Arabella of Mars - Q5

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There was quite a bit of action interspersed with the exposition during the flight of the Diana to Mars - the privateers, the French naval ship, and then the uprising on Mars itself when they landed. Did you enjoy these parts? Was there enough action to keep your interest? Did it seem 'realistic' given the fantastic and exotic setting? In many ways, the book treated the Martians as if they were natives of the British Empire on Earth, though they were very different from Humans. Did this work for you? Or was this mere outer dressing? Did they evoke your interest?

Comments

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    I thought the way the ship-to-ship action was done was innovative - enough like actual naval action that you could get the drift, but with enough allowances for low gravity and 3d manoeuvring to add some suitable changes. The fleet action in the second book is also quite well done, though for my taste it felt a bit rushed (but then, the focus switched to personal stuff about Arabella and the rest of the fleet became of secondary interest once the outcome was assured).

    Yes I agree, it was very "empire and colonies in space" though to be fair, some of this reflected the Earth perspective, and the "colonies" were a bit more purposeful and determined than one might expect. Some of the social mechanics of the Martians felt very plot-driven rather than "natural", with customs and mores being introduced just in time for Our Heroine to exploit them to her advantage!

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    Ah, the Martians. Couldn't be more Noble Savages if they'd tried. And with the added benefit of being explicitly non-human, so none of that awkward detail of treating them like people! This part of the book was the most transparent apologia for imperialism in the book, and that's saying something!

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    I thought the action scenes were some of the best parts, though again I wondered why they couldn’t take place on earth in a good old- fashioned (if rather derivative) adventure story along the lines of a Moonfleet for boy-girls. And by boy-girls, I mean female characters designed to show that women can be men, too, as opposed to female characters who have agency in their own right.
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