The Hermit of Mars

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bartholomew, Stephen

Contributor:

Finlay, Virgil, 1914-1971

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"The Hermit of Mars" by Stephen Bartholomew is a science fiction novel written in the early 1960s. The narrative revolves around Martin Devere, an aged archaeologist who becomes the sole human inhabitant of Mars after the Project Mars initiative is abandoned. The book explores themes of isolation, the pursuit of knowledge, and the relationship between humanity and technology in the context of a richly imagined Martian civilization. The story unfolds as Devere enjoys his solitary life, conducting archaeological work and studying ancient Martian artifacts. His quiet routine is disrupted by the arrival of two men with ulterior motives, who seek to construct a dangerous bomb on the planet. Tension builds as the intruders threaten Devere's world and delve into their destructive plans. Ultimately, it is revealed that Devere possesses an ancient digging tool that he cleverly uses to protect himself and retaliate against them, leading to an unexpected conclusion. Throughout the novel, Devere contemplates the legacy of the Martians, who thrived on art and science but lacked the technology that led to their eventual extinction, paralleling his views on humanity's direction. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Notes:

Reading ease score: 84.7 (6th grade). Easy to read.

Release date is 2016-09-14