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Title: The Martian Race by Gregory Benford ISBN: 0446608904 Publisher: Aspect Pub. Date: 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.14
Rating: 4
Summary: Racing to Mars with a great deal of verve...
Comment: I have never read Gregory Benford before, and picked up "The Martian Race" from a bargain-bin pile with a little interest. It strayed to my "to be read" pile, then finally worked its way to the surface.
I am a big fan of Kim Stanley Robinson's "Red Mars" trilogy, and I found "The Martian Race" another strong extrapolation of potential future visits to our brother planet. The team of four sent to Mars - intelligently told through the eyes of the team biologist and the only female of the group - are there not from NASA, not from science, but from the most basic of societal drives: Corporate Sponsorship and Prize Money.
30 Billion to the first team to reach Mars, fulfill a series of scientific requirements, and return. The conflict of the story is multi-levelled: the arrival of a second team trying to beat the first to the prize, the "mere survival" conflict of four humans trying to survive on Mars, and then a further twist that I don't want to ruin by mentioning.
All in all, "The Martian Race" was an enjoyable reading experience, with enough "real science" to feel entirely plausible. The plot curves catch you unaware, but don't feel overly contrived, and the fantastical element that becomes the third conflict is wonderfully crafted.
The only real frustrations I had with the book were, as another reviewer mentioned, a rather weak ending, and a few occasions where I felt a few characters suddenly acted out of character for what we'd seen of them so far. Regardless, you won't be let down with "The Martian Race," especially if you enjoyed Robinson's "Mars" trilogy.
'Nathan
Rating: 4
Summary: Really exciting, well paced, near-future science fiction...
Comment: I've always enjoyed Benford for the "hard science" he incorporates in all of his stories. This has that plus some interesting character development, captivating plot, and sub-plots that all hang together. That coupled with the near-future time frame in which the story takes place all combine to make this a "very good read". Who doesn't love a race, and when the race involves getting to Mars and back coupled with characters in closed environments that have to deal with life threatening situations it all combines to make this a real page turner!!
Rating: 4
Summary: Best mars sci-fi book I've read
Comment: The martian race is a very good hard sci-fi novel.
NASA gives up going to Mars and instead offers a prize of $30 billion dollars to the first company that can safely land, conduct research and return. There are two companies that decide to take up the challenge, the first an american company run by John Axelrod and the second an asian/european company. The book is set from the point of view of the only woman (and wife of the mission captain) of the american team.
After a stay of 18 months on the planet the american crew is about to lift off when complications with their 'borrowed' return vehicle arise. To make matter worse the asian crew are about to land then leave almost immediately, to beat them back, in a quick snatch and grab operation. In the end it all boils done to a race on who can get of the planet and back to Earth first and claim the price.
Overall it was a good action/adventure type book that had just the right amount of believable science in it so that if you read the story in the paper tomorrow it wouldn't be hard to believe. Not a fantasy sci-fi but a believeable sci-fi. Like Jurassic Park.
The only drawback of the novel I found was a slight lack of punch at the end, but still very good. I would definitely recommend this book to any reader.
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Title: Eater by Gregory Benford ISBN: 0380790564 Publisher: Eos Pub. Date: 01 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Cosm by Gregory Benford ISBN: 0380790521 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 1999 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: First Landing by Robert Zubrin ISBN: 0441008593 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: 10 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: On to Mars: Colonizing a New World (Apogee Books Space Series) by Frank Crossman, Robert Zubrin ISBN: 1896522904 Publisher: Apogee Books Pub. Date: 2002 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson ISBN: 0812545249 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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