A World Is Born &; Black Amazon of Mars

A World Is Born originally appeared in Comet magazine, July 1941. It takes place on the Mercurian frontier where a small group of volunteers, prisoners from a previous war, struggle to make the world habitable to human life. But, there are those who want the planet for themselves. Black Amazon of Mars is the third story to feature Brackett's hero Eric John Stark, and was later expanded into the novel People of the Talisman. It was first published in Planet Stories magazine in March of 1951. "Grimly Eric John Stark slogged toward that ancient Martian city-with every step he cursed the talisman of Ban Cruach that flamed in his blood-stained belt. Behind him screamed the hordes of Ciaran, hungering for that magic jewel-ahead lay the dread abode of the Ice Creatures-at his side stalked the whispering spectre of Ban Cruach, urging him on to a battle Stark knew he must lose!" Leigh Douglass Brackett was an American science fiction author contributing to science fiction magazines of the '40's and '50's. She was also a screenwriter, known for her work on famous films such as The Big Sleep), Rio Bravo, The Long Goodbye and The Empire Strikes Back.