Edison's Conquest of Mars

Infobox Book
name = Edison's Conquest of Mars
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Dust-jacket from the first book publication
author = Garrett P. Serviss
illustrator = Bernard Manley, Jr.
cover_artist = Russell Swanson
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Science fiction novel
publisher = Carcosa House
release_date = 1947
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback)
pages = xxiii, 186 pp
isbn = NA
oclc = 2494245
preceded_by = The War of the Worlds
followed_by =

"Edison's Conquest of Mars", by Garrett P. Serviss, is one of the many science fiction novels published in the nineteenth century. Although science fiction was not at the time thought of as a distinct literary genre, it was a very popular literary form, with almost every fiction magazine regularly publishing science fiction stories and novels. "Edison's Conquest of Mars" was published in 1898 intended to be a sequel to "Fighters from Mars", an un-authorized and heavily altered version of H. G. Wells's "The War of the Worlds", but did not achieve the fame of its predecessor.

The book was endorsed by Thomas Edison, the hero of the book -- though not by Wells. The themes and messages of Serviss's book are diametrically opposed to Wells's original. In it, Edison travels to Mars, his inventions (including the disintegrator ray) allow an Earth spacefleet to destroy the Martians' ability to make war after several exciting battles. There are ship-to-ship battles, and battles between Earth ships and Martian ground forts. This was perhaps the first space opera, although the term did not yet exist; it was perhaps the most literal of the Edisonades.

Earth technology in the story includes spacesuits (called "air-tight suits").

Communication between spacemen in space needs a wire to be passed between them; spaceships communicate by flags or lights. Although the story was published in 1898 during the early real experiments in radio, it contains no concept of radio.

The book contains some notable "firsts" in science fiction: alien abductions, aliens building the Pyramids, space battles, oxygen pills and disintegrator guns. [Edisons Conquest of Mars, Apogee books 2005, Page 4]

Publication history

*1898, USA, New York Journal, Pub date 12 January - 10 February 1898, serialized in 30 parts [cite book | last=Tuck | first=Donald H. | authorlink=Donald H. Tuck | title=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy | location=Chicago | publisher=Advent | pages=384 | date=1978|id=ISBN 0-911682-22-8]
*1947, USA, Carcosa House OCLC|2494245, Pub date 1947, Hardback, first book publicationcite book | last=Chalker | first=Jack L. | authorlink=Jack L. Chalker | coauthors=Mark Owings | title=The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998 | location=Westminster, MD and Baltimore | publisher=Mirage Press, Ltd.| pages=138 | date=1998]
*1954, USA, Hanover House OCLC|2581070, Pub date 1954, Hardback, abridged version included in "The Treasury of Science Fiction Classics", edited by Harold W. Kuebler [cite web
last = Contento
first = William G.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.philsp.com/homeville/ISFAC/t61.htm#A1327
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-04-07 ]
*1969, USA, Powell Publications OCLC|1184448, Pub date 1969, Paperback, slightly abridged by Forrest J Ackerman as "Invasion of Mars"
*1972, USA, Ace Books, Pub Date 1972 - 1973, Paperback, serialized in "Perry Rhodan", nos 16 - 22 as "The Conquest of Mars"
*2006, Canada, Apogee Books ISBN 0-9738203-0-6, Pub Date August 2006, Paperback, unedited unabridged version with the original newspaper illustrations [cite web
last = Brown
first = Charles N.
authorlink = Charles N. Brown
coauthors = William G. Contento
title = The Locus Index to Science Fiction (2006)
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.locusmag.com/index/yr2006/b44.htm#A1575.2
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-04-07 ]

Notes

References

*cite book | last=Chalker | first=Jack L. | authorlink=Jack L. Chalker | coauthors=Mark Owings | title=The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998 | location=Westminster, MD and Baltimore | publisher=Mirage Press, Ltd.| pages=138 | date=1998
*cite book | last=Tuck | first=Donald H. | authorlink=Donald H. Tuck | title=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy | location=Chicago | publisher=Advent | pages=384 | date=1978|id=ISBN 0-911682-22-8

ee also

*Thomas Edison in popular culture

External links

*
* [http://www.war-ofthe-worlds.co.uk/edisons_conquest_of_mars.htm Review of book at War of the Worlds Invasion]