I, Mars

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

76857

Title

I, Mars

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In this haunting sci-fi tale, an elderly man on Mars discovers his lonely existence is a recording of his younger self, who was left behind after Earth's war. As the decades pass, the young voice grows crueler, mocking the old man's despair. Ultimately, the protagonist must choose between destroying the lifeline of his past or accepting the tragic irony of his isolation.

Summary up to 500 words

Set in the desolate, empty cities of Mars in the year 2097, Ray Bradbury's "I, Mars" tells the tragic story of Emil Barton, an octogenarian who has been alone for sixty years. His solitude ends abruptly when a telephone rings, revealing a shocking truth: the caller is his own younger self, Emil Barton, aged twenty. The young Barton explains that he was left behind on Mars when a rocket returned to Earth following an atomic war. To combat his crushing loneliness, he engineered a system of automated telephone relays and recordings, populating the silent towns with "ghosts" of himself at various ages. He records his voice, simulates crowds, and constructs robots to mimic life, all to sustain the illusion of companionship. The narrative unfolds as a harrowing dialogue between the aging, weary Barton and his younger, increasingly cynical counterpart. The young Barton mocks the old man's suffering, claiming he is merely a transcription and cannot feel sadness. He describes his descent into madness, where he plays movies alone, cooks for himself, and acts in films starring himself. The old man, horrified by the cruelty of his younger self and the futility of the deception, attempts to destroy the telephone towers and recording devices. Armed with revolvers and dynamite, he drives across the dark Martian landscape seeking to silence the voices tormenting him. A cruel twist occurs when a real rescue rocket, piloted by Captain Rockwell, lands. The old man believes he has been saved, only to discover that Captain Rockwell is also a recording—a final, cruel joke by the young Barton designed to ensure the old man dies alone. Realizing the truth, the old man attempts to destroy the office filled with recording devices. In a fit of rage and despair, he beats the phones and rips the wires. As he collapses and dies, the remaining two recordings connect, celebrating the young Barton's birthday. Their laughter drifts out into the dead city, leaving the old man silent in death. The story serves as a profound meditation on loneliness, the nature of memory, and the tragic consequences of trying to manufacture connection in a void.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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data/epubs/pg76857.epub

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Categories

• Short Stories
• Science Fiction
• Psychological fiction
• Technology
• Mars
• Human Condition