Mars One by Jonathan Maberry

Be the first to step foot on Mars.

I’ve been really enjoying reading Sci-fi books lately. So, when I was looking for a audiobook to listen to and realized that I didn’t have any credits, I was stoked when I found this title listed as “included with membership.”  SCORE!!!! I obviously downloaded it and hopped on the first ship to Mars.

This isn’t necessarily a new concept. There are plenty of movies and books out there about traveling to Mars or colonizing the red planet, but what was a little different was that so much of what was happening in the story had so little to do with actually being on Mars. The first half of the book follows 16 year old Tristan in his final weeks on Earth before he and his parents become some of the 40 people to be sent in the first wave to colonize Mars.

I will say that I’m grateful it wasn’t the, “Guess what you’re going to Mars!” and the very next month he’s flying through space. Tristan has known for several years that he was going to be going to Mars, but they had to train and plan and prepare. Finally something that makes sense. Naturally, this allowed him time to fall in love with his teenage sweetheart knowing that he would leave her behind and never return. Oh, the drama!

So, what would our society do in this situation? Make about 15 different types of reality TV shows following these people around and of course one focused on Tristian and Izzy’s doomed love. I don’t really have much to say about the characters in all this. Tristan is portrayed as a loving, intelligent kid but he for the most part was one dimensional. I think that is why I felt this first portion of the book dragged on a little.

He dragged Izzy along, and every interaction was pretty much the same. The background may have changed from a living room to the school to a carnival but the resulting dialogue and conflict was pretty much the same. And that conflict was primarily centered around this doomed relationship. Now, I’m not saying it was bad, but it wasn’t challenging any of my mental capacities. I wanted a quick and easy book, and I got it. It was different from what I’ve been reading lately.

It became more interesting and more enjoyable once they finally left Earth for the second half of the book. I truly feel that this part should have been more developed and the first half shrunk. It is in this part of the book where there was finally a real conflict.

Whenever there is something life-changing, world-changing, people tend to become polarized. You clearly have the people in the middle who just go with the flow and adapt, but you have the other two ends. On one side you have the people who are all for colonizing Mars, they applied to be part of the first group of settlers, many for selfish, attention seeking reasons, but they get weeded out. We are then left with the 40 people who are dedicated to giving up everything they’ve known to fly through space and build a new world on a foreign planet. Keep in mind, no one is 100% sure it’s even going to work.

On the other side of the spectrum are the people who are so against it that they will try to prevent the mission from happening. They will sabotage and kill to make sure that no one leaves God’s Green Earth. This is where the NeoLuddites come in. They are only mentioned briefly throughout the first portion of the book, oftentimes just being glossed over as rumors of actions they have taken or protests they’ve held. This is the terrorist based group who believe they are doing what’s right.

Why is this important? Well, when the two ships leave for their mission, each carrying 20 people, there is one catastrophe after another. And this, my friends, is why the second half of the book is better than the first. There is tension and emotion, fear and urgency. Everything that you would hope to find in a space adventure.

Sabotage is clear, but how do you combat what you don’t understand. All 40 people were screened and tested and put through the wringer, so no one believes that one of them is a NeoLuddite, but when you have the best of the best in all the different fields of technology and engineering, how could it be anything other than an inside job?

Now poor Tristan, who is suffering heartbreak from finally realizing that he has to let Izzy move on without any emotional guilt, has to single handedly find out who is trying to compromise the mission and ultimately kill everyone.

The conflict concludes and there is a clear cut and dry ending to the book, but I am disappointed in how evident it is as to who the saboteur is. In this case, it really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. I was really disappointed in that aspect. I wanted to debate and wonder and try to piece together clues. Instead, it’s handed to you and in that climatic moment, it’s like “yep, knew it.”

So, where does this land on my bookshelf?

Middle shelf, lower middle shelf. Like I stated, it was an easy read, and it was enjoyable. I never considered not finishing it. If you are just looking for something to read in a short period of time, something more sci-fi-ish, then this isn’t a bad choice. You do dive into the consequences of decisions, the impact those life-altering decisions have on others, and, of course, what it means to work together as a community where everyone is important and has a role. I haven’t read anything else by this author, but he has won multiple Bram Stoker awards. So check it out if you get a chance.

Don’t forget to check out my other fun sites!

Brand New Website for book lovers: www.tinyurl.com/desertbookshelf It has links to my podcast Speaking LITerally, book reviews, breaking literary news, games, links to small business and more!

Speaking LITerally podcast! Our monthly misadventures into all things literary. Separated by the Atlantic, Liz and I come together in our love of reading!!! Find us wherever you listen to your other favorite podcasts! Click here to find us on iHeartRadio!

If you are really bored you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.