Mars

As a disclaimer for my review, I'll mention that I'm trying to read all of the Grand Tour (17ish) books in their chronological order - which is not the order they were written in. Mars is (arguably) the fourth book in the timeline.As chronology goes, Mars is the first book in the huge Grand Tour series to venture outside the Earth-Moon orbit. Mars takes us to, well, Mars along with a cast of about sixteen scientists and astronauts (although only about half of them play any sort of role other than being mentioned at some point). The cast of characters is, unfortunately, the weak link in the book. Like a lot of Ben Bova novels, the characters are bland and very stereotypical (with the possible exception of main Point of View character Jamie Waterman). The stodgy Russian ground team leader who insists on rigid discipline. The hip-hip cheerio British doctor who secretly hides his daddy issues and fear of rejection. The foxy reporter who sleeps with men to advance her career. Coniving politicians. Weak women, strong men. Even primary protagonist, Jamie Waterman - a half-Navaho American Indian, is portrayed to maximixe his "Indian-ness," although he is somewhat better developed than the rest of the cast. In terms of characters, I was once again left feeling let down and wondering if Mr. Bova is capable of writing a character who exists outside a stereotypical 80's American sitcom TV show.That aside, the exploration of Mars is a well done, and our red neighbor essentially fills the role of primary antagonist. Mr. Bova developed an exploration of Mars that was both realistic and beautiful. I could easily picture myself as part of the team and felt a real sense of "being there." Mars doesn't fall back on hackney hooks like little green men or killer space bacteria to add danger, letting the naturally harsh and inhospitable environment do the lion share of the work (along with a medical emergency that did feel a little bit forced but not overly distracting). There are even touches of greatness here, like when the Russian mission leader and Waterman pause to enjoy an aurora effect. Bova is able to again place me in the scene, marveling along with the characters at the truly epic nature of the moment. Descriptions of Martian rifts that make the Grand Canyon look like a pot hole and the soaring heights of Olympus Mons are also well done and contribute to the book's atmosphere.Some of the negative reviews claim that "nothing happens" in this book but I think the opposite is true. Things are constantly happening, they're just sometimes mundane things one would expect from exploring a mostly barren planet. In fact, I thought this was really well done. From the initial landing and first exploration days where EVERYTHING is a big deal to the crew settling in and becoming a little bored by the mundane first few weeks of exploration.I thought the occasional break-away from the exploration to explore a character's back-story were somewhat distracting and mostly just made the cardboard characters more cardboard. For example, we learn the Englishman, Dr. Reed, had trouble with acceptance from his father and failure issues...but they never really play out in the novel as a whole. So now I know his story, but it doesn't seem to affect the way he acts, or the novel as a whole, so why tell it? These seem to be a common element in Bova books though, so I just wade through them, anxious to get back to the real story.I felt like Mars was also the first Grand Tour novel where Mr. Bova has begun to try and tie some of Grand Tour universe together. It's not always perfectly done but if one doesn't dwell too much on the timelines and happening in other novels, they can start to feel things coming together. It's a nice effect because while it doesn't shoe horn the reader into a place and time, it does start to give a sense of feeling to the universe as a whole (and with 13 books to go in the series, I can appreciate that).Of the four Grand Tour books I've read so far, Mars is easily the most "sci-fi" and unlike it's chronological predecessors, doesn't have as much of a thriller element. For those looking for a realistic off-world adventure, I think you'll find it in Mars. If, on the other hand you're looking for more military, grand scale sci-fi, you may want to steer clear.

his is an excellently done space exploration novel. The characters were mostly very individual, and with their own agendas- both the primary and the secondary ones. The plot was well-paced, with a good blend of physical and interpersonal challenges- not to mention internal ones! These were all balanced very well, I thought.And it sure kept me reading! This was definitely a page-turner.Now- it was written in 1992, and a few things did date it. The tech for photography and other communications was very much of its time: videos used tape, and photos used physical film. The communications wasn't badly done, even from almost 30 years later; they had equivalents of Skype and/or FaceTime...but running out of film was a thing, and not one that we need to deal with currently. (Also, even though they used physical film, there was no mention of how or who developed and printed it...)But that was pretty trivial compared to the casual racism. Our main protagonist was half Navajo, and this was a BIG HUGE DEAL- and people referred to him in very racist ways, casually. I found this odd, because there was not similar casual racism toward the black pilot, nor the Jewish scientist. (I was also a bit annoyed because, while Jamie was half Navajo, Bova seemed to confuse that sometimes with Hopi, and even threw in a reference or 2 to totem poles!)Also, the illness thing was way more accelerated than is plausible- people got to death's door way faster than is accurate. I mean, (avoiding spoilers) it was a nice twist- but was not ameliorated by stuff the worst victims had ON HAND.Still, it was mostly a fun read, with engaging and rounded characters, and some interesting premises.

Ben Bova has written a masterful novel about the first humans to explore the planet Mars.Jamie Waterman is a young half-Navajo geologist who dreams of exploring Mars. Due to an illness, Jamie is bumped up to the first team that is going to Mars. Also aboard are Joanna Brumado, a Brazilian biologist; Mikhail Vosnesensky, a Russian and overall mission commander; Ilona Malater, an Israeli scientist; Antony Reed, a British flight physician; Pete Connors, an American astronaut and co-pilot; and Ravavishnu Patel, a Hindu geologist. The flight from Earth to Mars took 9 months, but the crew finally lands on the red planet and begins their exploration.Jamie and Mikhail have decided to explore Tithonium Chasma, the great canyon that stretches for thousands of miles on the Martian surface. While there, Jamie discovers a rock formation that looks like it could have been made by intelligent beings. Immediately, Mikhail and Jamie head back to camp to collect the others and return for closer observations. Meanwhile, Patel is angered because, due to the change in mission plans, he will have much less time to explore the Tharsis volcanoes. Jamie and Mikhail have also discovered a mist that hangs over the canyon. It is decided to go down to the bottom of the canyon to see if there is any type of life forms living there.Joanna and Ilona indeed discover lichen-type organisms living in the rocks at the bottom of the canyon. After collecting samples of the lichen-like organisms, the group then climbs back into their rover to return once again to camp. However, a huge dust storm comes sweeping down the canyon, burying the rover in dust. To make matters worse, all of the members of the expedition except for Reed have come down with some mysterious illness that no one can explain. After further analysis, it was determined that the group had contracted scurvy from lack of vitamin C intake. The group's vitamin storage was damaged in a meteorite strike and now, the crew is slowly dying. Ultimately, it comes down to Jamie to save the group. Will he succeed, or will the winds of Mars confine the group there forever?This is a great book. The character development, especially that of Jamie, Joanna, and Mikhail, is excellent and the story is fast-paced and exciting. Bova also throws in some interesting true facts about Mars along the way. I've read several of Bova's books, and I rate Mars as being one of the best. This book is a must-read for fans of great science fiction.

It takes a lot of skill to make a book about the first manned expedition to Mars so boring. Maybe it's the fact that the characters are 1 dimensional racial stereotypes. Or maybe it's the lack of anything remotely interesting in the plot (most interesting plot device: the crew get ill from a very trivial source and this is dragged out for hundreds of pages). Or maybe it's the total lack of technical foresight from Mr Bova: the expedition to Mars is still using film camera, floppy disks and fax machines despite the fact that this was written in 1992 when alternatives to all these technologies were becoming quite obvious.There is also a back story going on. This is just as dull and bogged down in trivia as the main story.Good sci-fi books usually have interesting plots, good science, good plot and good foresight - this drivel has nothing to recommend it. I would say that there is a decent novella somewhere in the 550 pages but I'm not convinced there is.Avoid like a dose of scurvy.

Phew, - an experience, as much as a book. I haven't had a read like this for years. Solid facts with marvellous fantasy drawn around them. Hugely enjoyable.

Having read his Moon novel some time ago I thought I would try this and can say it's a very detailed and believable premise. You really can believe you're on Mars. So engrossed was I with this story that I then purchsed the follow up Return to Mars which is a worthy continuation of this book with the same leading character

Well written and backed up with credibility. It is refreshing to read a book that is not full of violence and destruction. A really credible story of how we might reach the mystical Red Planet.

In view of current Mars exploration, this story could well be written again in the future as a reality account. It is fiction, and the characters are just that, enjoy it for what it is and hope that one day we can do some of what he writes about.