The Second Invasion from Mars
A 1966 novel about a common man during a Martian invasion.
The Second Invasion from Mars (Russian: Второе нашествие марсиан), subtitled Diary of a Sane [Person], is a 1966 science fiction novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. It portrays two weeks from the life of a common person in highly unusual circumstances, raising questions about the balance between basic needs and spiritual values.
- title
- The Second Invasion from Mars
- authors
- Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
- year_published
- 1966
- original_language
- Russian
- genre
- Science fiction
- subtitle
- Diary of a Sane [Person] (Russian: Записки здравомыслящего)
Lore & Background
The story occurs in an unknown city and country, almost certainly on Earth. All characters and few places have characteristically Greek names, but there is nothing specific to Greek culture; the use of neither Russian nor European names may have been an attempt to put the novel outside of the ideological war active at the time. The main character, Apollon, is a retired school teacher living with his daughter and housekeeper, whose most important worry is his pension. Strange events occur in the nearby city and then his town, with unusual sounds and imagery generating panic, but gradually it becomes accepted that the planet is being invaded by Martians. Rather than being curious, most people, including Apollon, are concerned only about practical implications, such as his pension and whether new stamps will be printed by the Martian government.
Reader's Guide
The novel raises the question of the balance between simple, basic needs such as food and stability, and elevated spiritual values such as 'pride of humanity', but rather than explicitly arguing either approach, it simply shows the common person's reactions and visualizes his thoughts. The invaders value gastric juice for an unknown reason and pay humans to donate it, which changes the town's mood from cautious to optimistic. Farmers are overjoyed when the new government buys harvests at higher prices and provides blue bread grain. The novel was regarded as a covert satire of societies living under communist regimes. It heavily inspired a 1981 Polish movie The War of the Worlds: Next Century, written and directed by Piotr Szulkin, which takes place in the city with a popular newsreader as protagonist.
Did You Know?
- The subtitle 'Diary of a Sane [Person]' is a reference to Nikolai Gogol's story 'Diary of a Madman'.
- The main character Apollon is a retired school teacher whose primary worry is his pension.
- The invaders pay humans for gastric juice, which the citizens use to buy drinks at a nearby bar.
- The novel was regarded as a covert satire of societies living under communist regimes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Second Invasion from Mars?
It is a 1966 science fiction novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky that follows an ordinary man through two weeks of a Martian incursion, told in the form of a personal diary. The work is notably compact compared to many of the brothers' longer projects.
What is the premise of The Second Invasion from Mars?
The story places a common, unremarkable person at the center of a cosmic-scale event and uses that collision to examine how everyday priorities shift under extreme pressure. Rather than focusing on military strategy or heroic resistance, the narrative stays tightly on one individual's internal experience.
Why is the subtitle 'Diary of a Sane Person' significant?
The subtitle (Russian: Записки здравомыслящего) frames the narrator as a rational, grounded observer trying to keep his bearings while the world around him goes haywire. It signals that the novel's real subject is not the Martians themselves but how a sane mind copes when reality becomes absurd.
What central theme does The Second Invasion from Mars explore?
The novel interrogates the tension between basic physical survival needs and higher spiritual or moral values, asking what a person truly clings to when all familiar structures collapse. The Martian invasion serves less as a plot device than as a pressure test for the protagonist's ethics.
How does The Second Invasion from Mars fit into the Strugatsky brothers' bibliography?
Published in Russian in 1966, it is a relatively short, self-contained work that contrasts with their more sprawling philosophical novels. Fans often point to it as a focused, almost satirical study of one individual rather than a sweeping exploration of society or the cosmos.
More in Novels by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky 1-18
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