In this bi-weekly series reviewing classic science fiction and fantasy books, Alan Brown looks at the front lines and frontiers of the field; books about soldiers and spacers, scientists and engineers, explorers and adventurers. Stories full of what Shakespeare used to refer to as “alarums and excursions”: battles, chases, clashes, and the stuff of excitement.
Everybody likes a funny story, but humorous stories can also have a deeper meaning. Science fiction has always been a home for satire, setting up situations that hold a mirror to our current world and allowing us to see things from a different perspective. Today’s book, Martians, Go Home by Fredric Brown is one of those that makes you laugh and think at the same time. You might be surprised that a story of an invasion by obnoxious little green men, without any scientific underpinnings at all, would have appeared in John Campbell’s Astounding—instead of, perhaps, Fantasy and Science Fiction or If, magazines that were more comfortable with fantasy. But once he establishes his outrageous premise, Brown is actually quite rigorous in examining the results of those invaders’ time on Earth. And it is a rare author who can inspire a reader to examine deep philosophical questions at the same time they’re chuckling over an absurd situation.
Fredric Brown was an engaging author, with a deft touch for humor. His style was breezy and entertaining, with an effortless, conversational feel. If you were sitting at a bar, and had the good fortune to be sitting beside an excellent storyteller, the experience would feel something like reading Martians, Go Home. Unfortunately, while my recap below discusses the plot of the book, it cannot capture the feel and humor of the original—for that, you will have to read it yourself.
The book feels a bit thin at times, as humor often works better in a short story than a novel, even when the novel is of the shorter length common in the mid-20th century. But authors often need to stretch their work to fit their market. (I know exactly how they feel, because sometimes it is difficult to produce a review of a suitable length when reviewing one of those shorter novels. And in cases like those, a paragraph like this one, which added 92 words to the count, can be useful…)
About the Author
Fredric Brown (1906-1972) was an American writer in the mystery, science fiction, and fantasy genres. His career was a long one, stretching from the 1930s to the 1960s, and he was especially known for his humorous tales. Most of his better works were of shorter lengths, and as a result he is not as well remembered as contemporaries who focused on novels. One of Brown’s best known short stories, “Arena,” inspired an episode by the same name in the original Star Trek television series. And this was just one of a number of stories that led to movies and TV shows—Martians, Go Home was made into a movie of the same name that received a mixed reception in 1990.
Some works by Fredric Brown are available to read for free at Project Gutenberg (and I’d especially recommend “The Star Mouse”).
About the Cover
Martians, Go Home was blessed to be associated with one of the most iconic science fiction paintings ever. Its first incarnation, as a story in the September 1954 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, was given a cover painting from the incomparable illustrator Kelly Freas. Freas gave the Martian an impish and incorrigible look, which instantly grabs the reader’s attention. And the main composition element, showing the Martian looking through a large keyhole, immediately evoked the nosy and intrusive nature of the creature. Freas also sold the painting as a poster, which was in perennial demand, and it appeared in a variety of forms over the years. In 1976, when the book was published in paperback, Del Rey books used that same Kelly Freas painting—rather than commissioning a new illustration, as was the normal practice at that time.
The Martian bears no small resemblance to Alfred E. Neuman, the obnoxious character featured on the covers of MAD magazine. And this is no coincidence. In his book, Frank Kelly Freas, The Art of Science Fiction, Freas calls the characters “cousins.” The archetype of an impish boy was one that had been appearing in commercial art for decades, and Newman first appeared on MAD just a few months after Martians, Go Home appeared in Astounding. In another connection between the characters, from 1958 to 1962 it was Freas who created illustrations of Alfred E. Newman for MAD.
I Think, Therefore I Need to Learn New Things…
Like many science fiction fans, I am a fact-based kind of person. I have never been one to spend too much time on philosophical pursuits. My career has always focused on the quantifiable and the pragmatic. I like stories that are based in science, and while they might look at science that is not currently possible, I tend to enjoy the works that at least describe something plausible.
Martians, Go Home starts with an absurd premise, the arrival of ephemeral little green men who destroy the privacy and peace of mind of pretty much everyone on Earth. But once that absurdity is established, the story begins to ask some interesting questions about the nature of reality. All I could remember about that topic from school was a story that described things in our world being like shadows on a cave wall, and René Descartes saying “I think, therefore I am.” And since Descartes was a philosopher, I went to Wikipedia and looked up philosophy. There was a history of all sorts of smart people that I was vaguely familiar with, and then descriptions of concepts like epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphysics. It all made my head spin, especially the bits about the subjective nature of reality. And at one point one of the psychologists in Martians, Go Home mentions something about “solipsism,” so I had to look that up, too, and found that Wikipedia describes it as “the philosophical idea that only one’s mind is sure to exist.”
I decided to re-read Martians, Go Home because I remembered it being funny, but it turns out even fiction that is based on absurdities can end up making you think. So, in the end, especially since it ended up inspiring me to do research on concepts and ideas I’d never heard of, I’d have to call it more a science fiction story than a fantasy.
Martians, Go Home
The book begins on a recursive note as Brown introduces the main character, Luke Devereaux, who is also a science fiction author, and who (like Brown) suffers from frequent writer’s block. Luke is staying at a friend’s cabin in the California desert, hoping the solitude will help. But he has been drinking pretty heavily in the evenings, and making no progress. His recent divorce, which has not become official, is weighing heavily on his mind. The time is 1964, ten years in the future from when Brown first wrote the story. A modern reader may find elements of this world rather jarring, like the fact that people use cash for every purchase, and the prices are so low…
Luke is trying to come up with a plot, and wonders about Martians, when there is a knock at the door. He opens it to find a little green man, who proceeds to address Luke as “Mack,” and to berate and insult him at every turn. The only thing the creature will say about himself is that he comes from a planet with two moons, which in this solar system means Mars. And he has the ability to “kwim,” or instantaneously travel anywhere he wants. He kwims to visit Luke’s new girlfriend and reports with glee that she is romping naked with another man. Luke is so taken aback by the creature and this startling news that he drinks himself insensible. In the morning, he is surprised to see the creature sitting on his car. He drives into town and goes into a diner. When the Martian follows Luke in, he looks at the counterman to see his reaction, which is, “Another Goddam Martian.” It turns out Luke is not the only one to be visited by a little green man—they are everywhere.
Brown takes us on a satirical trip around the world, pointing out the impact these obnoxious blabbermouths would have on society. There is no privacy at all; every human activity is observed and commented on, and every secret is revealed. A honeymoon is ruined by the visitors, and radio and television broadcasts prove impossible because of constant interruptions. The Martians call every man “Mack” and every woman “Toots,” or whatever derisive equivalents the local languages offer. Even a friendly poker game is impossible, and people who are pushed to the edge resort to violence, both against the Martians and each other. But the Martians, while they can be seen, cannot be touched, and are impossible to harm or chase away.
This section is all the more effective because Brown goes to great lengths to root everything that is happening in realistic details and relatable characters. Luke does his best to eke out an existence with the money he had available when the Martians arrived, which isn’t much. The economy has collapsed, and there are almost no jobs to be had. Like everyone, he has to cope with the constant and corrosive presence of the Martians. Luke reaches out to his ex-wife to find out if she is OK, and to let her know where he is. At one point, Brown expresses the collective frustration of humanity by stringing together every adjective that applies to the Martians, which includes pretty much every word that can be used to describe an antagonistic monster. Brown describes the fate of the Great Powers, who are not doing well—especially the Soviet Union, whose political system relies on secrecy. On the positive side, wars are impossible without the element of surprise. Religions splinter as their adherents try to fit the Martians into their worldviews, with many seeing them as demons.
But just as Luke is about to hit rock bottom, his agent finds him, and hands him a fat check. It turns out that, while the science fiction field has collapsed, Westerns have become very popular, as they describe a world free of obnoxious Martians. And a Western Luke had written years ago has been picked up for publication. He is offered an advance on another Western, and with great delight, launches into writing. But just as he is entering a frenzy of inspired productivity, a Martian jumps on his typewriter and scares him into a catatonic state.
Luke awakens in a sanitarium, but it turns out he has about the most useful psychosis one could have in a world full of Martians—he cannot see or hear any of them. He is given a typewriter and begins making rapid progress on his new novel. His estranged wife, Margie, who is a nurse, finds him, and they are able to rekindle their relationship. She talks to Luke’s psychiatrist about his psychosis, and they briefly muse that instead of being insane, perhaps Luke is the only sane person in a world of psychotics. The world continues to struggle with the Martians without much success, but Luke and Margie continue to do well. Until Luke gets an idea. He cannot now see the Martians, but remembers his past encounters. And he becomes convinced that his thoughts on the night he first met a Martian are what created the invasion, and that if he can recreate those conditions, he might be able to make them go away.
Luke is not the only one trying to get rid of the Martians, and Brown describes some of those efforts. And here the story grows sadly awry: While most of the book is cleverly rooted in clever real-world details, one of his examples in this section describes a witch doctor in a tribe of African cannibals, and wallows in a passage full of racist stereotypes. But thankfully, this offensive section of the story is rather short.
Brown ends the book with an Author’s Postscript where he breaks the fourth wall and addresses his readers directly, cleverly taking the big questions of the book and applying them to the real world. And in doing so, makes us question whether it is as real a world as we think it is…
Final Thoughts
Martians, Go Home is a fun and easy read, and a book that also makes the reader think in ways that might surprise you. There are some anachronisms and a few objectional passages that modern readers will find jarring, but on the whole, the book is a pleasure to read.
I’d enjoy hearing from anyone who has read Martians, Go Home—please share your impressions. And I’d enjoy hearing about other stories in the same vein, whether they be humorous in nature, or whether they delve into philosophical issues along the way.
