Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1883 - 1945), nicknamed the Comrade Count, was a Russian and Soviet writer who wrote in many genres but specialised in science fiction and historical novels.Aelita, or The Decline of Mars is a 1923 science fiction novel. The story begins in the Soviet Union, just after the end of the Russian Civil War. An engineer Mstislav Sergeyevich Los Los\', designs and constructs a revolutionary pulse detonation rocket and decides to set course for Mars. Looking for a companion for the travel, he finally leaves Earth with a retired soldier, Alexei Gusev.Arriving on Mars, they discover that the planet is inhabited by an advanced civilization. However, the gap between the ruling class and the workers is very strong and reminiscent of early capitalism, with workers living in underground corridors near their machines.There is a little bumping and rubbing of the covers. Inside, the pages are clean and the binding is sound.