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bookmarc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
mjfmjfmjf's review
3.0
This is a book 3. My book club picked this book and just believed the person who nominated who said it didn't matter if you read the first two books or not. Which was pretty obviously complete garbage from almost page 1. Well I guess from a certain perspective, what you read if you read book 3 first is a DIFFERENT book. There were definite things to like about this book. And dislike. It was slow. It was an opportunity for the author to call out that all mothers were not the same, and that if you take her word from her epilogue, that she was like Anna.
I liked the way immersives were used and printers and drones.
I will probably read the sequel. I doubt most of my book group will.
3.5 of 5.
I liked the way immersives were used and printers and drones.
I will probably read the sequel. I doubt most of my book group will.
3.5 of 5.
jdmitrijeva's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.75
tpoisot's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dalex's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
erichart's review against another edition
5.0
Best of the series so far. At the heart of a mystery filled with paranoiaand conspiracy, Emma Newman tackles personal issues of mental health such as post-partum depression. After the apocalyptic ending of the previous volume ("After Atlas"), the tragedy here is on a much more personal level. Just brilliant, one of the year's best SF novels.
micalynne's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
sandeestarlite's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Ms Newman builds really cool worlds, where the earth is run by GovCorps and many people are owned in contracts, and you can be sent to Mars to paint pictures to make another man even more rich. But what happens when you arrive and it all looks a little too familiar? The plausibility of how the last 1/4 of the book unfolds and explains is really well done.
I'm torn by the part where the main character deals with postpartum depression and her perceived shortfalls as a mother and spouse. On the one hand it's nice to see it talked about. On the other hand, she navel-gazes on and on and on.
I'm torn by the part where the main character deals with postpartum depression and her perceived shortfalls as a mother and spouse. On the one hand it's nice to see it talked about. On the other hand, she navel-gazes on and on and on.
pelargonia's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
geekcliche's review against another edition
5.0
It's a good job I'm not a professional book reviewer, as I really don't think I can adequately describe how good Before Mars is.
I can always empathise with characters when I'm reading but, just like [b:Planetfall|24237785|Planetfall (Planetfall, #1)|Emma Newman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1424627926s/24237785.jpg|43823353] and [b:After Atlas|28361265|After Atlas (Planetfall, #2)|Emma Newman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456689269s/28361265.jpg|48430277], I was experiencing the intensity of everything the main character experiences. There's a single word that's repeatedly come to mind whenever I've thought about the impact this book has had on me; raw. Raw emotion just exudes from every page and envelops you. Emma has written about how hard it was for her to write this novel and for it to be released and I can see why. It doesn't quite have the same gut-punch ending as After Atlas, but once again it feels like the book has broken me a little although I might be a better person for it once the book hangover wears off.
Story-wise, this is a tense, claustrophobic thriller. Anna arrives to take up her new job at a Mars colony leaving her husband and baby behind on Earth, but soon makes discoveries that make her question the other team members, the base AI and her own sanity.
The near future of the Planetfall novels seems almost terrifyingly inevitable. The technology, how it is used and influences society is a strand running through all the books and here it is used with great effect, questioning how we trust what we're told and what we see when everything is owned, monitored and provided by giant megacorporations. That this came out just around the time that the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica story was breaking shows just how important great sci-fi like this can be. That it also explores mental health issues in a sensitive and intelligent way raises the bar even further.
If you need any more convincing, think of Planetfall, After Atlas and Before Mars as being up there with some of the best recent TV like Humans, Westworld and Black Mirror (and for any Channel 4 execs reading this, you really need to think about adapting these books ASAP!).
I can always empathise with characters when I'm reading but, just like [b:Planetfall|24237785|Planetfall (Planetfall, #1)|Emma Newman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1424627926s/24237785.jpg|43823353] and [b:After Atlas|28361265|After Atlas (Planetfall, #2)|Emma Newman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456689269s/28361265.jpg|48430277], I was experiencing the intensity of everything the main character experiences. There's a single word that's repeatedly come to mind whenever I've thought about the impact this book has had on me; raw. Raw emotion just exudes from every page and envelops you. Emma has written about how hard it was for her to write this novel and for it to be released and I can see why. It doesn't quite have the same gut-punch ending as After Atlas, but once again it feels like the book has broken me a little although I might be a better person for it once the book hangover wears off.
Story-wise, this is a tense, claustrophobic thriller. Anna arrives to take up her new job at a Mars colony leaving her husband and baby behind on Earth, but soon makes discoveries that make her question the other team members, the base AI and her own sanity.
The near future of the Planetfall novels seems almost terrifyingly inevitable. The technology, how it is used and influences society is a strand running through all the books and here it is used with great effect, questioning how we trust what we're told and what we see when everything is owned, monitored and provided by giant megacorporations. That this came out just around the time that the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica story was breaking shows just how important great sci-fi like this can be. That it also explores mental health issues in a sensitive and intelligent way raises the bar even further.
If you need any more convincing, think of Planetfall, After Atlas and Before Mars as being up there with some of the best recent TV like Humans, Westworld and Black Mirror (and for any Channel 4 execs reading this, you really need to think about adapting these books ASAP!).