Reviews

Before Mars by Emma Newman

teenagelightning's review

Go to review page

2.0

A pretty poor entry to the Planetfall series. This book let me get waaaaay too far ahead. The big "surprise" ending - which the whole book relies on - can be worked out in chapter 1. I foolishly kept reading in the hope I had it wrong, or a more interesting explanation would be offered.

Plot has been Newman's strong point in this series but it didn't work for me here, and the prose was worse than usual. I think I'm done with this series. However, Book 1 remains a ripper in its own right!

weltenkreuzer's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Teil drei der Reihe und wieder ein komplett anderes Buch. Diesmal ein Psychothriller-Kammerspiel auf dem Mars. Eine spannende Hauptfigur, aber leider eine etwas vorhersehbare Handlung.

kynan's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Before Mars is the third of Ms Newman's Planetfall series, a series that I'm increasingly suspecting was a significantly cathartic experience to write! If you've not read the previous two books, stop reading here as there will be spoilers for them shortly (not for Before Mars though).

I read Planetfall back-to-back with After Atlas. I loved After Atlas, partly because of the unexpected change of perspective from Planetfall and partly because the character building continued to be so real and so well done! I had a crisis of conscience regarding the sci-fi filter bubble I found myself in and took a break to read Americanah before hitting Before Mars and, feeling refreshed and ready for something new and interesting I dived in...and immediately felt like I was re-reading a slightly disguised After Atlas.

Before Mars describes some of what was going on in the Gabor-side of the court prior to and during the events chronicled in After Atlas. We're now hanging out with a scientist/painter/newish mother named Anna who's been sent off to Mars on a special mission for Stefan Gabor. She's a bit like Ren and a bit like Carl but she is, very definitely, her own person.

I guess that Ms Newman is on a mission to normalise frequently stigmatised things, be they mental health issues, gender or, in the case of this book, post-natal depression.

I really like the way that we get inside the heads of the major characters. We get a view into their decision making process but, more interestingly, get an understanding of how their various neuroses are impacting those decisions. Often in ways that may not seem rational to someone else. There's a real possibility for empathy with the characters and less opportunity to brush off a "poor" decision as just irrational or stupid.

There's also the gender neutral pronouns again which seemed a little jarring at first in After Atlas, but this is purely due to lack of exposure. Further exposure like this is probably an awesome way to normalise it!

kerstincullen's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

This book is so good. It's real and devastating and made me cry, but also hopeful and made me pause to appreciate the joy I have. On top of the Scifi techno thriller on Mars, the main character deals with postpartum depression in a very believable way that most books gloss over. The audiobook narration by the author is very real and heartfelt and perfect. I am considering recommending it to people who don't read a lot of sci-fi, because I think the conversation about PPD is so important.

qalminator's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Enjoyable, but sometimes draining, as I've found most of Newman's work. She favors MC's with mental difficulties of various stripes—not a complaint, as it's refreshing to see neurodiversity—and I got bogged down enough in the constant gaslighting in this one that I took a break to finish one book and listen to another before continuing.

Okay, so, Anna is sent to Mars a geologist cum artist, and it's obvious right from the start that something is very wrong. I'll put the details of what's wrong in spoiler tags, but, really, it was glaringly obvious; there are soooo many signs that I wanted to yell at the characters sometimes.
SpoilerTheir memories have been erased. This is not Anna first arriving on Mars. (1) Her body is unusually well-adjusted to the gravity after her long trip, suggesting she's been there for some time; (2) She and the doctor both have strong body-memory of being together, but no actual memory of this; (3) The note Anna left for herself; (4) The replaced wedding ring; (5) The missing canvases and notebooks. For most of the book, I was just rolling my eyes and waiting for this to come out.
However, because Anna has low self-confidence (and is subconsciously coping with
Spoilerthe nuclear destruction of earth
(real spoiler, though you may be able to guess at it if you read After Atlas)), she continuously doubts herself and gets lost in worrying she's going mad. It's obvious from the get-go that the AI is gaslighting her, and, to some degree, everyone else. The reasons are not at all obvious for most of the book, however.

I was actually a bit disappointed in the final ending, as I thought it would be more interesting
Spoilerto make a go of long-term life on Mars, though it's doubtful they had enough people to create a sustainable population there; maybe the printers can print stored DNA? * shrugs *
. Still, it fits the themes of the first two books, so I wasn't too surprised it headed that way.

Newman's books are ones I have to be in the right mood for. For anyone who has issues with gaslighting: stay away from this one. The mental gyrations are deeply disturbing. However, I am wondering if they would come across differently on a second read, knowing what's coming. I may try that at some point, but not straightaway. Also, this is probably best read in sequence.

sausome's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

This may be the best book I've read so far this year. An outstanding work of science fiction - incredibly compelling storyline and three dimensional characters. I haven't read any of the previous books and was frankly surprised there were others - that is too say, this book can definitely stand on its own. The technological advances of society were fascinating and believable; the AI entity definitely gave a "2001" Hal vibe; the question of mental health, internal chip manipulation, "immersive" memory, or someone masterfully controlling things kept me constantly guessing and wondering what it could be. Dr. Anna Kubrin's self evaluation of her depression and disconnect with being a mother were so so refreshing in a world where women are still made to feel that giving birth can be their only purpose and must be the source of supreme happiness.

Everything about this book was fantastic, will look forward to other books by this author.

ninjamike's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

This book is incredible.

It's not a plot-heavy book. It is very, very character heavy, and it seems like this puts some people off because there is a lot of introspection while the plot slowly moves forward. I think this is a strength of the book, not a weakness as the I really understa

While it is not strictly necessary to read the first 2 books before this one as they aren't direct continuations, I feel like you gain a lot of context about how the world works, especially from the second one, that really helps you understand why the characters may be the way they are and why they choose certain actions.

Also, read the whole series because they are all amazing, but again super heavy on character development.

hanz's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

justiceofkalr's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

My only minor issue with this book was the timing of the message at the very end when they’re deciding what to do. It just seemed too neatly convenient that she got the message while they were having their plan the future meeting. Other than that, everything about this was fantastic and tied in really great with the other two books. I love this series so so much. Also, I highly recommend the audiobook.

ekpickell's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I really like figuring out how the books are connected. The writer does an amazing job with the character in this book. I love this series!