1. Research the history of the Martian "canals." Who first saw them? Why did people come to believe in the canals?

Why would Wollheim include them in his novel?

2. Many authors have written novels about Martians. Research the history of Martians in literature. How do Wollheim's Martians compare with other writers' conceptions? Are his Martians a logical development of the Martians imagined by such authors as Ray Bradbury and Edgar Rice Burroughs? Or are Wollheim's Martians distinctive?

3. Wollheim imagines creatures living on the cold outer planets and their moons as frigi-plasmic rather than protoplasmic. What does Wollheim mean by this? What qualities do his frigi-plasmic creatures have in common? Have any scientists speculated on how life on cold planets might be different from life on earth? Do any scientists have views similar to Wollheim's?

4. Why are space wars popular with young...