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Rocket Summer
This chapter of the Martian Chronicles describes the rockets launching from Ohio during the wintertime. The heat given off from the rockets launching clears the snow and makes it feel as if the season changed from winter to summer. -
Ylla
In this chapter, a Martian named Ylla is able to sense telepathically the idea of humans landing on Mars, and her husband disapproves of these thoughts when she explains them to him. When the rocket lands, Yllas husband goes out telling her he's going hunting, but he really goes out to kill the astronauts. -
The Earth Men
For this chronicle, Astronauts land on Mars and try communicating to the Martians. To their surprise, the Martians appear to have little interest in their presence. The men are soon led to an asylum where their sanity is to be tested. The Martians kill them because they believed they have an incurable case of hallucinations. When the "hallucinations" do not disappear for the Martian who killed the humans, he kills himself as well. -
The Summer Night
In this event, Martians begin telepatically detecting human thoughts , music, and ideas without the knowledge of what it is or where it is coming from -
The Taxpayer
As rockets are preparing to leave Earth, a citizen runs up to the fence demanding he be taken aboard with them. He fears of an impending war on Earth and wishes to leave to escape. As he is taken away he cries out that he is a taxpaying citizen. -
The Third Expidition
Astronauts arrive on Mars to a location that appears to resemble a Midwestern American town. When they exit the ship, they see family members and loved ones that have died. This was really a trap set by the Martians using their telepathic abilities to change what they are seeing. They end up killing the expedition members and hold a funeral for them the next morning -
And the Moon be Still as Bright
Another expedition to Mars, but upon their arrival, the Astronauts discover that the Martian population has died out due to chicken pox brought there by previous expeditions.When he realizes this discovery, a crew member named Spender kills members of the crew as to not further destroy the martian landscape and/or population. Captain Wilder listens to Spenders thoughts of colonization andrejoins the rest of the crew. When the crew hunts for him, Wilder shoots him in the chest and kills hime -
The Green Morning
A man named Ben Driscoll comes to Mars but finds that he might not be able to stay after passing out from the thin atmosphere. He reponds to this by planting trees on Mars in an attempt to make a new atmosphere. After falling asleep, he wakes up to find himself in a forest of the trees he planted -
The Locusts
This chapter describes the swift settlement of Mars and the bringing of rockets and Humans to settle across Mars. -
The Night Meeting
A boy named Tomas encounters a Martian named Muhe Ca in the night. They try to touch each other, but their bodies pass through them and themselves. Tomas describes to Muhe of how he sees Mars as dried up and dead, but Muhe sees everything as filled with life and water in the canals. They agree to disagree and go on their ways. -
The Shore
This section describes the further colonization of Mars, stating that the age of pioneers being a necessity to Mars has passed -
The Fire Balloons
Two priests come to Mars in an effort to spread their faith to new lands. When they arrive and go to the mountains, they come across fiery orbs floating amongst them. The orbs protect them from every instance of physical pain. The orbs then explain the the priests that they are martians who have transcended into higher life forms. The priests built a small shire for them as a gift. -
Interim
Describes the creation of new Martian towns and how they resemble small American towns and that life is still rather similar to that on Earth. -
The Musicians
Children go out into the Martian wilderness searching for an abandoned Martian city. When they enter one of the houses, they kick up piles of black leaves (being decayed skin) and play with the bones of former martians. Firemen come and clean up the remains and the children are scolded at home. -
The Wilderness
This chapter describes two women preparing to go to Mars. One of the women is scared, but is still willing to go to be with her husband. -
The Naming of Names
This chronicle describes how newly settled towns and previous landmarks have been named after previous pioneers and explorers and how the old Martian names have been changed -
Usher II
n Usher II, a wealthy man named William Stendahl designs a mansion with a gloomy atmosphere from "The Fall of the House of Usher". A bureaucrat from Earth comes to tear it down, but is killed by one of Stendahls robots. Stendahl then invites politicians to his house for dinner, where he proceeds to kill them one by one and replaces them with robot versions. After they are all killed, he flees the house from those who will come after him. As he leaves, the house proceeds to sink into the ground. -
The Old Ones
This brief chronicle described how now elderly people began traveling to Mars as the last wave of settlers. -
The Martian
An elderly couple moved to Mars to move on from the death of their child. They encountered a strange child that appeared to be their son. Weird reports from neighbors described them seeing previously thought dead loved ones around. The man found out about the child's secret and that it really was a Martian. The town came after the Martian, asking it to resemble a passed loved one. The Martian couldn't take the form of so many people that it ended up dying. -
The Watchers
People living on Mars see the beginning to the Nuclear War on Earth. They see a flash of light appearing from Earth and immediately begin to head back to Earth to be with family. -
The Luggage Store
Father Peregrine and a luggage store owner are speaking to each other regarding an inevitable world war on Earth. The luggage store owner says that he sold all of his inventory, showing that most of Mars feels the same and they will return to Earth. -
The Silent Towns
A man named Walter Gripp seems to be the last man left on Mars once most of the population returned to Earth. He finds out of the existence of a woman who is also living on Mars. They meet each other and go on a date through the abandoned town. As the date goes on, Walter later runs away from her to be alone by himself -
The Long Years
Captain Wilder lands on Mars after years of exploring the solar system. Here, he is rejoined with a former crew member named Hathaway who invites Wilder to have dinner with his family. As the dinner goes on, Hathaway's family doesn't seem to be normal and has a crew member investigate. The member finds out that his family really died years ago and replaced them with robots to keep him company. Hathaway dies once dinner concludes in front of Wilder and his wife buries him with his family. -
There Will Come Soft Rains
This chronicle describes an automated house who's inhabitants are no longer inside, It describes hos the house continues with it's daily routine without recognizing that there is nobody left on Earth. The house eventually burns to the ground in a chemical fire, unable to itself or be saved. While it is left as a pile of rubble, in continuously repeats the date, as if it were to continue on the next day even while in ruins -
The Million Year Picnic
A man brings his family to Mars from Earth. While there, he gives each of his children a city that they passed as their own personal playgrounds. He soon explains to his children that they are on Mars to stay and that they will never return to Earth. They're hoping that another family they're friends with will reach Mars and one day may repopulate the planet. When the children ask to see Martians, the father tells them to look into the canal, where they saw their reflections.
