What Jamie Waterman discovered on Mars was astonishing. What he survived was remarkable--but it was only the beginning.
Six years after the first manned Martian expedition, a second has been announced, this one motivated purely by its profitable potential. Half-Navajo geologist Jamie Waterman, a veteran of the first mission, feels his conflicted soul beckoning him back to the eerie, unforgiving planet. As commander of the new exploratory team, he will have to contend with a bitter and destructive rivalry, a disturbing new emotional attraction, and deadly, incomprehensible "accidents" that appear to be sabotage--all of which could doom the mission to failure. But there are still great secrets to be uncovered on this cruel and enigmatic world, not the least of which is something he glimpsed in the far distance during his first Martian excursion: an improbable structure perched high in the planet's carmine cliffs--a dwelling that only an intelligent being could have built.
About the Author :
Ben Bova (1932-2020) was the author of more than a hundred works of science fact and fiction, including Able One, Transhuman, Orion, the Star Quest Trilogy, and the Grand Tour novels, including Titan, winner of John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel of the year. His many honors include the Isaac Asimov Memorial Award in 1996, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation in 2005, and the Robert A. Heinlein Award "for his outstanding body of work in the field of literature" in 2008. Dr. Bova was President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past president of Science Fiction Writers of America, and a former editor of Analog and former fiction editor of Omni. As an editor, he won science fiction's Hugo Award six times. His writings predicted the Space Race of the 1960s, virtual reality, human cloning, the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars), electronic book publishing, and much more. In addition to his literary achievements, Bova worked for Project Vanguard, America's first artificial satellite program, and for Avco Everett Research Laboratory, the company that created the heat shields for Apollo 11, helping the NASA astronauts land on the moon. He also taught science fiction at Harvard University and at New York City's Hayden Planetarium and worked with such filmmakers as George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry.
Stefan Rudnicki is a Grammy-winning audiobook producer and a multiaward-winning narrator, named one of AudioFile's Golden Voices.
Read by David Birney, Paul Boehmer, Emily Janice Card, Gabrielle de Cuir, Rosalyn Landor, John Rubinstein, Stefan Rudnicki, and Mirron Willis
Review :
"Absorbing and thoroughly satisfying: Mars fans will pounce, while newcomers will feel welcome too."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"Bova makes the speculative hard science aspects of this novel vivid and appealing."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
"Bova skillfully develops plot and characters in this tale, showing the talent that has earned him six Hugo Awards...Highly recommended."
-- "Library Journal"
"Characterization is better than usual in this kind of adventure, the pacing is brisk, the scientific details are convincing, and Bova's depiction of the Martian environment is outstanding indeed. No one who enjoyed Mars is likely to turn down this lively continuation of it."
-- "Booklist"
"Combines speculative fiction with psychological thriller...Rudnicki does a wonderful job reading this story, and [it is] quite possible to lose oneself in his performance...Excellent."
-- "SoundCommentary.com"
"Provocative and believable...Bova writes with sparkling clarity."
-- "St. Petersburg Times"
"Where Bova shines is in making science not only comprehensible but entertaining."
-- "New York Times Book Review"
