affluent Martian woman, is haunted by disturbing, and yet wonderful dreams about a man who descends from the skies in a silver ship, and who has outlandish black hair, blue eyes, and white skin. As her dreams become more and more real, her jealous husband travels to the spot where the ships land in Ylla's dreams and, after two shots sound, returns home alone, no longer jealous of his wife's dreams.

The Summer Night, August 1999

On a typical Martian night, in the middle of an operatic performance, the singer begins to sing strange songs in an unknown tongue, the musicians play an unfamiliar tune without knowing how or why. All over the planet, children begin to recite odd rhymes, such as "and when she got there the cupboard was bare, and so her poor dog had none!"

The Earth Men, August 1999

The second great Earth expedition to Mars lands, and interacts with the Martian people. The four quickly learn that the Martians are telepaths, so communication is no problem. Yet no one seems to care that theyare from Earth. After being bounced from person to person, they finally reach a Mr. Xxx, who sends them to a room with other "Earthmen." When the four men escape the insane asylum and reach their ship, they are met by Mr. Xxx, who shoots the captain, expecting to see their hallucinations dissolve. When they don't, he commits suicide rather than be contaminated with their disease.

The Taxpayer, March 2000

The taxpayer, a good citizen with rights, wants to go to Mars. But they won't let him. He cries to the astronauts to wait for him, to let him come too, but in the end, he is left to watch them launch from the back of a police car.

The Third Expedition, April 2000

The sixteen men of the third expedition land on what is supposed to be Mars. What they find, however, is an amalgam of their childhood hometown, populated by all of their loved ones. They each go home to their respective parents and siblings. Yet at night, Captain John black begins to grow suspcious. What if his parents are Martians in disguise? What if his brother is just biding his time to strike? He rises to escape, but is cut down, and in the morning, sixteen coffins are lowered into the ground.

-and the Moon be Still as Bright, June 2001

The fourth expedition lands with all twenty men safe, and the Martian populace completely destroyed by a plague of chicken pox, which they caught from the close assosciation with the men of the third mission. Spender the archaeologist and captain Wilder are the only two men to show respect for the lost civilzation. Disgusted at the others' disrespect, Spender leaves to explore the ruins. When Spender returns, he claims to have found the last Martian, himself, and procedes to kill off several members of the crew, believing that if he manages to kill off the expedition it may delay human colonization of the planet for a few more years, possibly long enough that the expected nuclear war on Earth will protect Mars from human colonization completely. Although Captain Wilder is sympathetic, he shoots Spender before the archaeologist can kill again. At the end, when the captain finds another member of the expedition destroying parts of the ruins, he knocks his teeth out.

The Settlers, August 2001

And the men of Earth came, trickling through space to colonize the new planet. They came for their own reasons, in all shapes and forms, but they all had to contend with the loneliness.

The Green Morning, December 2001

Benjamin Driscoll , one of the first to come to Mars, is stricken by the lack of oxygen on the planet and is almost forced to return to Earth. So he takes a motorcycle given him by the government and rides around the Martian landscape like Johnny Appleseed, planting seeds of trees and bushes everywhere. Over a month goes by, and not a sprout appears. One night, however, he wakes up to a torrential downpour. The next morning, he stands in the middle of a green valley, where over 5000 trees have grown tall in a few hours.