Larry Buttrose Interview (Everyone On Mars) @LarryButtrose Puncher & Wattmann
We catch-up with author Larry Buttorse to discuss Mars and his new book, Everyone On Mars!
Welcome to Impulse Gamer Larry! Tell us a little about your new book Everyone On Mars?
Thank you. My new book deals with the human experience of what it might actually be like to colonise Mars. The 12 stories cover a wide range of experiences of those who travel to Mars, and those who are left behind on Earth. It explores issues of alienation, loss, and just dealing with the harsh Martian conditions.
I know it’s like choosing a favorite child, however which of your short stories resonates the most with you?
I have a few favourites. One is ‘The Baroness’, about a British poet laureate who is sent to Mars with a commission to write a suite of poems about her experiences there, but she seems not to have produced anything since her return. We find out what really happened to her during her time on Mars.
Another is ‘Science Fiction’, which as the title suggests, is more in the sci-fi realm. It’s about what happens after life is found on Mars… and the chaos that discovery unleashes back on Earth.
What was the most difficult to write and why?
Interestingly, I didn’t find any of the stories difficult to write. It’s a cliche, but the stories just seemed to tumble out one after another. I wrote nearly all these stories in the space of three months.
And the most rewarding story to write?
The most rewarding story is probably the last, called ‘The Society’. It is set in the most distant time from now on a terraformed Mars. The story is about a woman who makes a critical life decision on her birthday.
What draws you to Mars?
In practical terms, Mars is the only planet in the solar system we might be able to survive on beyond Earth. Landing there and setting up a first settlement, which I call Elongate in all these stories, represents a massive milestone for the human race. If we are to venture beyond earth… it must be to Mars.
Besides your own writing, who are your favorite authors about Mars?
I love the stories of Philip K. Dick, but also obviously classic authors like Asimov and of course H.G. Wells.
So many authors have been inspired by the possibilities of Mars that we have a whole branch of sci-fi literature devoted to it.
If you could place a date on when a man or woman will walk on mars, what date would you pick and why?
My guess would be in the latter half of the 2030s, so I’m going to say January 1st 2038. It’s that close.
Apart from the danger of space travel, what dangers lurk for future colonists on Mars?
There are a few real challenges… toxins in the soil, radiation, and meteorites. But Elon Musk was interviewed recently about what the real impediments of going to Mars are and he said having a reusable rocket… and he’s already got that now. For the rest, he just foresees challenges that technology will solve.
Musk vs Bezos vs Branson – which of these billionaires will win the space race to Mars?
Musk has been obsessed for decades with getting to Mars and has already launched his Starship to get there. The odds are well and truly with him to get there first. Or should I say, the force (literally!).
Given the distance to Earth and the Sun – do you think life ever existed on the “red planet”?
It’s quite possible rudimentary life existed on Mars and we may well find traces of it in coming years. But intelligent life… I think the chances already are very slim unless there are giant underground cities we don’t know about, which to me is more the stuff of space operas than anything else.
Lastly, what does the rest of 2024 hold for you?
Well, I’ve been working on a number of other books, nothing like this one… but if this one does find a readership I have a sequel volume in mind.
Everyone on Mars invites you to join the expedition to a new world – Short story collection brings to life a speculative future for humanity
Mars, the temperature there may be well below zero, but it’s so hot right now. It’s the dream destination of Elon Musk and other entrepreneurs who have their gaze fixed on the stars; a red beacon of distant hope as the outlook for a sustainable future on Earth becomes cloudier.
Now, thanks to author Larry Buttrose, Mars is in reach for all of us and not just the billionaires. His new collection of 12 short speculative fiction stories, Everyone on Mars, considers the tales of those taking part in a human settlement of Mars… and what it might be like for those left behind.
“Until now much of this area has been in the arena of fantastic tales, Martian aliens and the like,” says Buttrose. “Now we could be a few decades, or, in the thinking of some a matter of years, from a human landing on Mars. Now it feels not so much a matter of if as when.”
“Is Buttrose actually a Martian? These stories are so deeply imagined he may as well have lived there. All the grit, and a little of the grandeur of the human lust for exploration is in these pages.” – Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist.
Everyone on Mars envisages personal, psychological and existential stories of Mars pioneers, showing the humanity at the heart of colonising an inhospitable, alien world and the internal and external threats that pose a risk to the new colony. Stories include a memorable meeting for a famous author in residence, the unique proceedings of Mars’ first magistrate, a perilous encounter between two scientists working in a remote rover, the quirky proposal of a soon-to-be separated couple, a lethal epidemic on a luxury cruise to Mars and how the discovery of life on Mars irrevocably alters life back on Earth.
“My approach is to look at it on a very human level and explore the immense challenge that it would be for humanity to colonise Mars, not only technologically, but also psychologically. The distance is almost unimaginably vast, the isolation could be crushing for the soul, and yet we as humans will probably attempt it nonetheless and may indeed eventually succeed in establishing a human presence on Mars,” says Buttrose.
“If, like me, you’d refuse to leave the Earth, Larry Buttrose will take you on a cosmic adventure instead. And there are so many surprises – Mars is not what you imagine. Take CARE!” – Robyn Williams, Host of the ABC Science Show.
Larry Buttrose is a poet, playwright, novelist and journalist. He is the author of 17 books, including novels, poetry, travel and nonfiction. His fiction includes the novels The Maze of the Muse and Sweet Sentence and his nonfiction works include Dead Famous: Deaths of the Famous and Famous Deaths and Tales of the Popes. He ghost-wrote the international bestseller A Long Way Home, which was made into the acclaimed motion picture Lion, and has been a travel writer for both literary and travel magazines, writing about destinations including Africa, India, South East Asia and Japan. He also published a travelogue about crossing the United States. And now he’s heading to Mars!
Readers can book their ticket for an interplanetary journey when Everyone on Mars (RRP: AUD$29.95) is released in paperback by Puncher & Wattmann on 01 August 2024. For more details, visit everyoneonmars.com.
About the Author
Andrew Bistak When he's not trying to save the world, Andrew enjoys travel (although loathes turbulence), going to the movies, reading and being a dad to his two dogs (and now twins) with his wife.
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