ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: THE INHABITANTS OF MARS (1895)

THE INHABITANTS OF MARS: THEIR MANNERS AND ADVANCEMENT IN CIVILIZATION AND THEIR OPINION OF US (1895) – I shortened the title for this blog post heading. This novel was written by Willis Mitchell, who called himself a professor but never elaborated.

Willis served as the narrator, who interviewed a man given the pseudonym Mr. Ego. That man says he has traveled psychically or in astral form to Mars and can provide a detailed account of Mars, which even had its own version of Jesus.

NOTE: Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog may remember that as odd as that sounds, it is NOT the only example of 1800s science fiction that includes a Martian Jesus.

Mr. Ego describes Mars as having similar topography to Earth but with a reddish tint. There are no canals, he informs Mitchell. When the Martians need water, they aim electronic vibrating devices into the sky, thus causing rain to fall. 

Other advanced technology of the Martians includes electric-powered trains, spinning devices which rise into the air at night to provide artificial light for cities and electric-powered trucks which deliver food to customers.

A fairly gross aspect of Martian tech is the way that foodstuffs are “predigested” at futuristic chemical plants, then delivered in goopy, ready-to-eat “bread” form.

The inhabitants of Mars are so scientifically advanced that they are able to engineer the gender of children in the womb.

All adult Martians work for and are paid by the planetary government. Physically, they are attractive humanoids. 

Most of the second half of the novel is devoted to the Martian version of Jesus Christ whose teachings formed the basis of the Red Planet’s religion, morality and ethics. Martian Christianity parallels Earth’s but is more centered around an imminent Second Coming and Apocalyptic Eschatology. 

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