Tales from the new frontier: "Wahala" by Nnedi Okorafor

I’m still reading my way through Life on Mars: Tales from the New Frontier (Viking, April 2011), a new original Young Adult science fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan that's packed with stories from a range of contemporary writers, including Ian McDonald, Ellen Klages, Stephen Baxter, Nancy Kress, Cory Doctorow, Rachel Swirsky, and Kim Stanley Robinson.

The third tale in the anthology is “Wahala,” by award-winning Nigerian-American fantasy and speculative fiction writer Nnedi Okorafor. Set in the Sahara desert in the years after The Great Change ravaged Earth, the story is about a sixteen-year-old, mind-reading, shadow-speaking Nigerian girl named Fisayo, who, in the process of running away from home, witnesses the landing of a shuttle of Mars Earthlings returning from the Red Planet for the first time in two generations. Here are the opening lines:

I wasn't lost. I wanted to cross “The Frying Pan of the World, Where Hell Meets Earth.” I was fighting my way through this part of the Sahara on purpose. I needed to prove to my parents that I could do it. That I, their sixteen-year-old abomination of a daughter, could survive in a place where many people died. My parents believed I was meant to die easily because I shouldn’t have been born in the first place. If I survived, it would prove them wrong.

The sun was going down and the “frying pan” was thankfully cooling. Plantain, my camel, was walking at her usual steady pace. We'd left Jos three days ago and we were still days from our destination. I'd traveled the desert many times...

A deep story that explores racism, slavery, and the concept of alien-ness. "People are people," to paraphrase Fisayo and quote the old Depeche Mode song. Also, the word Wahala means trouble in Igbo.

Weapons from Red Faction: Armageddon armory: Banshees

Supporters of simple Second Amendment remedies to complex political issues will appreciate the diversity and effectiveness of the weapons in the armory of Red Faction: Armageddon, the forthcoming fourth installment in THQ’s popular science fiction, action-shooter, destruction-based video game series set on a revolutionary late 22nd-century Mars. For example, check out the details of the Banshees:

Banshees

Type of Item: Firearm

Origin: Marauder

Description: Huge caliber twin pistols

Uses: Anti Vehicle, Anti-Personnel, Anti-Armor

These pistols were crafted with the specific intent of taking out armor-wearing personnel and light vehicles. They pack a huge punch and can clear a room quite quick.

Red Faction: Armageddon is scheduled to be released June 7, 2011.

Mock newspaper promoting 1978 film Capricorn One reports that O. J. Simpson flees desert hideaway

Promotional piece for the film Capricorn One (1978), starring James Brolin, Sam Waterston and O. J. Simpson as NASA astronauts who unwittingly participate in a fake mission to Mars.

New Kindle short fiction: "On the Plains of Deception" by Brendan DuBois

If you're not a member of the anti-Amazon crowd and you don’t subscribe to Kindle Swindle conspiracy theories, please consider purchasing “On the Plains of Deception” (May 2011), a new self-published short story written by award-winning mystery & suspense author Brendan DuBois. Here’s the promotional piece:

The first astronauts on Mars — Navy Captain Susan Bryce and Air Force Colonel David Bronson — are stranded when their landing module's return capsule fails to launch.

Millions of miles away from home, with no chance of rescue or repair, the first two humans on Mars face their limited choices and mortality with grace, humor and affection, as billions of people on Earth follow their last movements…

Brendan DuBois is the author of twelve novels and more than 100 short stories. His short fiction has appeared in Playboy, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and numerous other magazines and anthologies. His short works have twice won him the Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and have also earned him three Edgar Allan Poe Award nominations from the Mystery Writers of America. DuBois resides with his wife and pets in northern New England.

"Hermit!" 1960's alarming adventure comic by Al Williamson & Reed Crandall

Pencil Ink, a comic book blog and online checklist devoted to golden, silver and bronze age comics, has readable jpegs of a five-page science fiction stranded-on-Mars comic titled “Hermit!” Written and inked by the late Al Williamson, and penciled by ERB artist Reed Crandall, “Hermit!” was published in Harvey Publications’ Alarming Adventures #1 (October, 1962).

Thanks to Dave Tackett of the blog QuasarDragon for the link!

 

1950's short story about racial superiority: "We're Civilized!" by Mark Clifton and Alex Apostolides

Thanks to another generous fan of old magazines at the Internet Archive, you can read or download “We’re Civilized!”, a short story written by the science fiction duo of Mark Clifton & Alex Apostolides and illustrated by pulp artist John Balbalis, as it was originally published in the August 1953 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction magazine.

Naturally, the superior race should win ...
but superior by which standards ... and whose?

 

Robert A. Heinlein fantasy: Right-wing science fiction slut

Click to enlarge!

STARLOG photo guidebook to spaceships: 1952 serial film Zombies of the Stratosphere

Just a short piece about the 1952 serial film Zombies of Stratosphere, from STARLOG Photo Guidebook: Spaceships (1977).

Before grok, there was grak: "The Cave" by P. Schuyler Miller

Thanks to another generous fan of old magazines at the Internet Archive, you can read or download “The Cave,” a short story written by science fiction writer P. Schuyler Miller and illustrated by African American pulp artist Elton Clay Fax, as it was originally published in the January 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction magazine.

On Mars the laws and customs of existence must be different,

and when a dozen of a dozen races seek shelter in a cave...

Mars art by Virgil Finlay: "Martian Canal"

"Martian Canal" by Virgil Finlay (not dated)

Comic book review round-up: Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #3

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #3 (May 2011), the third issue of a new spin-off comic book series published by Dynamite Entertainment that is based on the fantastical science fiction world created by beloved pulp author Edgar Rice Burroughs and chronicles what the lovely Martian princess Dejah Thoris was doing all those hundreds of years before John Carter arrived on Barsoom, is now available for purchase at your local comic book shop.

Variant cover art by Paul Renaud

Written by Arvid Nelson, illustrated by Carlos Rafael, with variant covers by Arthur Adams, Ale Garza, Joe Jusko, and Paul Renaud, here are some snippets from selected reviews of Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #3:

1) Weekly Comic Book Review: “Conclusion: I feel like Burroughs is really back! Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #3 is a lot of fun. Definitely pick it up for old-school, sword and planet adventure. I’ll definitely be back for #4. Grade: A-” 

2) JCOM Reader: “I know I'm sounding like a stuck record but Carlos Rafael's artwork is still the major draw. […] And the cover artwork by Joe Jusko and Paul Renaud (which is shown above) is the best. If anything that is reason enough to get this issue.”

3) ComicAttack.net: “If you love boobies, you will enjoy this comic.”

Libertarian review: Robert A. Heinlein's 1956 novel Double Star

Matthew Alexander of the blog Prometheus Unbound: A Libertarian Review of Fiction and Literature recently posted an interesting review of Double Star (1956), a science fiction novel penned by Robert A. Heinlein in which a down-and-out 22nd-century actor dubbed “The Great Lorenzo” is taken to Mars to assume the identity of a prominent Earthman politician who has disappeared.

Allen Steele's 2010 novelette "The Emperor of Mars" wins Asimov's Readers' Award

Congratulations to veteran Martian science fiction & fantasy author Allen Steele, whose 2010 novelette “The Emperor of Mars” (free read, pdf) just won an Asimov's Science Fiction magazine Readers' Award! Published in the June 2010 issue, “The Emperor of Mars” revolves round a roughneck stationed on a near-future Mars, who, after suffering severe emotional trauma, develops some unusual reading habits, which leads to some rather erratic behavior, as he devolves into Emperor Jeffery the First, sovereign monarch of the Great Martian Empire, warlord and protector of the red planet!

Artwork by Andreas Rocha

If you don't have time to read "The Emperor of Mars," you can download & listen to an unabridged 47-minute reading of it, narrated by Nathan Lowell with cool cover art by Andreas Rocha (pictured above), as it was podcast in the recent No. 168 issue of UK-based StarShipSofa: The Audio Science Fiction Magazine!

Schwarzenegger spacesuit from film Total Recall sold at auction

The screen-used space suit worn by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the classic Mars film Total Recall (1990) was sold earlier this month at Hollywood Memorabilia Auction 44 by Profiles in History, the “nation’s leading dealer in guaranteed-authentic original Hollywood memorabilia.” Cataloged as Lot #1181 and estimated to fetch $3,000 to $5,000, the space suit sold for $3,000 on May 15th, just days before reports of Schwarzenegger's off-screen extramarital adventures became public.

 

Calla to reprint William Timlin's 1923 children's fantasy book The Ship That Sailed to Mars

According to Amazon, Calla Editions, an imprint of Dover Publications that publishes “books of distinction for the contemporary bibliophile,” will reprint the nearly-forgotten children’s fantasy book The Ship That Sailed to Mars (1923), written and illustrated by South African architect William Timlin. More familiar to rare book collectors than coddled kids, some have called The Ship That Sailed to Mars a “magical intertwining” of Edgar Rice Burroughs and J.R.R. Tolkien.

The new Calla hardcover reprint, scheduled to be published in September 2011, will seek to reproduce the craftsmanship of the original 48-page book, including the flowing calligraphic text and 48 stunning color plates. In addition, it will contain an introduction by Canadian book illustrator John Howe, a conceptual designer for Hollywood's recent The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

And now, a few words from our sponsor: "Super Whost" by Margaret St. Clair (1947)

Thanks to a generous fan of old magazines, you can read or download “Super Whost,” a short story written by oft-neglected science fiction writer Margaret St. Clair and illustrated by pulp artist H. W. Kiemle, as it was originally published in the July 1947 issue of Startling Stories.

"If you ever want a free trip to Mars, all you have to do is mix six slices
of diced Super Whost with granulated sugar, chopped apples, golden syrup
and — a large grain of salt."

    

Reise zum Mars: 2009 retro-science-fiction-musik-clip

Fans of Martian science fiction & fantasy multimedia projects will enjoy Reise zum Mars (2009), a short, silent, black-and-white, retro-science-fiction film. The work of German director Sebastian Binder, Reise zum Mars is an adventurous story about three travelers who journey to the Red Planet in a zeppelin. It is based on a script written by early 20th-century constructivist artist Walter Dexel and is set to an eerie soundtrack by die band Maren Montauk.


A beautiful piece of art that “gives the naive, aesthetic and imperial fantasies at the beginning of modernity,” Reise zum Mars reminds me of the video for The Smashing Pumpkins song “Tonight, Tonight” (1996).

Weapons from Red Faction: Armageddon armory: Laser Pistol

Supporters of simple Second Amendment remedies to complex political issues will appreciate the diversity and effectiveness of the weapons in the armory of Red Faction: Armageddon, the forthcoming fourth installment in THQ’s popular science fiction, action-shooter, destruction-based video game series set on a revolutionary late 22nd-century Mars. For example, check out the details of a basic Laster Pistol:

Laser Pistol
Type of Weapon: Firearm

Origin: Red Faction

Uses: Anti Personnel

Description: These very accurate pistols fire a sustained laser beam. They are prone to overheating, but have excellent damage over time.

Red Faction: Armageddon is scheduled to be released June 7, 2011.

Ray Bradbury foreword to 1993 art book A Hannes Bok Treasury

Ray Bradbury's foreword to the art book A Hannes Bok Treasury (1993), edited by Stephen D. Korshak.

Note the beautiful wrap-around cover art by Bok, depicting a scene from Roger Zelazny's classic Martian science fiction & fantasy novelette "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" (1963).

Simon & Schuster to publish new YA anthology based on classic John Carter of Mars series by ERB

Simon & Schuster announced it will publish a new original Young Adult anthology titled The New Adventures of John Carter of Mars, edited by John Joseph Adams and based on the fantastical science fiction world of Barsoom created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, in the spring of 2012.

Charlie Jane Anders of the SF&F blog io9 has the official press release and other details.

 

1950's novelette: "Seven Came Back" by Clifford D. Simak

Thanks to the industrious folks at the Internet Archive, you can read online or download “Seven Came Back” (1950), a mirage novelette written by beloved Golden Age SF author Clifford D. Simak and illustrated by elusive pulp artist Arthur Hutah, as it was reprinted in the May 1966 issue of Fantastic science fiction & fantasy magazine.

"So it was, so it must be with the myth that told about the great and glowing city
that had stood above all other things of Mars . . .
a city that was known to the far ends of the planet."

Sci Fri: Map in Arthur C. Clarke's 1951 novel The Sands of Mars

Map of Mars in the science fiction novel The Sands of Mars (1951) by Arthur C. Clarke.

Tales from the new frontier: "The Old Man and the Martian Sea" by Alastair Reynolds

I’m reading my way through Life on Mars: Tales from the New Frontier (Viking, April 2011), a new original Young Adult science fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan that's packed with stories from a range of contemporary writers, including Ian McDonald, Nnedi Okorafor, Stephen Baxter, Nancy Kress, Cory Doctorow, Rachel Swirsky, and Kim Stanley Robinson.

The second tale in the anthology is “The Old Man and the Martian Sea,” written by award-winning British science fiction author Alastair Reynolds. It’s about a human girl named Yukimi, who runs away from her home in Shalbatana City on a partially terraformed Mars with rising seas. She meets an old man named Corax, who lives alone in a giant obsolete terraforming machine. Here are the opening lines:

IN the belly of the airship, alone except for freight pods and dirtsmeared machines, Yukimi dug into her satchel and pulled out her companion. She had been given it on her thirteenth birthday, by her older sister. It had been just before Shirin left Mars, so the companion had been a farewell present as well as a birthday gift.

It wasn't the smartest companion in the world. It had all the usual recording functions, and enough wit to arrange and categorize Yukimi's entries, but when it spoke back to her she never had the impression that there was a living mind trapped inside the floral-patterned -- and now slightly dog-eared -- hardback covers....

“The Old Man and the Martian Sea” has some neat technological and historical elements (Yukimi's diary; an abandoned human settlement submerged by a rising lake) but the overarching “Why doesn’t my older sister love me anymore?” psychological aspect didn’t appeal to me. I was more attracted to the fate of the old man.

The pace of the plot was oddly uneven. The first part of the story unfolded too slowly (Reynolds takes several pages to describe Yukimi’s insignificant encounter with a robotic loader in a cargo bay), while the second part moved too quickly (Reynolds spends only a few pages on the important sunken settlement).

The ending of the story, which was too abrupt, seemed like it was fished out of a 1950’s juvenile novel, where growing pains and family dysfunction are resolved with a few lines of goofy dialogue and a final embrace.

It’s been a long time since I've read The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, but it’s possible there are some clever similarities between Reynolds’s story and Hemingway’s novel.

Retro review: Isaac Asimov's 1952 science fiction adventure David Starr, Space Ranger

Review of the science fiction novel David Starr, Space Ranger (1952), by Paul French (Isaac Asimov), as published in the April 1953 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction magazine.

 

New steampunkish SF miniature war campaign: When the Navy Walked - Conflict on Mars!

Miniature war game company ArmChair General just released Conflict on Mars, the latest campaign for its When the Navy Walked Victorian & Edwardian Science-Fiction War Game in an Age of Steam system. Here's the formal description:

When the Navy Walked: Conflict on Mars! is a miniature rules set that covers an alternate history set during the colonization of the Red Planet of Mars by the Great Powers. As the Great Powers vie for control of the planet's few resources and the Red Planet's native Red, Green and White Martians make tenuous treaties with them, something older stirs in the depths of the planet. Something dark and terrible that has been hidden for eons in forgotten crèches locked in a stasis of bloody dreams of conquest.

The Overlords are awakening from their deep slumber and returning to the planet's surface once again! The Gray servants of the Skvani are gathering their Tripod War Machines! The future of Mars bears dark days of war! 

WTNW is more than just a Victorian Science Fiction Game. It is a springboard for imagination and a high-level game of tactics and battles set amongst a what if world inspired by the classic authors of Victorian Science Fiction and Retro Science Fiction. In WTNW, players take the reins and command massive armies of men, fantastic beasts and steam-driven vehicles of leviathan proportions. In the end, the thunder that cascades across the battlefield to settle in the souls of the fighting men will only be assuaged with the assistance of the landship.

This Conflict on Mars supplement is not a stand-alone game. You will require the full version of When the Navy Walked, Second Edition, to play the game. So grab your goggles and your Aethertech, and get ready for a good time filled with steam and adventure!

Download the When the Navy Walked: Conflict on Mars! 6-page sample preview (pdf)!

1930's story: "Nonstop to Mars" by Jack Williamson

Thanks to the industrious folks at the Internet Archive, you can read online or download “Nonstop to Mars,” a novelette penned by science fiction writer Jack Williamson, as it was originally published in the February 25, 1939 issue of Argosy Weekly magazine.

"Here is the record of Lucky Leigh’s incredible flight;
how he piloted his ancient ship through the thunder between two worlds
—to become the first Robinson Crusoe of Space."

Quaid: "What the fuck did I do wrong?"

Remixed clip from 1990 film Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Doug Quaid.

 

John Coleman Burroughs original 1940's unpublished Dell Barsoomian comic book art

Here are three beautiful pieces of original comic book artwork created by John Coleman Burroughs, son of author Edgar Rice Burroughs, circa 1941.

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

These unpublished pages, slated for Dell's The Funnies #57 (July 1941) but never used, were printed for the first time in Russ Cochran's The Edgar Rice Burroughs Library of Illustration, Volume 2 (1977).

New short Mars fiction: "Tourists" by James Patrick Kelly

Eclipse 4: New Science Fiction and Fantasy (Night Shade Books, May 2011), a new international anthology edited by Australian anthologist Jonathan Strahan, has another intriguing new work of short fiction set on the Red Planet: “Tourists” by American author James Patrick Kelly.

I haven’t read “Tourists” but noted SF&F critic Rich Horton provides a summary of this “strong” story in his review of Strahan’s anthology for the May 2011 issue of Locus magazine:

And James Patrick Kelly’s “Tourists” is the latest of his pieces about Mariska Volochkova, the cloned daughter of a starship pilot who keeps trying to escape her mother’s legacy. Now she comes to Mars, and ends up involved with a rebellious Martian boy, whose only wish is to escape his culture and go to the stars – the same fate Mariska has been avoiding. The story, with its Martian setting and adolescent characters, could have fit just as well in Strahan’s new YA anthology, Life on Mars. It nicely depicts yet another Martian culture – and seems to close, perhaps, the first set of Mariska stories (the others appeared in Asimov’s) – pointing, though, to further stories, or perhaps a novel.

Time for me to consider buying Eclipse 4: New Science Fiction and Fantasy!

ToC and foreword to first American edition of James Blish's 1967 novel Welcome to Mars

Welcome to Mars

by James Blish

(United States: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1967)
First American edition, hardcover

Cover art by Denny McMains?

    

Trailer for new monster mayhem Mars DVD film Interplanetary

Fans of science fiction-horror-comedy movies set on Mars will enjoy the teaser trailer for the 2008 film Interplanetary, which was just released on DVD. Written and directed by Chance Shirley, Interplanetary stars actress Mia Frost, and actors Kyle Homan and Michael Shelton. Here’s the promotional blurb:

Nine men and women, employees of Interplanetary Corporation, live and work on Mars. Their days aren't particularly interesting, much less exciting, until they are assaulted by a murderous band of strangers and a seemingly unstoppable alien creature. Do these attacks have anything to do with the Martian fossil recently uncovered by one of the employees? Will the rapidly increasing body count adversely affect Interplanetary's stock price? And can anyone survive long enough to fill out the inevitable paperwork?

According to one viewer, Interplanetary is “a throw back to the cool low-budget 80's sci-fi flicks I used to watch as a kid on VHS tapes. I found it to be a breath of fresh air after being spoon-fed countless big budget, generic, and unoriginal films that the major studios are trying to force on us nowadays.”

The Interplanetary website has links to reviews, audio extras, and official merchandise, including the actual Mars Volkswagen buggy from the film (only $20,000, shipping and engine not included!).

1960's anthro-archaeo story: "High Weir" by Samuel R. Delany

Thanks to an old post on the now-defunct SciFi.com, you can read “High Weir,” a novelette written by author and noted literary critic Samuel R. Delany that was originally published in the October 1968 issue of If: Worlds of Science Fiction magazine. It’s an anthropological-archaeological work about the ruins of the once-great Martian city of High Weir. Here are the opening lines:

"WHAT do you know!" Smith, from the top of the ladder.

"What is it?" Jones, at the bottom.

And Rimkin thought desperately: Boiled potatoes! My God, boiled potatoes! If I took toothpicks and stuck them in boiled potatoes, then stuck one on top of the other, made heads, arms, legs—like little snowmen—they would look just like these men in spacesuits on Mars.

"Concaved!" Smith called down. "You know those religious pictures they used to have back home, in the little store windows, where the eyes followed you down the street? The faces were carved in reverse relief like this."

"Those faces aren't carved in reverse relief!" Mak, right next to Rimkin, shouted up. "I can see that from here."

"Not the whole face," Smith said. "Just the eyes. That's why they had that funny effect when we were coming across the sand...”

Note the cool cover art by Douglas Chaffee!

Visions of Mars: New academic collection of essays & articles on the Red Planet in fiction and science

I just purchased Visions of Mars: Essays on the Red Planet in Fiction and Science (2011), an academic volume examining the way Mars has been depicted in literature, film and popular culture that was published by McFarland earlier this spring.

Edited by Howard V. Hendrix, George Slusser and Eric S. Rabkin, this volume is a collection of essays and articles that are mostly derived from the 2008 J. Lloyd Eaton Science Fiction Conference, which was subtitled "Chronicling Mars" and was held at the University of California, Riverside.

The table of contents, which is posted on McFarland's website, includes the following:

• "Savagery on Mars: Representations of the Primitive in Brackett and Burroughs" by Dianne Newell and Victoria Lamont

• "Re-Presenting Mars: Bradbury’s Martian Stories in Media Adaptation" by Phil Nichols

• "Robert A. Heinlein and the Red Planet" by David Clayton

• "Business as Usual: Philip K. Dick’s Mars" by Jorge Martins Rosa

Author, reviewer and longtime SF&F fan Don D’Ammassa recently reviewed Visions of Mars: Essays on the Red Planet in Fiction and Science. The review is short but insightful, noting, “I found most of the discussions to be quite intelligent and even enlightening although I think the attempt to link Brackett and Burroughs to neo-colonialism went a bit overboard.”

Also, it's worth mentioning that Visions of Mars: Essays in the Red Planet in Fiction and Science mentions The Mammoth e-Book of Mindblowing Mars SF, an anthology which I edited back in August 2009. Check out the preface above!

Preview of comic book Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #3

Comic Book Resources has a sweet five-page preview of Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #3 (May 2011), the third issue in the new comic book series published by Dynamite Entertainment that chronicles what the lovely Martian princess Dejah Thoris was doing all those hundreds of years before John Carter arrived on Barsoom!

A horde of savage green Martians has surrounded the Warlord of Yorn in Dejah Thoris's city of Lesser Helium. No red Martian will come to the aid of a backstabbing tyrant like Yorn, but Yorn has a big surprise in store, one he paid a very high price for. While the siege rages on, Dejah Thoris fights to free her one-time enemy, the Jed of Greater Helium. Valian, Yorn's son, has thrown in his lot with Dejah. It's only a matter of time before his father finds out...

Based on the fantastical science fiction of beloved pulp author Edgar Rice Burroughs, Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #3 was written by Arvid Nelson and drawn by Carlos Rafael, with variant covers by artists Arthur Adams (pictured above!), Ale Garza, Joe Jusko, and Paul Renaud.

Check your local comic book shop for Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #3!

 

RPG ruins: Legendary city of Bordobaar

The Ruins of Bordobaar lie slightly over 200 miles southwest of the swamp [Swamp of Gorklimsk]. Although Bordobaar was once a mighty city, its population was stricken by a sinister plague which caused (according to the local legends) grotesque physical deformity and murderous, uncontrollable outbursts of rage. Fleeing citizens were often attacked and killed by the inhabitants of the surrounding villages and towns out of fear that the disease would spread, but no cases were ever reported outside the city. Those who contracted the disease eventually went completely mad (or, as the more popular versions have it, reverted to a pure state of animal savagery) and killed each other off.

The ruins of Bordobaar.

Several times people have attempted to move back into the city, but they have always left, telling tales of ruthless nocturnal attacks by mansized savage beasts. Local legend has it that the royal treasury was never removed from the city; it still lies deep in the lower dungeons of the palace. Certainly many expeditioners have attempted to find the treasure, but few have returned. Those who have returned told similar stories of bloodshed and terror. If true, these stories indicate that the disease was passed on from generation to generation and has produced a race of powerful, murderous savages.

Editor’s note: Text originally published in Conklin's Atlas of the Worlds and Handy Manual of Useful Information. Engraving first appeared in Transactions of the Royal Martian Geographical Society, Volume II. Both are part of the vast Space: 1889 role playing game of Victorian era space-faring in which various European powers have colonized the Red Planet.

 

Interview: Actor Brain J. Smith on upcoming Syfy TV movie Red Faction: Origins

The website Worthplaying.com has a nice interview with actor Brian J. Smith (Stargate Universe), who plays the lead role of Jake Mason in the upcoming Syfy original movie Red Faction: Origins. A two-hour, made-for-television, action-drama, Red Faction: Origins is set on a 21st-century politically violent Mars and is based on THQ’s popular science fiction destruction-based Red Faction video game saga.

Other cast members include Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Kate Vernon (Battlestar Galactica) and Gareth David-Lloyd (Torchwood).

Red Faction: Origins premieres Saturday June 4th at 9:00 pm EST on the Syfy channel.

 

Prattle On, Boyo™