# Can Someone ID these Books about Mars and Venus? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [August 16, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687 "2023-08-16T23:34:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/1 "2023-08-16T23:34:11Z")
I remember reading a duology of books where Mars and Venus were as people thought they were in the 1800s. Venus was swampy with dinosaurs and Mars was a desert world housing an ancient civilization. They were from the 90s or early 2000s. Does this ring a bell for anyone? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/2 "2023-08-17T00:02:03Z")
Anthologies? > **[Book Review: Old Mars / Old Venus edited by George R. R. Martin & Gardner...](https://johnthelibrarian.com/2015/10/27/book-review-old-mars-old-venus-by-george-r-r-martin-gardner-dozois/)** > > I admit I waffled a bit over reading the George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois edited anthologies, Old Mars and Old Venus. These were put together as a nostalgic celebration of the Planetary Roman… ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/3 "2023-08-17T00:21:14Z")
I think they were books by SM Stirling. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/4 "2023-08-17T00:28:08Z")
Yeah, Stirling wrote two novels: “In the Court of the Crimson Kings” and “The Sky People” about Venus ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/5 "2023-08-17T00:30:38Z")
Yes! The books by SM Stirling were the ones I was thinking of. Had lost them in my move and was thinking of rebuying them. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/6 "2023-08-17T00:31:14Z")
Are they any good, in your opinion? Stirling creeps me out, but he’s entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/7 "2023-08-17T00:33:20Z")
The Mars one was good (didn’t read the Venus one - they are pretty independent as far as I can tell) ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/8 "2023-08-17T00:34:55Z")
I might check them out. Was kind of curious when I saw them in the bookstore, but forgot about them till this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/9 "2023-08-17T00:48:28Z")
There is in fact a short story tied to the novels in one of the anthologies I suggested: > Stirling later wrote a short story prequel, “Sword of Zar-Tu-Kan”, which was published in the 2013 anthology _Old Mars_ > **[In the Courts of the Crimson Kings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Courts_of_the_Crimson_Kings)** > > In the Courts of the Crimson Kings is a 2008 alternate history science fiction novel by American writer S. M. Stirling. > The story takes place on the planet Mars in an alternate universe solar system in which probes from both the United States and the Soviet Union find intelligent life and civilizations on both Venus and Mars. The book is heavily influenced by the works of writers such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ray Bradbury, and Leigh Brackett. > It is a sequel to The Sky People, which is set on Ve... ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/10 "2023-08-17T00:48:56Z")
I’ve read the Venus one, and found it interesting. I’ll have to track down the Mars one. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/11 "2023-08-17T03:21:31Z")
I remember liking the Venus one. I am not 100% sure I read the Mars one. Unfortunately several of my books disappeared when I moved including those. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/12 "2023-08-17T20:52:13Z")
Some of Heinlein’s early stories had Venus as hot and swampy, with some reptilian lifeforms but no dinosaurs IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/13 "2023-08-17T20:57:48Z")
I don’t think this is what the OP is looking for, but the descriptions of Mars and Venus were also a big part of the proto steampunk RPG Space 1889. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2023, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-id-these-books-about-mars-and-venus/988687/14 "2023-08-18T01:14:55Z")
The steampunk versions of Venus and Mars was exactly what those books were trying to emulate and as it happens I have the Space 1889 rule book just to read about the setting 🙂