 | Arabella of Mars is a fun romp through an alternate 1800s where Britain has colonized Mars. Crab-like Martians are the servant class on the desert planet and flying airships (powered by coal furnaces) navigate the prevailing winds between planets. The book is probably written for junior high and high school readers, but has enough of a plot engine to keep any reader turning pages. I finished in two sessions because I couldn’t wait to discover what happened next. The Ashby tree plantation on Mars has been high-spirited Arabella’s home since birth. She and her brother roam the Martian desert at will under tutelage of their indigenous Martian nanny/tutor. Their father’s passion is building automated toys, and Arabella enjoys helping him. |
Early in the story Arabella is forced to leave her beloved Mars for London, where her mother hopes to transform her wild child into a marriageable young lady.
 | A visit to a distant cousin sets Arabella on a desperate mission to warn her brother of her cousin’s nefarious plan: he wants to murder her brother to take the Ashby family plantation on Mars for himself. After many misadventures, she ends up cutting her hair and disguising herself as a boy. She then joins the crew of the airship Diana, bound for Mars. I wasn't able to follow all the technical terms describing the workings of the ship, but it was still enjoyable to watch Arabella grow in confidence and become a working member of the crew. She has many adventures onboard Diana, some quite harrowing. |
When her gender is eventually revealed (in the worst possible circumstances), the men who were rough comrades start treating her like a fragile and empty-headed twit—much to her frustration.
The one exception to this annoying behavior is the enigmatic Captain Singh, whom Arabella both admires and desires. The two of them share a passion for automatons, and he continues to tutor her in use of the airship’s automated navigator even after her gender reveal.
The one exception to this annoying behavior is the enigmatic Captain Singh, whom Arabella both admires and desires. The two of them share a passion for automatons, and he continues to tutor her in use of the airship’s automated navigator even after her gender reveal.
 | A potential weakness of the story is its narrow focus on a strongly cis-gendered, heterosexual viewpoint throughout, and its embrace of patriarchal nineteenth-century gender norms. Arabella is extraordinary for her intelligence and gumption; her mother and other women of her class focus exclusively on fashion and marriage. The one exception to this passive female behavior might be her twisted cousin’s wife, who holds Arabella at gunpoint, but even she is motivated solely by motherly love for her child. |
It may be unreasonable to expect the characters to buck the expectations of this world, but writers make choices when they create their story settings, and this author chose to stress the universality of heterosexual patriarchy in his depiction of Arabella’s British culture.
 | However, he also created a matriarchal focus among the indigenous Martian society, with the naturally larger crab-like females serving as warriors and generals. This contrast both helps explain Arabella’s independent spirit and provides a counterpoint to the conservative worldview of the colonists. Arabella’s open-minded understanding of Martian culture becomes crucial to resolving some of the complications in the final act of the story. |
The juxtaposition of open-mindedness and racial (and gender) prejudice are a strong theme throughout the story. Captain Singh expresses another central concept:
“Bravery, as I am sure you are well aware, consists not of the absence of fear but in the taking of action as though the fear were not felt. Confidence, likewise, consists of the presentation of assurance as though there were no doubt as to a successful outcome. Such presentation, however false its origin, is remarkably efficacious in its effects on others and on oneself.”
“Bravery, as I am sure you are well aware, consists not of the absence of fear but in the taking of action as though the fear were not felt. Confidence, likewise, consists of the presentation of assurance as though there were no doubt as to a successful outcome. Such presentation, however false its origin, is remarkably efficacious in its effects on others and on oneself.”
The ending of Arabella of Mars is entirely satisfying. Arabella asserts herself and defies those who would diminish her. She also makes herself vulnerable to chart her own romantic future.
Read other books with plucky female heroines on wild adventures:
Saint Death’s Daughter, The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fischer, Remnant Population
Saint Death’s Daughter, The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fischer, Remnant Population
