영어로 읽는 고전 _ 리 브래킷의 화성 지하묘지의 여왕
리 브래킷의 "화성 지하묘지의 여왕"은 1940년대 후반에 쓰인 과학소설입니다. 이야기는 화성과 인연이 있는 거친 지구인 에릭 존 스타크가 발키스라고 알려진 도시로 가는 길과 화성 사회를 통과하는 경로를 찾으면서 위험과 음모로 가득한 배신적인 풍경을 헤쳐나가는 과정을 따라갑니다. 서사는 생존, 권력 투쟁, 그리고 베릴드라는 신비롭고 잊혀지지 않는 여성과 스타크의 복잡한 관계라는 주제들을 다룹니다.
이야기의 시작에서 스타크는 화성 사막에서 추격당하고 있으며, 과거의 위법 행위로 인해 그를 다시 구금하기 위해 온 지구 경찰 통제부의 장교들과 맞서야 하는 상황에 놓입니다. 도입부 장들은 자유로 남아있으려는 스타크의 맹렬한 결의와 그의 지구 혈통과 화성인들 사이에서의 성장 모두에 의해 형성된 그의 삶의 가혹한 현실에 대한 냉혹한 수용을 소개합니다. 그가 사이먼 애쉬튼과 같은 옛 친구들과 과거의 멘토들을 만나면서, 스타크는 자신도 모르게 교활한 키논의 야심과 유혹적이고 수수께끼 같은 베릴드를 포함한 화성의 다양한 파벌들 사이의 치열한 갈등에 휘말리게 됩니다. 고대 화성 전설들로 울려 퍼지는 황량한 환경은 앞으로 다가올 스타크의 격동적인 여정의 무대를 설정합니다.
Classics Read in English _ Queen of the Martian Catacombs by Leigh Brackett
Leigh Brackett's "Queen of the Martian Catacombs" is a science fiction novel from the late 1940s. The narrative follows Eric John Stark, a hardened Earthman with Martian connections, as he navigates a treacherous landscape filled with danger and conspiracy while seeking passage through Martian society toward the city known as Valkis. The story addresses themes of survival, power struggles, and Stark's complex relationship with Berild, a mystical and haunting woman.
The tale opens with Stark being pursued across the Martian desert, where he must confront officers from Earth Police Control who have arrived to return him to custody for past criminal activities. The opening chapters establish Stark's fierce determination to remain free and his stark acceptance of the harsh realities of his life, shaped by both his terrestrial heritage and his upbringing among Martians. As he encounters old allies and former mentors like Simon Ashton, Stark unwittingly becomes entangled in an escalating conflict between various Martian factions, including the scheming ambitions of the cunning Kynon and the seductive, enigmatic Berild. The desolate environment, resonating with ancient Martian legends, establishes the backdrop for Stark's turbulent journey ahead.
Among the contents
For hours the hard-pressed beast had fled across the Martian desert with its dark rider. Now it was spent. It faltered and broke stride, and when the rider cursed and dug his heels into the scaly sides, the brute only turned its head and hissed at him. It stumbled on a few more paces into the lee of a sandhill, and there it stopped, crouching down in the dust.
The man dismounted. The creature's eyes burned like green lamps in the light of the little moons, and he knew that it was no use trying to urge it on. He looked back, the way he had come.
In the distance there were four black shadows grouped together in the barren emptiness. They were running fast. In a few minutes they would be upon him.
He stood still, thinking what he should do next. Ahead, far ahead, was a low ridge, and beyond the ridge lay Valkis and safety, but he could never make it now. Off to his right, a lonely tor stood up out of the blowing sand. There were tumbled rocks at its foot.
"They tried to run me down in the open," he thought. "But here, by the Nine Hells, they'll have to work for it!"
