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Esteemed Mars guru Bob Zubrin calls The Martian Race "one of the finest novels about human exploration of the Red Planet ever written. "But then again, Bob is a character in the book (albeit in the briefest of cameos), so what else could he possibly say? That notwithstanding, Zubrin's right--he couldn't have picked a better book to show his face in. By popular assent, Martian Race deserves top honors among the millennial wave of Mars exploration tales, propelled as it is by the skillful storytelling of physics doyen Gregory Benford, a Campbell and two-time Nebula winner.
Martian Race is near-future SF, set in the twenty-teens (just before Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars saga kicks off), which may contribute to its being a bit of a slow starter; this is realistic, nuts-and-bolts speculation on a mission using pretty basic technology. But the pace picks up considerably as our heroes--the likable Julia and her Russky hubby Viktor and crew, backed by the Mars Consortium and its biotech billionaire CEO John Axelrod--begin to duke it out with a Euro-Sino concern to claim the $30 billion Mars Prize and, of course, get back from the Red Planet in one piece. Benford's work throughout is engaging and thorough, exploring every aspect of why we should make this trip at all (and even a few arguments against it, like Mars Bar marketing tie-ins). --Paul Hughes
From Publishers Weekly
With so many Mars novels having been published in recent years, including award-winning fiction by Kim Stanley Robinson and others, it's hard to believe that even a talented writer like Benford (Cosm) could pull off another successful retelling of humanity's first expedition to the Red PlanetAbut he does. In the early 21st century, after NASA's Mars program has been grounded because of a Challenger-like catastrophe, a $30 billion prize is announced to be awarded to the first private organization that can land a spaceship on Mars, do serious science and return in one piece. Enter John Axelrod, eccentric billionaire and space aficionado. His Consortium launches a bare-bones Mars expedition that is closely followed by a Chinese-European attempt, and the race for Mars is on. Landing on the Red Planet, veteran astronaut Julia Barth and her comrades run into difficulties. Their return craft has suffered serious damage and may not be repairable. Even if they can lift off, they discover that their nuclear-powered Chinese-European competitor, although launching later than they did, may have the sheer power necessary to return to Earth first. Then, after months of fruitless searching, Julia discovers evidence of life on Mars. Benford is a solid prose stylist who creates full-toned characters. A practicing physicist, he writes plausible hard SF as well as anyone on the planet, and his portrait of Mars is among the most believable in recent genre literature. His strange and beautiful Martian ecology is so well described, in fact, that most readers will hope to explore it further, in a sequel. (Dec.) scheduled December 3, 1999, touchdown of the Mars Polar Lander. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
YA-After NASA fails in the attempt at a Mars mission, the race for the planet quickly shifts to two separate factions. A billionaire's crew consists of a married couple and two men, all highly trained in both the scientific and practical technology required to fly to Mars. They spend more than two years there in research, and fly back to Earth. This mission faces two major upheavals: the return vehicle is inoperable and a life-form is found on Mars. When the crew sponsored by a European-Chinese consortium arrives, the race is on to identify the life-form and return to Earth, until two of the researchers are discovered missing. Benford presents a realistic scenario of interplanetary science and discovery caught in the web of big business. While this theme permeates the plot, the author expertly weaves in the often tense and volatile relationships among crew members, subtly showing how the success of the misson depends on their mental, physical, and emotional stability. The depth of the characterizations, especially that of astronaut Julia Barth, along with the scientific base, also make this story ring true. Adventure, relationships, discovery, and the pursuit of fame and fortune all add up to a page-turner for teens who like their science fiction rooted solidly in science.Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
After a launching pad disaster shuts down NASA's dreams of sending a manned mission to Mars, astronaut Julia Barth and her teammates find a way to travel to the red planet under the auspices of billionaire John Axelrod, who expects his investment to make a tidy profit. When a rival coalition decides to enter the race to Mars, the trials and tribulations of the privately funded expedition escalate, becoming a battle for survival against the steadily diminishing possibility of a safe return. The author of Timescape brings his copious knowledge of the physics of space travel to bear in a gripping tale of human enterprise and courage that combines a pro-space polemic with sf adventure. Benford's talent for creating issue-driven stories that do not neglect the human element makes him one of the premier crafters of the genre. Highly recommended. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The recent race among sf writers to see who can write the best novel about Mars continues, and as one might expect, Benford's entry is a very fine one. It begins with a situation that could be drawn from any of a dozen space-advocacy potboilers. The NASA-manned Mars mission has a catastrophic failure, and a space-minded billionaire comes through to finance an alternative mission in time to beat a foreign consortium--nowadays, a European-Chinese one instead of an all-godless-commie crew. The novel's primary focus, however, is on the voyage of Julia Barth and her comrades, a long, long haul in a ship slightly above the bailing-wire-and-chewing-gum level in terms of repair. Technical problems, faulty personal interactions, and the Martian environment all challenge survival, but Benford is as expert as ever at seamlessly melding characterization, technology, and narrative drive in an effective novel that takes its place near the front of the pack of Martian-yarn contenders. Roland Green
From Kirkus Reviews
A mission to Mars, from physicist-author Benford (Cosm, 1998, etc.), is both a race to reach the red planet and a living race of Martian biota. Early in the next century, the US government balks at NASA's $450-billion, pork-barrelinflated venture. Instead, Uncle Sam offers a Mars Prize of $30 billion to the first manned expedition to return successfully to Earth. Step forward, wealthy bio-industrialist John Axelrod: to fund an expedition, he'll allocate his own money and sell the rights to everything concerning the endeavor. To return, the astronauts can grab NASA's abandoned ERV lander (sent before the budget cuts, it's ready and waiting on Mars). But captain Viktor Nelyubov, his wife, Julia Barth, and their companions have competition: the Chinese/European Airbus consortium's nuclear-powered spaceship will be able to make the trip faster and with less fuel. When Julia and company set up housekeeping on Mars, they discover a honeycomb of warm, damp tunnels containing ``marsmat,'' an extensive, complex anaerobic life-form, and decide to conceal the discovery. But the planets corrosive peroxide dust and a rough landing have damaged the ERV. The Airbus ship arrives with a repair kit, but the ERV's still kaput. Worse, their rivals skim off Julia's scientific results and prepare to zip back to Earth and claim the prize. Then, two Airbus researchers locate Julia's marsmat, only to die in a grotesque accident when it reacts to their presence. So, who will return in the Airbus ship, and who will stay on awaiting rescue? Taut, plausible, and full of ideas. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Dr. Robert Zubrin, president of The Mars Society and author of The Case for Mars
"Combines a realistic Mars mission plan with a dynamic plot and a sense of wonder to produce a real page-turner. One of the finest novels about human exploration of the Red Planet ever written.
Bruce Murray, professor at California Institute of Technology and president of The Planetary Society
Cast in the fiercely anti-establishment tradition of Robert Heinlein, but evolving a twenty-first-century cooperative perspective...a great read...and thought-provoking as well.
David Brin, author of Foundation's Triumph
Both gritty and inspiring! Benford has a deep grasp of how the future might be seized, one bold move at a time.
Paul Davies, author of The Fifth Miracle: The Search for the Origin and Meaning of Life
A fascinating drama of total plausibility....I predict that many of the ideas in this book will soon make the transition from fiction to fact.
John Connolly, planetary scientist
Superbly details the ambitions and frailties of both the explorers and the exploiters.
Edmond A. Grin, planetary scientist
Accurate science...highly credible...an innovative thriller.
Eric Kotani, author of Legacy of Prometheus
Benford emulates the winning strategy of Prince Henry the Navigator to achieve one of our dearest dreams-to land humans on Mars. Mission planners at NASA might seriously consider taking a leaf from this book.
Nathalie A. Cabrol, planetary scientist
An exciting adventure and a remarkable novel.
Book Description
At the turn of the new millennium, nearly a dozen U.S., Russian, and Japanese robot missions have been sent to Mars...all in preparation for the first humans who will walk on the Red Planet. Now science fiction master Gregory Benford, recipient of multiple honors including two Nebula Awards and the United Nations Medal in Literature, presents a powerful and realistic novel that captures the conflict, suspense, and drama of this coming adventure, and of the new century's great space challenge...THE MARTIAN RACE. For American John Axelrod, it's not about nationalism or personal fame. It's about the money: the Mars Prize, a $30 billion purse offered for the first successful manned mission to the Red Planet. When NASA becomes bogged down in politics and bureaucracy, businessman Axelrod and a conglomerate of backers seize their chance. But for astronauts Julia; her husband, Viktor; Marc; and Raoul-Axelrod's team of ex-NASAnauts-it's not about wealth or media attention. It's about courage, discovery, and facing the unknown. It's about Mars...and staying alive. For the prize rules clearly state that the winning team can't just grab a rock and leave. Their mission will keep them on the barren planet for almost two years, a genuine opportunity for biologist Julia and the others to research, learn, adapt, and search for clues to the Red Planet's greatest mystery: Did life ever exist there? This isn't, however, a NASA mission with backups, fail-safes, and Mission Control. The astronauts know that Axelrod has cut corners and that theirs is a high-stakes, high-risk return to the oldest rule of exploration: Succeed or die. Now four people are trapped on a frigid, alien world that can kill them in countless ways. And a time will come when-to survive-Julia, Viktor, Marc, and Raoul must embrace everything that makes them human. And everything that will make them Martian.
About the Author
GREGORY BENFORD is a professor of physics at the University of California, Irvine; a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a fellow at Cambridge University; and an adviser to the Department of Energy, NASA, and the White House Council on Space Policy. Dr. Benford is also one of the most honored authors in science fiction. His eighteen novels, including the classic Timescape, have won two Nebula Awards, the John W. Campbell Award, and the United Nations Medal in Literature.
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