É ambientado em Marte, mas a maior parte da história (e todas as partes que você mencionou acima) acontece no fundo de um dos canyons que, da Terra, vemos como canais, e são úmidos e tropicais.
A principal corrida marciana (há três) que Ransom - o personagem principal - encontra tem uma linguagem que começa muitas palavras com um "H". Eles se chamam de "Hross" e a palavra para qualquer ser inteligente é "hanu" Ransom vai com seus amigos marcianos para caçar uma fera perigosa e mata-lo e é declarado um "hnakrapunt".
A parte sobre a bebida da bolsa também está lá:
In its hand (he was already thinking of its webbed fore-paw as a hand) it was carrying what appeared to be a shell – the shell of some oyster-like creature, but rounder and more deeply domed. It dipped the shell in the lake and raised it full of water. Then it held the shell to its own middle and seemed to be pouring something into the water. Ransom thought with disgust that it was urinating in the shell. Then he realized that the protuberances on the creature's belly were not genital organs nor organs at all; it was wearing a kind of girdle hung with various pouch-like objects, and it was adding a few drops of liquid from one of these to the water in the shell. This done it raised the shell to its black lips and drank – not throwing back its head like a man but bowing it and sucking like a horse. When it had finished it refilled the shell and once again added a few drops from the receptacle – it seemed to be some kind of skin bottle – at its waist. Supporting the shell in its two arms, it extended them towards Ransom. The intention was unmistakable. Hesitantly, almost shyly, he advanced and took the cup. His fingertips touched the webbed membrane of the creature's paws and an indescribable thrill of mingled attraction and repulsion ran through him; then he drank. Whatever had been added to the water was plainly alcoholic; he had never enjoyed a drink so much.