The Martian Chronicles (alternate title in the UK: The Silver Locusts) is a 1950 science fiction book by Ray Bradbury that chronicles the colonization of Mars by humans, and the conflict between aboriginal Martians and the new colonists. The book is a short story collection, containing Bradbury stories originally published in the late 1940s in science fiction magazines. For publication in the sixties, the stories were loosely woven together in a series of short vignettes, and a short paragraph was inserted to explain the extreme longevity of the astronauts.

The Martian Chronicles was made into a TV miniseries in the early 1980s.

The book was arranged in chronological order, starting in January 1999, with the departure of the first expedition. "Rocket Summer" describes Ohio's winter becoming summer just from the extreme heat of the rocket's take-off.

The following chapter, "Ylla", moves the story to Mars. Ylla, a Martian woman, dreams of the coming astronauts though her powers of telepathy, but her husband becomes very jealous. He later kills the two-man expedition as soon as they arrive.

The second expedition to Mars, in August 1999, is no more successful. The Martians believe the captain is insane and hallucinating his ship and crew. Martians are able to experience the hallucinations of others though their telepathic abilities. Because the captain refuses to admit he is not from Earth, Mr. Xxx, his psychiatrist, kills him. When the "imaginary" crew does not disappear as well, Mr. Xxx shoots and kills them, and then himself when the "imaginary" rocket remains in existence, concluding that he too must be crazy.

"The Earth Men" is a first contact story between the Earth people and the Martians, using telepathy.

The next chapter, "The Third Expedition" recounts the arrival and demise of the third group of Americans to land on Mars. This time the Martians are prepared for the Earthlings. When the crew arrives, they see a typical town of the 1920's filled with the long lost loved ones of the astronauts. The next morning, sixteen coffins exit sixteen houses and are buried. These opening chapters are the strangest of the whole collection and conclude any detailed discussion of Martians and their abilities.

The next chapter, "-And the moon be still as bright" opens in June 2001 with the men of the fourth expedition gathering firewood against the cold Martian evening. The scientists have found that all of the Martians have died of chicken pox brought by the first expeditions. The men, except for the archeologist Spender and Captain Wilder, become more boisterous, and Spender's discomfort with the rowdiness increases. The man loses it when one of his crewmates starts dropping empty wine bottles into a clear blue canal and knocks him out. When questioned by his captain, Spender replies "We'll rip it up, rip the skin off, and change it to fit ourselves...We Earth Men have a talent for ruining big, beautiful things," referring to Mars. He leaves later and returns after a week of exploring the ruins. He revisits with a gun and shoots several of his crewmates, saying he is the last Martian. Although the captain offers to forgive him, Spender chooses to stand up for what he believes in -- colonization with appreciation for the existing culture, not trying to make something new into the old. Although he somewhat agrees with Spender, Captain Wilder shoots him in the chest before Spender has the opportunity to kill anyone else. The captain later knocks out the teeth of Parkhill when he damages some Martian ruins. This chapter is important because many of these characters -- Parkhill, Captain Wilder, and Hathaway -- all appear in later stories. It's also the first time Bradbury really states his purpose in writing "Martian Chronicles." "Martian Chronicles" is a commentary on the Western frontier and its colonization using the newest frontier -- space -- and its colonization. Like Spender, Bradbury's message is that some types of colonization are right and others are wrong. Trying to replicate the old civilization is wrong, but appreciating the civilization you have found is right.

The next several chapters describe the transformation of Mars into another Earth. Small towns similar to those on Earth begin to grow. One man makes it his mission to plant thousands of trees on the red plains so oxygen levels will increase.

The rockets are used as a metaphor in this story.

In contrast, Bradbury describes a conversation between an old man and a young traveler. The older man explains that he came here because he appreciates the new and novel. Even everyday things have become amazing to him once again. He has returned full circle to his childhood. To highlight his point, the young man later encounters a Martian in a place out of time. Neither knows if he precedes the other, but Bradbury makes the point that civilization is fleeting.

In this story, the Earth colonists deliberately attempt to exterminate the Martian cities. Interestingly, the term "Firemen" is used to describe those who set fires, as opposed to those who extinguish them, as in Farenheit 451.

In this story, the implications of race relationships is explored.

This story is about later waves of immigrants to Mars.

“Usher II” tells of Bradbury’s and other writers’ fear of censoring, very pertinent in the 60’s and 70’s. A literary retreats to Mars and builds his image of the prefect manse, complete with mechanical bats and creaky door soundtracks. When the Moral Climate Monitors come to visit, he arranges to kill each in a manner reminiscent of a different horror masterpiece. When his persecutors are dead, the house sinks into the lake as in Poe’s short story, The Fall of the House of Usher. Here, Bradbury’s message is simple: what goes around comes around, and ironic revenge is sweeter still. (This installment makes several references to the events in another Ray Bradbury novel, Fahrenheit 451 )

The story of Mars and its inhabitants is continued in a discussion between a priest and a luggage storeowner. Nuclear war has begun on Earth, and the priest predicts that most of the colonists will return to help. He proves right and the store is sold out overnight.

In another place, we again meet Parkhill, the overly proud owner of a hotdog stand. Under the long suffering eye of his wife, he murders a Martian and leads them on a crazy chase across the red plains, only to have them deed him all of the surrounding land, and mysteriously tell him “Tonight is the night.” Parkhill believes he will witness the masses traveling from Earth; instead he looks up in time to witness the nuclear destruction of his home planet.

This story examines gender relations, focusing on the short-term and mercenary aspects.

In contrast to "The Silent Towns", this story is a more benevolent look at love, family life, and longevity.

This is one of the most famous Bradbury short stories. It concerns a household where all the family has been killed, but the robots that take care of the family still function. Although all the people are dead, the reader can still learn a great deal about what the family was like by how the robots continue on in their functions.

“The million year picnic” is Bradbury’s last chapter in “”The Martian Chronicles.”” A family takes a “fishing trip” escaping from war torn Earth to Mars. Says Timmy’s father, “I was looking for Earthian logic, common sense, good government, peace, and responsibility… It’s not there anymore.” Later he gifts his boys with the world. And he introduces them to Martians --- their own reflections in a canal.

• Study guide from WSU
• Study guide from Sparknotes
• ISBN 0553278223