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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
If you like your science fiction to be intimately psychological, Emma Newman's your gal. A huge amount of this book is internal to the main character, while further fleshing out the gov-corp-run, AI-heavy (possibly very prescient) world Newman has built over the course of the series. Of the 3, I think I still prefer After Atlas for its multi-genre mashup, but Before Mars is good stuff.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
riveting. the kind of science fiction mystery story you stay up til midnight to finish listening to. stunning. also a strong depiction of the incredible difficulty of motherhood and the way the overculture's perception of it diminishes women, a lens far too seldom seen even these days.
Another really good entry in the Planetfall series! Newman has really incredible characters, each driven by well defined needs, and often battling a specific mental illness. This story is no exception, and though it ties into the previous two books, you can read it as a standalone. I figured out a lot of the mystery beforehand, but there were still plenty of surprises in the execution to keep the tension high in this book. really looking forward to what will happen in the next one!
This was fantastic, buuuut. I absolutely loved the idea of "psychological thriller on Mars", and it's very well executed. Generally speaking I loved the book, but up until the end I was scared it would go to a disappointing ending. It didn't (actually, far from it), but I was scared of that. Now I'm not sure whether the issue is with my lack of trust or with the fact that what I was seeing as a possibility was not clearly eliminated as a possibility, but that made my reading slightly more uncomfortable because I was "I like this thing A LOT, but I'm afraid it's going to go to a conclusion I don't like and that it will make the whole thing significantly worse".
It didn't, and I'm happy with that; it's also not a feeling I'm much used to, which kind of bothers me. In the end - it was actually a fantastic book! Looking forward to the fourth one :)
It didn't, and I'm happy with that; it's also not a feeling I'm much used to, which kind of bothers me. In the end - it was actually a fantastic book! Looking forward to the fourth one :)
I'm finding that scifi these days are running together. Its hard for me to get into something that seems like it has been done a million times. With this book, I felt like it was the same old same old. I was neither here nor there with it and frankly, I can't even give a good review, because I wasn't invested in the story.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Audiobook.
What a fascinating series. I disliked the untrustworthy narrator at first but everything revealed itself in time. What an adventure!
What a fascinating series. I disliked the untrustworthy narrator at first but everything revealed itself in time. What an adventure!
Anna is a geologist and a painter. She is sent to Mars to join 4 other scientists living on Mars, to paint original works of art to be sold at a premium. Right away, she starts getting weird vibes and experiencing strange inconsistencies. The story unfolds clue by clue in a satisfying pace, with insight into the difficulties Anna had faced in her marriage and dealing with motherhood.
Man, this series is great! Newman is a fabulous storyteller and writer. She’s brought together the three books so well and in a way that makes you antsy for the fourth! I definitely recommend for anyone who enjoys science fiction with original ideas.