The second conquest
1954
The following is a [Kirkus review]of this novel, de Wohl's only entry into the field of Catholic science fiction.
> This is science-fiction with a
> religious content and should surprise
> those readers of The Restless Flame.
> The Golden Thread and Set All Afire
> who have found this author's
> fictionized biographies of early
> church father worthwhile in
> scholarship and research. They will
> not however be surprised at his able
> arguing which here takes his earth
> people to Mars and eventually to
> avert, through spiritual concepts, a
> Martian invasion. Test pilot Chris
> Cary, who has a mystic feeling for the
> Catholic Church, is better able to
> absorb and understand the superiority
> of ""unfallen"" Martians and see the
> reality behind the myth than scientist
> Brandeis whose use of new fuel and a
> new design helicopter has taken them
> to their destination. But the new
> paradise has its serpent, Marmon, who
> is transported to Mars and whose
> perversion of fact and truth speed the
> Martians to conquer Earth, for his own
> satanic satisfaction. It is Chris'
> faith, love and integrity that turn
> the Martians back home when the
> showdown cames. There's a girl, too,
> and the earthmen-Martian adjustments
> are interesting while the
> double-conversion angle, to religion
> and science-fiction, has good points.
> It does help to take the comic book
> quality out of SF.
