Читать книгу CVC Veri A Guide to the Epic of the Martian Empire - Lee CDN Streiff - Страница 5

The Epic of the Martian Empire began in the fertile imagination of James Streiff somewhere around 1937’ when he was in the 8^th grade at Robinson Junior High School. Partially put together from the stories, pictures and characters in the Science Fiction magazines of the day that he read; partially invented out of what he knew of history and science; and greatly elaborated in conversations with his friends, the Epic grew over the next six years as James moved on to East High School and later to the University of Wichita. As time went on, ever more people became involved in the Epic, until something like fifteen similarly minded friends were all picking up and enlarging on it.

Figure 1.1 James Streiff and Robert Parks, at fifteen, circa 1939

As far as the influence of science-fiction was concerned, originally E.E. Smith’s “Gray Lensman,” series in Astounding Science Fiction was probably one of the most influential works in shaping the tone of the Epic although, “The Cosmic Engineers” by Clifford Simak, and stories by Isaac Azimov and A.E. Van Vogt also played an important role as well as those other authors. In terms of the historical background that James had, much of it was centered on a study of the Roman Empire.

Drawing on this study, James modeled many parts of the historical development of the Martian Empire on that of the Roman Empire.