Martians, Keep out! by Fritz Leiber
Jonas Scatterday, nicknamed Scat, and his Martian partner Click-Click arrive by utility car in the hick mining town of Bronsco, where a Martian corpse has just been impaled on a spike beside the trafficway. Scat has bought the local newspaper, the Bronsco Newsbeam, and evicts the old bigoted owner, Donnolan, who denounces Scat as "the Liberator" and a bug-smuggler tied to the Underground Skyway to Antarctica. The skeptical staff agrees to stay on, and Scat and Click-Click broadcast a taped sermon from the Missionary, who describes learning the Martians' own telepathic Golden Rule — "Do unto others as others would have you do unto them" — while proselytizing on Mars. Scat drives to Ten Mile, the world's deepest mine, run by Kemmerdygn Mining Interests, ostensibly to shoot a puff-piece about happy Martian miners but really to gather evidence of abuse; he is nearly seized by bug-bosses after his cover story unravels, but bluffs his way out by invoking bad publicity. Back at the Newsbeam, Donnolan returns with an injunction that Scat shows has already been legally voided, and the original staff quits for jobs with Kemmerdygn, replaced by Click-Click's own crew, including Scat's friend Len Cutt. The paper comes under escalating siege: a masked vigilante group calling itself the Mystic X (previously responsible for bombing a Martian clinic in Scarnston) phones threats over the talk-see; the building's glastic front is spray-painted black; power and food are cut off; a "finder" named Piggie is brought to sniff out fugitive Martians hidden in the building, but Click-Click smuggles two escapees out inside gas cannisters bound for the Reservation in Antarctica. The visiting Reverend Arthur Allerdyce Bassett denounces the paper's Martian sympathies, and a delegation from the secret Executive Council of the Young Freeworkers debates whether Kemmerdygn's pensioner system is justified, ultimately admitting they too are trapped as dependents while Martians remain enslaved. Click-Click insists on infiltrating Ten Mile himself, disguised with forged pincher-prints, to organize the Martians there via a recreational "Martian Tape" of puzzles broadcast on the Newsbeam. After four days of mounting harassment, cancelled subscriptions, and a final Mystic X ultimatum, an armed mob gathers outside the building; Scat defiantly declares the staff armed, including the Martians. At the last moment, Kemmerdygn's secretary calls off the danger and insists the evening edition still be broadcast. Click-Click returns to explain: the Martian Tape had become so popular among the enslaved miners that its absence provoked a spontaneous, near-unprecedented strike at Ten Mile, forcing Kemmerdygn — bound by government contracts he could not afford to miss — to intervene and protect the Newsbeam. The story ends with Scat and Click-Click clasping hands (or pincer and duraplast prosthetic) in a gesture of solidarity, Click-Click predicting the Martians at Ten Mile "will be a long time forgetting this initial lesson in self-assertion."
By Fritz Leiber · First published 1950 · Genre: Science Fiction, Social Commentary, Political Thriller · 4 chapters · 8,238 words
First lines
_Hatred of the Martians was being deliberately exploited, and Scatterday knew why. And the only way to fight the enslavement of humans, was to assist the Martians, even though it meant risking lynch-law! _
And as if that sign weren't enough, someone with a red spray pencil had added
What this Textopian page supports
Martians, Keep out! is listed on Textopian as a novel by Fritz Leiber, dated 1950 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Fritz Leiber
- Date: 1950 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Science Fiction, Social Commentary, Political Thriller, Adventure, Dystopian
- Length: 8,238 words
- Structure: 4 chapters, 200 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for Martians, Keep out! by Fritz Leiber
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- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
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Genres
- Science Fiction — The story is set in a future where humans and Martians coexist, exploring themes of interplanetary relations and advanced technology.
- Social Commentary — The narrative critiques societal issues such as racism, exploitation, and the consequences of technological advancement on labor.
- Political Thriller — The plot involves political intrigue, resistance movements, and the struggle for power and rights.
- Adventure — The protagonist engages in risky missions and confrontations, adding elements of action and suspense.
Tags
science fiction · aliens · humor · satire · space exploration · interplanetary · adventure · humanity · conflict · society · technology · first contact