"The Martian Cabal" is a captivating science fiction short story written by Roman F. Starzl. This story is a dramatic interplanetary journey set in the future where humanity has set up a presence on Mars. The narrative revolves around Tom, an Earthling who arrives on Mars and rapidly becomes entangled in a perilous web of political and personal issues. He learns that Mars is divided into two factions: "Greenies," who want to preserve the planet's unique ecosystem, and "Reds," who want to terraform Mars to make it more like Earth. In the midst of this ideological battle, Tom finds himself caught between powerful individuals with opposing objectives. He gets caught up in the "Martian Cabal," a secret group with its own ambitions for the planet's future. As Tom navigates this perilous landscape, he must make vital choices that will impact not only his own fate, but potentially the fate of Mars itself. While Tom works to learn the truth behind the Martian Cabal and the true motivations motivating the competing groups, the narrative unfolds with drama and intrigue. "The Martian Cabal" through Roman F. Starzl is an engrossing blend of science fiction and political thriller, providing readers with a thought-provoking look at the intricacies of colonization, environmentalism, and power dynamics in a future Martian civilization.
Roman Frederick Starzl (1899-1976) was a writer from the United States. He and his father (John V. Starzl) previously owned the Le Mars Globe-Post newspaper in Le Mars, Iowa. Roman Frederick's father was physician Thomas E. Starzl. His work is largely forgotten today, yet he was dubbed a "master" by E. E. Smith, the pioneer of space opera. Smith's Galactic Patrol may have been influenced by Starzl's Interplanetary Flying Patrol in The Hornets of Space. In Eric Leif Davin's Pioneers of Wonder, Thomas Starzl talks extensively about his father. He was the son of John (born Johann) V. Starzl and Margaret Theisen, and was born Roman Frederick Starzl. The son of Josef Starzl and Magdalena Ruba, John V. Starzl was born on April 9, 1865, in Bischofteinitz (after known as Vvrov) in the Austrian Empire. Josef Starzl moved to the United States in 1878 with his wife and five children (including John). Around the time of his marriage, John V. Starzl sold his pharmacy in Chicago and relocated to Le Mars, Iowa, near where his Bohemian immigrant parents had resided after immigration. He bought the German-language newspaper Der Herold, which became Le Mars Globe Post, and raised Starzl and two other surviving children there.
