Shadow Over Mars - Leigh Brackett

Novel

Number of words : 40000
Percent of complex words : 5.7
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 9.6


READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 6.1
Flesch : 80.2
Flesch-Kincaid : 4.5



CHARACTERS

Richard Gunn Urquhart

Rick, man with a destiny, and ability to cast a long Shadow.

Llaw's grandmother

A seeress who forsees Rick's destiny.

Karadok

Ancient Martian king of Ruh.

Beudach

Chief of the fighting men of the Ruh.

Llaw

A Martian dwarf.

Haral

Last of the line of Karadoc.

Parras

Seer of Ruh.

Ed Fallon

Head of the Terran Exploitations Company.

Jaffa Storm

His right hand man. Rather large Terro-Mercurian.

Hugh St. John

Unionist politician.

Vargo

Venusian muscle leader.

Mayo McCall

Anti-Terran activist and technician.

Jimmy

Press-ganged rebel.

Eran Mak

Civilised Martian Low-Canaler bandit and leader.

Christy

One of Fallon's.

Kyra

A Winged One woman.

William Lee Yancey

A young ship crewman Rick leaves money too that helps him get back on Mars.



ANIMALS

Black Apes

Used as press-gang hounds by the Terran Exploitations Company.


ORGANISATIONS

Terran Exploitations Company

Just as bad as they sound.

Crimpers

Press-gang groups.

Moderates

Political group of compromise between Earth and Mars.

Pan-Martians

Pro Mars political group.

Union Party

Unionist political group that wants to promote Earth's role on Mars.

Interplanetary Co-ordination Authority

Interworld legislative body.Has a Labor Board.

First Interplanetary Bank of Mars

Has an office in New York.

MPG

Martian Planetary Government.

MPP

Martian Planetary Patrol.




PLACES

Thieves' Quarter

Dodgy part of Ruh.

Phobos

Moon of Mars.

Street of Nine Thousand Joys

Street where you can purchase time with ladies of questionable virtue, in Ruh.

Ruh

Martian City-State.

King City

Capital of Ruh.

Deimos

The other Moon of Mars.

Administration Pylon

Large building, holds the TEC offices.

New Town

City being built.

Arianrhod

Has cliff caves.

Old City

In Ruh.

Kahora

Martian Trade city.

Polar Cities

The Thinkers live here, in a fabled cold region.

Darkside

Cold shadowed side of the planet.

Number Five Drift

Where one of the press gangs works.

Tower of Destiny

Place of seers.

Vhia

Trade City of Venus.

Jekkara

Martian Low Canal city.

Caer Hebra

Ancient city.

Thieves' Quarter

Dodgy part of Ruh.

Losanglis

Earth city.

Valkis

Low Canal city.

Jekkara Port

City spaceport.

Madame Kan's

Dodgy bar in Jekkara.


RACES

Marshies

Derogatory term for the locals.

Middle-Swampers

Venusians. Used as muscle by Fallon.

The Thinkers

First race of Mars. Still live in the Polar Cities.

Winged Ones

Ancient Martian flyers.

Shunni

Martian tribe.



PLANTS

Yrl-wood

Martian tree.


CONCEPTS

Low Martian

Common dialect.

Goliath

Biblical giant.

High Martian

Ancient dialect.


TECHNOLOGY

Venusian spider-silk

Used to make clothes.

Blaster

Energy hand weapon.

Collar of Ruh

Symbol of authority.

Visaplate

Part of a telescreen.

Fallonite

The chemically amorphous substance that was already beginning to revolutionize the Terran plastic industry.

Florent mirror

Uses infra red instead of visible light.

Tsamo

A Martian knockout drug.

Thought Projector

Thinker shield to keep people out.



MEDIA

Banner of the Twin Moons

Ruh war symbol.

Winged Victory of Samothrace

Old earth statue.


WEAPONS

Banning Shocker

Large non-lethal beam weapon.

Mickey shocker

Handgun beam weapon, non-lethal.

Disintegrators

Thinker weapon.

Mental amplifiers

Thinker weapon.

Energy projectors

Thinker weapon.


VEHICLES

Mary Ellen Dow

Ship they wanted Rick to leave on.


PLOT


Rick is not too keen on being pressganged into the rapacious and growing aptly named Terran company.

He also runs into prophecy when it is told that he will be an important player in the future of Mars - although he is not anyone of any particular note.

Others of import include a Winged Race woman, a technician who also opposes Fallon and company, a local gangster and a politician. If they can work out some sort of arrangement and leadership they will have the resources to oppose Fallon and his even less scrupulous and violent enforcer Jaffa Storm and his force of hired Venusian thugs.


3.5 out of 5