Aliens from the Planet Mars

"Aliens from the Planet Mars" (original: "Auf zwei Planeten") is a 19th-century science fiction novel by Kurd Lasswitz (1848-1910), a mathematician, philosopher, and Kant scholar. It is one of the most significant German science fiction novels, which captured the imagination of Europeans for decades, including Dr. Wernher von Braun, who once said that he "devoured [the novel] with curiosity and excitement as a young man." The book was first published in 1897, the same year as H. G. Wells's novel "The War of the Worlds". Unlike Wells's book, however, "Auf zwei Planeten" was not known outside the German-speaking world for a long time. The book was translated into English in a significantly abridged form only in 1971. This edition is the first complete English translation of the novel.
German explorers, attempting to reach the North Pole in a balloon, crash near it and discover a secret station of Martians, who came to Earth in search of sources of air and energy, the reserves of which were depleted on their older planet. Despite the meager natural resources, the Martians were able to provide their three-billion population with a very high standard of living thanks to the high development of science and technology. They were especially proud of their adherence to high moral principles and recognition of the inviolability of individual freedom. The Martians wanted to convey their technical achievements and moral principles to humans so that they, too, could prosper. However, when faced with resistance from the people, the Martians decided to implement it by force and turned into cruel conquerors, trampling on the personal freedom of earthlings, which they so valued for themselves.