ack of control is evident; thus causing his fit of rage. The second expedition has the crew land on Mars and are documented as psychotics and checked into a Martian asylum. The Martian doctor shoots them so that they may be cured of their madness. The third expedition is led be Capt. Williams and his crew of eighteen men who land on the opposite side of Mars to avoid the same fate as Capt. York. As the men disband from the ship, they begin to notice that where they have landed looks a lot like homes, which is possible due to Martians having the gift of telepathy. As the men begin to survey the town, people (humans) begin to leave their homes. Immediately the crew realizes that these are friends, relatives who died on Earth long ago that causes a rush of emotion that over come any and all senses of logic. The troops are discharged and are killed that night by the Martians, probably because these telepaths could see what human nature is (Magill 1979, 1350-1351). The fourth and final expedition lands on Mars in 2005, not knowing exactly what happened to the previous expeditions, but confidant that this third time is a “charm.” However, as the men begin to search the Martian villages, all they find is the old decaying bodies of these little Martians. It is discovered that this whole race of creatures were wiped out by a child’s disease: chicken pox. This doesn’t bother the crew a bit, but causes one man, John Spender, to feel it necessary to avenge his Martian brethren. He is successful at killing most of the crew but is eventually put down by Capt. Wilder, Sam Parkhill and Hathaway (Magill 1990, 979-980). The book then goes into a series of sporadic short stories that are scientifically impossible but are just pure food for thought. By 2020, however, a world war has started on Earth and causing all colonists to leave for Earth so that they can take care of their families. It’s a sad ending, bu...
