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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
5.0/5.0 stars
Well, this book took a turn I didn't expect it to! I love sci-fi, but I always get intimidated when I pull a book off my shelf and it looks like it may be harder sci fi than my brain can understand. This one had some great character building and shockers at the outset. I thought it was going to be a space exploration book, but it turned out to be so much more. Highly recommend!
Well, this book took a turn I didn't expect it to! I love sci-fi, but I always get intimidated when I pull a book off my shelf and it looks like it may be harder sci fi than my brain can understand. This one had some great character building and shockers at the outset. I thought it was going to be a space exploration book, but it turned out to be so much more. Highly recommend!
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This is an mysterious and exciting tale about a group of around 100 astronauts from various countries in a habitat on Mars. The environment and characters are very well drawn out. It's realistic and engaging. I did enjoy Andy Weir's book, but I think I liked this one even more.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
5 stars for the first half 3 stars for the 2nd half
I'm a bit torn by this book - I liked it, but it was a slow-starter and I didn't begin to enjoy it until the last 100 pages. The first 150 felt like one gigantic infodump about everything. Mars, the mission, the crew, how everything worked, the main character's relationships with everyone else, analysis of everything that was said (vocally and with body language).
I appreciated the science and the premise, and it was worth the read, but it wasn't a mind blower.
I appreciated the science and the premise, and it was worth the read, but it wasn't a mind blower.
Richer than The Martian by Andy Weir. If you liked one, definitely read the other one as well.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Summary: An international group of scientists is stationed on Mars. They live underground in four separate pods with a central skylight domed hub. Each of them has a specialty, although some specialties, such as medical, are duplicated for the safety of the group.
Late one night while drinking and playing a game in the Chinese pod, their leader screams at the two visiting Americans and shoves them back toward their area, locking theme out. When they get inside the American pod, they are informed that nuclear bombs have dropped on several major world cities. They quickly realize that their situation will become precarious when supplies dwindle without support from Earth.
The short communications with earth are full of disinformation and propaganda. Then everything falls completely silent. Some of the scientists realize they will have to overcome national allegiances and get everyone to cooperate if they are to survive. Others steal and stockpile valuable resources. They don’t start to fully cooperate with each other until a serious incident makes them realize that the war isn’t just happening on Earth: it is also endangering them on Mars.
Comments: Reading Retrograde brought me back to my childhood, when I read the Hard Sci-Fi books of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein. Back in the 60’s and 70’s Mars was still full of unknown potential and fanciful tales about the red planet were in print and film. While there are no longer stories written about little green men on Mars, the dreams of exploration still abound in science and story.
I admit I skimmed over the science facts, but the fact that they were there was enough to ground the novel for me. From the author’s descriptions, I was able to clearly visualize the colony, the landscape and environment. There was more than enough action to keep the story moving. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Reentry.
Recommended for readers of Hard Science-Fiction and those with an interest in novels about Mars and Planetary Exploration.
Late one night while drinking and playing a game in the Chinese pod, their leader screams at the two visiting Americans and shoves them back toward their area, locking theme out. When they get inside the American pod, they are informed that nuclear bombs have dropped on several major world cities. They quickly realize that their situation will become precarious when supplies dwindle without support from Earth.
The short communications with earth are full of disinformation and propaganda. Then everything falls completely silent. Some of the scientists realize they will have to overcome national allegiances and get everyone to cooperate if they are to survive. Others steal and stockpile valuable resources. They don’t start to fully cooperate with each other until a serious incident makes them realize that the war isn’t just happening on Earth: it is also endangering them on Mars.
Comments: Reading Retrograde brought me back to my childhood, when I read the Hard Sci-Fi books of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein. Back in the 60’s and 70’s Mars was still full of unknown potential and fanciful tales about the red planet were in print and film. While there are no longer stories written about little green men on Mars, the dreams of exploration still abound in science and story.
I admit I skimmed over the science facts, but the fact that they were there was enough to ground the novel for me. From the author’s descriptions, I was able to clearly visualize the colony, the landscape and environment. There was more than enough action to keep the story moving. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Reentry.
Recommended for readers of Hard Science-Fiction and those with an interest in novels about Mars and Planetary Exploration.