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Rocket Summer
This chronicle introduces the story. Beginning with a rocket landing in Ohio, U.S.A. Bradbury uses very precise description as he introduces the setting of the first chronicle. How "people leaned from their dripping porches and watched the reddening sky" could foreshadow what adventures are to come (Mars, perhaps?) -
Ylla
Ylla, a martian, dreams of a man of white skin and a different language bared coming to her hometown that day. Ylla sleep talks to her husband Yll telling him of "Nathaniel York." She dreams of York taking her away from Mars.Yll becomes very enraged and jealous, ensuring Ylla will not leave their home, as he goes off and kills this man. -
The Summer Night
A martian woman sings a song in a different language.The audience is confused and presumes fear. She singer and musicians are confused as well. Yet the musicians when to play and the same strange music came out. In the middle of the night thousands of women woke up screaming saying, “Something terrible will happen this morning." -
The Earth Men
August 2030, begins with 3 men from earth who have landed on Mars and come to the household of Ttt. The men are shocked to see these Martians exist and appear quite strange to Mrs. Ttt. She explains that the planet is called Tyrr by proper name. She doesn’t express any excitement, which they find to be the case in almost everyone they meet. That is until they meet Mr. Xxx; which he provides them luxury (only to decieve them and murder them, however). -
The Taxpayer
A man, named Pritchard, goes down to a rocket launchpad in Ohio. He yells at the people on the other side of the fence. He says that he is a taxpayer and has the right to go to Mars. The people on the other side of the fence laugh at him. The man yells at the people that an atomic war is going to happen. He is arrested and is just able to see the third expedition launched. -
The Third Expedition
With the launch of the third ship, Mars has transformed from the barren land to a place very similar to Earth (including oxygen). The men of the third expedition assume that it was the doing of the first two expeditions or people had previously colonized Mars. However, the "Earth-like" appearance of Mars is only a martian plan to decieve the Earth men into feeling at home with their deceased family members that are also there so that they may murder these men. -
-And The Moon Be Still As Bright
A year after the 3rd expedition, a 4th expedition arrives on Mars, where they discover old Martian city, along with fresh Martian corpses caused by chicken pox. The captain then allows the crew to eat some food, yet everyone is quiet. Biggs cheers everyone up with singing & drinking, but upsets Spender with his lack of respect for Mars. After some time passes,Splender leaves,threatens/kills his old crew for their disrepect to Mars resulting in his own death handed to him by the Captain. -
The Settlers
Once, few people who wanted to go to Mars. As time progressed There was a growing interest in the expeditions. More and more people saw the advertisements and decided they wanted to go to Mars. Everyone had their own reasons for wanting to go to mars; whether it was dissatisfaction with their lives, their jobs, or their towns they all had a desire to get away. There are rockets launching, as you go to space Earth blends together. -
The Green Morning
A man arriving on Mars named Benjamin Driscoll passes out due to a low Oxygen level and is nearly sent back to Earth. He refuses to return and decides that he will plant trees so that the Oxygen supply is increased. After consulting with the coordinator he is given the task of going around and planting the seeds of trees. The night after he plants the seed it begins to rain for a few hours. The next morning, the trees have grown to their full size (much like the story of Johnny Appleseed). -
The Locusts
More and more people are making the trip to mars. The more people that come the more Mars turns into a second Earth. The planet is being quickly molded into something the Humans are used to. 90 thousand humans moved to Mars and there are more to come. -
Night Meeting
On his way to a party, Thomas stops for gas and talks with the attendant about the qualities of living on Mars. He then stops two more times, once at a dead Martian town and another at a promontory. An insect-like Martian ship approaches and its rider, Muhe Ca, climbs out and explains that he is on his way to a Martian festival. The two begin to speak (in English) telepathically.Their timelines are crossed and therefore believe one another to be figments. In the end, they agree to disagree. -
The Shore
In this short chronicle we look at the “waves” of men who came to Mars. It goes into explaining that there were two waves of men who came to Mars, and all of them were from America. The rest of the world is caught up in war while America is taking over and even colonizing the new planet. -
The Musicians
Earth boys go on a hike around Mars where they come across bones. Of course, they decide to play with them: making music out of their bones (yes, unsanitary and disturbing). The Firemen soon come around where their job is to burn all the martians bones that remain. Guess their instruments are taken away. -
The Naming of Names
This chapter goes into how names on Mars are formed. Lands’ names al formed by people and the thing the people did (Hinkston Creek, Lustig Corners, etc.). Most predominant appear to be “Red Town” named from the blood spewed by the Earth mens’ murder and “Second Town” named for the second expedition. The old Martian names were of water, air, and hills (towns & graveyards took this pattern). Towns included Iron Town,Steel Town, Aluminum City while graveyards were named Green Hill,etc. -
Usher II
William Stendahl,avid reader, is banned from building Poe's Usher house on Earth by the Office of Moral Climate; Stendahl plans revenge by building it on Mars.He hires architect Bigelow to build his fantasy filled home.Garrett,a climate investigator, comes to condem Stendahl,he is killed much like Poe's story,"TheMurdersInTheRueMorgue."It turns out that the earlier Garrett was itself only a robot.The real Garrett shows up,Stendahl takes him to a cellar&seals him in an alcove (CaskOfAmontillado). -
The Old Ones
This chronicle speaks how after many expeditions complete, the old people on Earth finally come to Mars. Bradbury described them to have dry, wrinkly skin; calling them the mummy people. The chronicle briefly explains how it was planned that the young people were like the frontiersman of space and the old people always follow behind when it’s safe to arrive. -
The Martian
This chronicle begins with Mr. and Mrs. LeFarge, an older couple, sitting in their home on Mars, dwelling on their deceased son (who died on Earth). Before bed Mr. LeFarge looks outside and sees a figure who resembles their son, he tells him if it his him to come inside and leaves the door unlocked. The figure does come in.The couple rejoices to be with their son again. They take him to town the next day where he shape shifts so many times causing his face to end up melting much like wax. -
The Luggage Store
The owner of the luggage store heard the news on the radio that there was going to be a war on Earth, he was in complete and utter shock that there would be a war. Father Peregerine tell the shopekeeper about the wars in China he heard about growing up.The Father says that he did not believe the wars were actually happening back then because, “it’s so far away it’s unbelievable.” The owner believes that an influx of people in his store soon will happen as everyone tries to get home(Earth). -
The Off Season
Sam Parkhill is opening his hotdog stand when a martian comes saying he has news. Sam told the martian to get out, but the martian had something to show Sam. Sam decided the maritan was a threat, killed him,then burried him.Sam’s wife realized a cloud of sand with sand ships leading the way. He then runs away,thinking he is beating the martians. When they catch up, he pleadse with the martians, advoiding death. Yet they let him go anyway, actually providing him the "keys" to half of Mars too. -
The Watchers
At nine o’clock in the evening, earth seems to explode in front of the Martian settlers’ eyes. A morse code message is sent to them, with news that the atomic stockpile of Australia prematurely explode, wiping out the continent; further, London and Los Angeles have been bombed and the settlers should come home. At 3 a.m.,a crowd flocks to the luggage store, whose proprietor stayed open for this eventuality; he sells out of his goods by dawn. -
The Silent Towns
Walter Gripp is a young gentleman that has lived in isolation for some years now and occasionally takes a trip down to Marlin Village. To his surprise, everythign is abandoned.
Gripp is desperate for companionship to the point he dials random numbers everyday. One day he gets a response, yet is quickly repulsed when she shows up with a wedding gown and decides it isn't bad being alone. -
The Long Years
Hathaway,from the 4th expedition, speaks of his daily routine on Mars. He and his family have lived there for 20 years. Today, he sees a rocket landing, with Wilder inside.Wilder says no one is on Mars other than them, and Gripp.Wilder goes back to Hathaway's for dinner and meets his family who looks the same as they did 20 years ago(they turn up as robots). Hathaway dies of a heart condition, Wilder informs his "family" and he is burried. -
The Will Come Soft Rains
A fully-automated house on a rainy day in California holds a wall by the garden was burned showing 5 shadows: one of a man mowing, one a woman gardenting, and small boy and girl throwing a ball back and forth. A dog shows up at the front porch.The dog froths at the mouth,goes into a frenzy and dies.In the evening, the house reads the poem, “There Will Come Soft Rains." A poem about destruction of Earth via war-the house is soon engulfed by flames after a tree falls over onto it. -
The Million-Year Picnic
The Thomas family, the 2nd to last family on Earth goes to Mars (the audience never knows if the last family makes is). Timothy, the oldest son, acts as the narrator as he observes his father’s actions and emotions.He can tell something is different by his “caved in, sucked dry” face.The family is supposedly on a fishing trip, but when Thomas stops the boat he tells them the news: Mars is their new home.Tim asks to see the martians, so his dad takes them to a canal and see his reflection. -
Fire Balloons
Father Peregrine,Stone,and Mathias have been chosen by the Bishop to go to Mars and convert/save alien life forms from sin.Father Peregrine and Father Stone are unsure about their trip, yet proceed on.They meet the Mayor of the first town who tells them there are 2 kinds of martians.One is mostly extinct while the other is a fiery blue spheres of lights that are normally seen in the mountains. They go off in search of the blue spheres while encountering many near death experiences along the way. -
Interim
This short chronicles shows how humans are making due with what they have on Mars to slowly turn Mars into Earth. This chapter is a break from all the arrivals and chaos that goes along with these expeditions. -
The Wilderness
In Independence, Missouri, Janice Smith and Leonora Holmes prepare for their trip to Mars (The first women to go to Mars that Bradbury writes about, anyway). Janice has a fear to fly to Mars yet wants to pursue this trip so that she can be reunited with her boyfriend, Will. As they are leaving Janice contacts Will through a lightphone where the only message to come across is "love."
