Rainbow Mars
Encyclopedia
Rainbow Mars is a science fiction
short story collection
by Larry Niven
. It includes the five previously published Svetz stories and the novel, also called Rainbow Mars in which human
s from Earth
visit Mars
and find it populated by the creations of Edgar Rice Burroughs
, Ray Bradbury
, C. S. Lewis
, H. G. Wells
, and Stanley G. Weinbaum
. This means that Mars is inhabited by several different intelligent species
and culture
s. The story began as a collaboration with Terry Pratchett
; a number of his ideas remain in the final draft, mainly the use of Yggdrasil
.
The book collects a series of short stories by Niven, including "The Flight of the Horse", in which he introduced the Temporal Research Institute. The premise of the novel is that the old Secretary-General has recently died; his heir is more interested in extraterrestrials than the Earth beasts who went extinct due to excess pollution. This resulted in the Temporal Institute attempting to invent space flight, and several of its agents visiting Mars.
The starting temporal point is the year "+1108 Atomic Era," corresponding to 3053 AD in the Gregorian Calendar
. The main character is Agent Hanville Svetz, a brave and resourceful man. Neither he nor any of his colleagues ever realize that all his expeditions have actually been to parallel universes
, and the animals he retrieves are all creatures from fiction, such as Moby-Dick
, and from mythology
, such as Quetzalcoatl
. The idea that he may be traveling into realms of fantasy does occur to Svetz a couple of times, but the notion is rejected by others.
When the expedition arrives on Mars, the year is "-550 Atomic Era," corresponding to 1395 AD/CE.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story collection
Short story collection
A short story collection is a book of short stories by a single author, as distinguished by an anthology of fiction by more than one author. The stories in a collection can share a theme, setting, or characters and sometimes can also include work of poetry. Notable collections include Nine Stories...
by Larry Niven
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
. It includes the five previously published Svetz stories and the novel, also called Rainbow Mars in which human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
visit Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
and find it populated by the creations of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
, Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
, C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
, H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
, and Stanley G. Weinbaum
Stanley G. Weinbaum
Stanley Grauman Weinbaum was an American science fiction author. His career in science fiction was short but influential...
. This means that Mars is inhabited by several different intelligent species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
s. The story began as a collaboration with Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
; a number of his ideas remain in the final draft, mainly the use of Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil
In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology. It was said to be the world tree around which the nine worlds existed...
.
The book collects a series of short stories by Niven, including "The Flight of the Horse", in which he introduced the Temporal Research Institute. The premise of the novel is that the old Secretary-General has recently died; his heir is more interested in extraterrestrials than the Earth beasts who went extinct due to excess pollution. This resulted in the Temporal Institute attempting to invent space flight, and several of its agents visiting Mars.
The starting temporal point is the year "+1108 Atomic Era," corresponding to 3053 AD in the Gregorian Calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
. The main character is Agent Hanville Svetz, a brave and resourceful man. Neither he nor any of his colleagues ever realize that all his expeditions have actually been to parallel universes
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
, and the animals he retrieves are all creatures from fiction, such as Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
, and from mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, such as Quetzalcoatl
Quetzalcoatl
Quetzalcoatl is a Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and has the meaning of "feathered serpent". The worship of a feathered serpent deity is first documented in Teotihuacan in the first century BCE or first century CE...
. The idea that he may be traveling into realms of fantasy does occur to Svetz a couple of times, but the notion is rejected by others.
When the expedition arrives on Mars, the year is "-550 Atomic Era," corresponding to 1395 AD/CE.