# The Martians — Last and First Men character guide > The Martians in Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Martians, The civilized Martians, exploring Martians **First appearance:** 0034-viii-the-martians ## Snapshot Green, amoeboid cloud-creatures from Mars who descend upon the Hindu Kush and nearly annihilate the Second Men in a war of strange, drifting intelligence. ## Who they are They arrive not in ships but as a greenish tinge in the sky, a thousand tiny cloudlets with ruddy nuclei drifting toward a glacier — life, but not as Earth knows it. These civilized Martians are a collective intelligence, their form shifting and amoeboid, their invasion slow and inexorable. Their assault on the Second Men forces humanity to confront a rival mind that is utterly alien yet undeniably rational, setting the stage for the novel's meditation on intelligence, survival, and the fragility of any civilization. ## In the story ### [IV: The Catastrophe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iv-the-catastrophe) Observe the Earth's destruction from afar, noting the sudden brilliance of the planet. ### [VII: The Rise of the Second Men](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/vii-the-rise-of-the-second-men) Mentioned as a different form of life in the solar system, pursuing ends incomprehensible to man. ### [II: The Intercourse of Three Species](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/ii-the-intercourse-of-three-species) Not directly present, but the narrative is told from the perspective of a distant future observer, possibly Martian. ### [VIII: The Martians](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/viii-the-martians) The chapter provides a detailed history and psychological profile of the Martians, explaining their collective mind, their obsession with radiation and diamonds, and the delusions that led to their invasion of Earth. ### [I: The First Martian Invasion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/i-the-first-martian-invasion) First seen as green cloudlets, they descend and attack a village, killing several inhabitants before being dispersed. ### [Life on Mars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/ii-life-on-mars) The chapter focuses on the biology and psychology of the Martians, describing their evolution from subvital units to cloudlet organisms with a group-mind. ### [III: The Martian Mind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iii-the-martian-mind) The chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the Martian mind, highlighting their collective consciousness, lack of individuality, and advanced natural science but spiritual backwardness. ### [Delusions of the Martians](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iv-delusions-of-the-martians) The chapter details the Martians' collective psychology, their history of racial conflict, and the delusions that led to their downfall. ### [Earth and Mars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/ix-earth-and-mars) The Martians are the antagonists, whose colony undergoes a renaissance but is ultimately destroyed by the home planet. ### [I: The Second Men at Bay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/i-the-second-men-at-bay) The alien invaders, driven by economic and religious motives, who repeatedly attack Earth and are ultimately destroyed but leave behind a deadly subvital dust. ### [II: The Ruin of Two Worlds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/ii-the-ruin-of-two-worlds) The Martian colony and home planet are destroyed by the human virus. ### [III: The Third Dark Age](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iii-the-third-dark-age) Their lethal bacterium nearly wipes out humanity, and their subvital units later become symbiotic with terrestrial animals. ### [IV: The Culture of the Fifth Men](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iv-the-culture-of-the-fifth-men) Mentioned as a contrast to the Fifth Men's telepathic group-mind, which was inferior to individual minds. ### [Exploration of Time](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/ii-exploration-of-time) Mentioned in the context of the Martian invasions, which are the subject of a medium's vision. ### [IV: Preparing a New World](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iv-preparing-a-new-world) Referenced as a historical parallel, having invaded Earth in the past, highlighting the ethical dilemma of man's own invasion of Venus. ### [I: Taking Root Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/i-taking-root-again) Their units, which enabled telepathy, cause a cancer in the human nervous system. ### [XV: The Last Men](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/xv-the-last-men) Referenced as being insanely and miserably obsessed, among the tragic beings of the solar system. ### [III: A Racial Awakening](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iii-a-racial-awakening) Mentioned as having a racial mind that failed to transcend individual minds, serving as a cautionary example. ### [IV: Cosmology](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iv-cosmology) Referenced as one of the suffering intelligent species, 'insanely and miserably obsessed'. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/characters/the_martians - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/characters