Martians, Go Home

By: Fredric Brown

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Martians, Go Home,originally published in 1955, is a comic science fiction novel that tells the story of Luke Devereaux, a science fiction writer who witnesses an alien invasion of little green men. These Martians haven't come to Earth to harm anyone - just to annoy people. Unable to touch the physical world, or be touched by it, they take great pleasure inwalking through walls, spying on the private lives of humans - and revealing their every secret. No one knows how to get rid of these obnoxious little aliens, except perhaps Luke. Unfortunately, Mr. Devereaux is going a little bananas, so it may be difficult for him to try - but not impossible.

©2011 Frederic Brown (P)2011 Blackstone Audio

Oldie but goodie

I had read this Fredric Brown story at least 30 years ago. Then it was entertainment. Now it was philosophy. Loved it both times

Left me wanting something more

I kept listening and hoping something would happen. That the story would really begin to go somewhere. Then it ended. Yawn.

Old School Sci Fi at its Finest

Brown was a genius. That’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. I have wanted to read this book since I first saw it 30 years ago but I just had the time. Thank God for Audible. It allowed me to listen to this wonderful and funny novel as I worked.

Take the time because it won’t disappoint you.

Amusing send-up of alien invasion story tropes

I love a good alien invasion story and I also love a humorous story; this little gem is both. The little green men featured in this story manage to conquer Earth without firing a shot. The conventional invasion story is not the only thing satirized here; we also get an interesting and occasionally thought-provoking discourse on the nature of reality itself. How do we know what reality is? Is anything real, perhaps we create our own reality, and so forth but all firmly tongue-in-cheek. There is even a little unintentional humor when some people, believing the Martians to be devils, decide that Mars is hell and Venus is heaven (the book was written before the Venera and Mariner 2 expeditions).

Recommended for 1950's sci-fy buffs and people who like off-beat humor.

Fun read

Enjoyed this quirky book very much. The narrator as always was great. Answers the question, what if aliens came to earth and just were real a holes.

very interesting story and concept

it was a good read.. fluid and intriguing.
I believe the postscript (thought not wanted) just turned the screw a little more. thank you

Humorous look at Martian invasion

Fredric Brown's Martian, Go Home is a light-hearted take on a pseudo-Martian invasion. Taking in place in 50's, the Earth is suddenly inundated with Martians who have the ability to simply pop into any location on Earth at any time. There is no physical interaction possible, but the Martians can make noise, speak, and read. Possessing the ability to pass beyond locked doors and into safes, they have the ability to reveal human secrets. They also possess an annoying personality and seem intent on making a nuisance of themselves. Life on Earth is totally disrupted and normal human pastimes become impossible. The main character is a writer who is temporarily out of a job as Hollywood has been shut down. He suffers a breakdown and then reinvents himself as a writer of westerns (reading becomes a popular form of escape) as he suffers from a mental condition that does not allow him to see or hear the Martians. Eventually, with multiple individuals believing they can end the crisis, the Martians simply disappear.

Brown's world has privacy, including personal, corporate, and government thrown out the window. At the same time, all the normal leisure activities have been disrupted to the point of no longer being enjoyable. See no evil, hear no evil insanity becomes the only sane response to an insane world.

The narration is well done with excellent timing for the humor to come out. Pacing is brisk making for a quick listen.

Entertaining Roots of Science Fiction

Remember when you read books for enjoyment? Return to a time when you could buy a working (for a while) car for $150. When you could live on $56 for 7 weeks. When a long distance phone call could cost over $100. And a week in a sanitarium cost $100.

Also return to a time when a science fiction writer had a working grasp of engineering, and a sense of humor, and hope.

Be amazed at a time when a writer would expect world powers to stop paying for armies because their citizens needed social services.

Oh, well, just sit back and enjoy.

Lewis Carroll For Mid-Century Grownups

What if the Red King is right? Luke (and Frederic) seem to think so, or so I think.

Yes! So good!

This is the one to listen to when your out of credits.

Now I have to go find more by Brown circa the 1950’s. It’s amazing it holds up so well.

I really enjoyed it.