American sci-fi author Kim Stanley Robinson's books have been called "the gold-standard of realistic, and highly literary, science-fiction writing." The literary part is unsurprising, as Robinson has degrees in English and wrote his thesis on Philip K. Dick. His best known work is his Mars trilogy. "The Martians" is a series of short stories set on Mars, which may be a nod to Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles." English majors will enjoy the Melville and Sartre references. Music fans will be disappointed there are no Bowie references.