Several post-Mariner works are homages to the older phase of Mars fiction , circumventing the scientific picture of a dry and lifeless Mars with an unbreathable atmosphere through such science fiction generic staples as positing its future terraforming , or creating alternate history versions of Mars , where Burroughs ' Barsoom , Bradbury 's `` Martian Chronicles '' or `` The War of the Worlds '' are literal truth .
Several post-Mariner works are homages to the older phase of Mars fiction , circumventing the scientific picture of a dry and lifeless Mars with an unbreathable atmosphere through such science fiction generic staples as positing its future terraforming , or creating alternate history versions of Mars , where Burroughs ' Barsoom , Bradbury 's Martian Chronicles or The War of the Worlds are literal truth .