Project Gutenberg 2007-07-20 Public domain in the USA. 137 Vandenburg, G. L. Vandenberg, G. L. Martian V.F.W. Produced from Amazing Science Fiction Stories May 1959. Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Martian V.F.W." by G. L. Vandenburg is a science fiction short story published in the mid-20th century. The narrative unfolds during a large parade in New York City, where the unexpected participation of a group of Martian ants adds a bizarre yet humorous twist to the event. The story reflects themes of extraterrestrial encounters and societal responses, all wrapped in an entertaining and satirical exploration of human curiosity and ignorance. The plot centers on Mr. Cruthers, the busy organizer of the parade, who is thrown into disarray when a group of giant ants, representing the Martian Veterans of Foreign Wars, demand their rightful place in the event. Initially dismissive of their strange appearance and antics, the parade-goers, including a father and his son, are drawn in by the clowns' comedic performances. However, the lighthearted atmosphere takes a dark turn when it is revealed that the ants have come with a sinister mission involving destructive super-isonic rays, leading to a shocking climax. This juxtaposition of whimsy and horror highlights the story's underlying critique of human naivety in the face of extraterrestrial threats. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 86.1 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories PS Text Science Fiction Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Humour 40564 2025-10-09T09:02:27.872576 text/html 36940 2007-07-19T17:06:32 text/html 89736 2025-10-09T09:02:32.356554 application/epub+zip 88508 2025-10-09T09:02:30.332539 application/epub+zip 82763 2025-10-09T09:02:29.292548 application/epub+zip 186844 2025-10-09T09:02:33.824558 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 180425 2025-10-09T09:02:31.722591 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 138689 2022-09-10T11:17:26.472594 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 34766 2025-10-09T09:02:27.651564 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 34676 2007-07-19T17:06:32 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 48469 2007-04-02T17:49:16 application/octet-stream 76673 2007-04-02T17:49:16 application/octet-stream 72868 2007-04-02T17:49:16 application/octet-stream 74909 2007-04-02T17:49:16 application/octet-stream 76948 2007-04-02T17:49:16 application/octet-stream 66586 2007-04-02T17:49:16 application/octet-stream 23235 2025-10-09T09:02:33.960530 application/rdf+xml 14934 2025-10-09T09:02:29.778566 image/jpeg 3856 2025-10-09T09:02:29.531600 image/jpeg 14291 2007-07-19T17:06:32 application/octet-stream application/zip 13350 2007-07-19T17:06:32 application/octet-stream application/zip 90150 2025-10-09T09:02:27.877561 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog