#ArtOfTheDay: 'Body Beautiful Girl' by Frank Frazetta

'Body Beautiful Girl' by Frank Frazetta, interior illustration from the novel 'The Master Mind Of Mars', book 6 of the 'John Carter / Barsoom' series by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

#ArtOfTheDay: 'The Gods Of Mars #5 by Julian Totino Tedesco

'The Gods Of Mars #5 cover art by Julian Totino Tedesco.

Cool Art: Mars Travel Posters

Mars travel posters from Space X.

#VallejoTuesday: 'John Carter & Dejah Thoris on Mars' by Boris Vallejo & Julie Bell

Book Review: 'The Martian' by Andy Weir

A great read. In the same vein as 'Castaway' and 'Gravity' if you want some idea of the story.

I love the self depreciation and wise cracks from the protagonist, Mark Watney, which makes you root along for him in his survival on Mars, after being mistakenly left for dead after a brutal dust storm after only a few days in on a Mars mission.

The book unfolds as part of a mission log, with Watney continuing to log in, reporting his time on Mars. And being an astronaut, botanist and engineer, it does get technical at times, which is part of the charm! The book also switches viewpoints later on to the rest of the crew of mission on their way back to Earth as well as to Houston mission control and their efforts to save Watney.

It kind of read like a script in parts, so at least the book would lend well to the movie adaptation that has been rumoured. But still a very enjoyable read and recommended.

4.5/5

#FrazettaFriday: 'Gulliver Of Mars' by Frank Frazetta

Cover art for the Edwin L Arnold novel, 'Gulliver Of Mars' by Frank Frazetta.

Cool Art: 'Searching For A Life On Mars' by Kacper Kieć

'Searching For A Life On Mars' by Kacper Kieć.

StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson: 'Curiosity Mars Rover'

Neil deGrasse Tyson & co-host Eugene Mirman are joined by Jim Gaffigan, Sarah Silverman and astrobiologist David Grinspoon at the Bell House in Brookyn to discuss the the Curiosity Mars Rover and the exploration of Mars.


via

Video Tribute To The Mars Rover Curiosity

One to watch in full screen HD!


Via

Book Review: 'The Swordsman Of Mars' by Otis Adelbert Kline

The story of Harry Thorne, outcast scion of a wealthy East Coast family, who agrees to swap bodies with a Martian noble, thrusting him into a fierce and vibrant world of strange beasts and stranger people, where a man's future is determined by the strength of his sword arm. Tasked with tracking down and neutralizing another Earthman before he establishes a corrupt empire, and trapped between the love of two beautiful and dangerous women, will Harry Thorne wind up a slave in the dolorous baridium mines, or will he step forward and claim his destiny as a swordsman of Mars?

I've not read any stories by Otis Kline before, but after reading Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter/Barsoom series of stories, and discovering about it and reading good recommendations from the 'Take Me Back To Barsoom' Facebook group, I took the plunge and gave 'The Swordsman Of Mars' a go - the first in a two book Mars series from Kline.

I have to say, 'Swordsman' is a very enjoyable read. Harry Thorne is very similar to Burroughs' John Carter, so if you enjoyed those books you're sure to enjoy this. Nearly every chapter is packed with action and is fast paced that you're swept into 'Hahr Ree Thorne's' Martian adventure.

All the good pulp action sci-fi is there; an outsider who's very adept with a sword, turns up in a foreign land that's populated with strange races, fantastical beasts, death rays, flying machines, chases, escapes, battles, a princess or two and a kingdom that needs saving from a tyrannical fiend.

If anything, Thorne does come across as a bit more cerebral than the gung-ho John Carter of Burroughs' stories, but if you like planetary romance and pulp science fiction then you can do no wrong in picking this up and giving it a read.

**** out of 5

Animated Short Film: 'The Cats Of Mars Meet The Toy Car' by Jacob Stålhammar

Originally written in 2004, the Swedish version of this Dr Seuss style animated short by Jacob Stålhammar, the story of the cats of Mars meeting a Mars Rover, opened at the Göteborg International Film Festival 2010. He then translated it into English and got his friend, Jeff Crackower, to narrate the tale. Check it out below.

Cool Art: Life On Mars by Francesco Francavilla

Inspired by NASA's Curiosity Rover landing on Mars, here's a couple of cool illustrations by Eisner Award Winner (Best Cover Artist), and one of my favourite artists, Francesco Francavilla.

Hit the jump to see the other one.

Currently Reading: A Fighting Man Of Mars

Art by Michael Whelan

In the run up to the release of Disney's John Carter on March 9th, I'm reading through the entire Edgar Rice Burroughs 'Barsoom' series, now up to book 7 - A Fighting Man Of Mars. 

From Wikipedia: 
The story is purportedly relayed back to earth via the Gridley Wave, a sort of super radio frequency previously introduced in Tanar of Pellucidar, the third of Burrough's Pellucidar novels, which thus provides a link between the two series. The story-teller is Ulysses Paxton, protagonist of the previous novel, The Master Mind of Mars, but this story is not about him; rather, it is the tale of Tan Hadron of Hastor, a lowly, poor padwar (a low-ranking officer) who is in love with the beautiful, haughty Sanoma Tora, daughter of Tor Hatan, a minor but rich noble. As he is only a padwar, Sanoma spurns him. Then Sanoma Tora is kidnapped, and the novel moves into high gear.

Currently only about a third of the way though, but what I have read so far, I'm enjoying. And I can also say that about the previous six books I've read in the Barsoom series (especially the first three books), and would recommend them to anyone if they enjoy their science fiction.

And according to Wikipedia the copyright for this story has expired in Australia, and thus now resides in the public domain there. The text is available via Project Gutenberg Australia

Currently Reading: The Master Mind Of Mars

Cover art by Gino D'Achille

I was going to read something else, take a break from the Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series, but something just drew me back into the series!

After enjoying the books so far, I've moved onto book six; 'The Master Mind Of Mars'.

Instead of focusing on John Carter, Dejah Thoris and their children like the previous five books, this time we switch to Ulysses Paxton, who after becoming injured in the trenches during the first World War finds himself transported to Mars and taken under the wing of 'mad scientist' Ras Thavas.

So far I'm enjoying this book, and it's good to see a fresh perspective of Barsoom too, with a new and unrelated character introduced and what appears to be a new region too.

At this rate, I'll probably have finished reading the 11 book series by the time the John Carter film is released on March 9!

UPDATE: Finished it, and loved it. As mentioned, good to follow a different character in this series, but we do get an appearance from John Carter at the end. Had a big ol' smile on my face when I finished it too. Really loving the style of writing from Edgar Rice Burroughs as well. Onto the next book 'A Fighting Man Of Mars'.

For more information on 'The Master Mind Of Mars' check out the Wikipedia link