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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
You know a book is doing something right when I have to double check that it was in fact a guy writing the book, because I actually like the female main character.
Also the story is awesome.
Also the story is awesome.
This book is hard to rate.
On the one hand it has an interesting scenario, is (mostly?) realistic and up to date while being a fast and easy read, shallow even. It felt like a script made for a B-movie.
On the other hand it lacked of so much, mostly depth and originality. Although everything about living on Mars was interesting, the rest was not. Liz as a protagonist is naive and had an annoying way of observing others. She was hard to relate to.
I think the book had a good idea, but fell flat on writing, characters and originality. It was mediocre at best, thus "Ok.".
On the one hand it has an interesting scenario, is (mostly?) realistic and up to date while being a fast and easy read, shallow even. It felt like a script made for a B-movie.
On the other hand it lacked of so much, mostly depth and originality. Although everything about living on Mars was interesting, the rest was not. Liz as a protagonist is naive and had an annoying way of observing others. She was hard to relate to.
I think the book had a good idea, but fell flat on writing, characters and originality. It was mediocre at best, thus "Ok.".
“There’s been a nuclear exchange.”
“This is a goddamn nuclear war!” … “We don’t know who fired first, but once the missiles started flying, it doesn’t look like there was much in the way of restraint.”
And just like that, Mars Endeavour Mission and its 130 crew members and commanders, scientists, doctors, and technical specialists were abandoned by NASA mission control in Houston with no hope of rescue, return to earth, or resupply! Colonists from a lengthy list of earth’s nations are struggling to figure out what has happened on earth, whether their friends and families have been annihilated in what appears to be an out of control launching of WW III, and whether their loyalty and camaraderie belongs to their countries on earth or to continued exploration, to the advancement of science, to their mission and to their fellow scientists.
Then things started to REALLY go wrong!
RETROGRADE is a brilliant blend of both the hard and soft sides of contemporary sci-fi. On the hard side, consider for example this brief exposition on Martian dust which Cawdron manages to insert in the narrative, informing its readers without interrupting the high speed flow of his story in the slightest:
“I climb up into the cab of R4. A fine coating of dust covers the controls. Most of the electronics are sealed in plastic to protect them from various corrosives and volatiles in the Martian environment, but inevitably the dust gets everywhere. Dust on Mars is different from anything I’ve experienced on Earth. Back home, dust is soft and more of a nuisance than a problem. Up here, it’s as fine as cigarette smoke. Roll some between your fingers and you’d swear it was oily, with the consistency of graphene.”
“Dust represents a serious health concern for us, … Perchlorates in the dust are highly reactive when they come in contact with moisture – they’re chemical time bombs waiting to go off in our lungs, and on returning to base it’s important not to handle the outside of the suit until the techs have given it a chemical shower. Some of the dust is akin to glass particles ground up so find they hang in the air for up to several minutes. This dust can be easily sucked into our lungs when breathing. Ingesting sandpaper would do less tissue damage than Martian dust, as the fines are so small they can breach cell membranes. Back on earth, similar fine-grain particulate material, like cigarette smoke and asbestos fibers, can cause cancer, and the general view is there’s no safe level of exposure.”
On the soft side of the spectrum, RETROGRADE deals with issues such as off-planet continuations of earth-side nationalism; love and romance in a space colony; abiogenesis (the investigation of methods by which life could arise from inorganic material); scientific methodology; cross-cultural communication and understanding; how people in a fledgling colony in a hostile environment such as Mars would react to a life-threatening disaster back on earth; artificial intelligence, consciousness, sentience, and cognitive upload; and more!
SPOILER:
In an author’s note at the end of the story, Peter Cawdron acknowledges his debt to his predecessors,
“The recent success of Andy Weir’s THE MARTIAN has stirred public imagination about life on the fourth planet. In this novel, I wanted to show a little of what life would be like in a Martian colony. This story was heavily influenced by Kim Stanley Robinson’s RED MARS. I enjoyed his take on the clash of national interests and cultures that inexplicably follows in the wake of a single hominid species spreading out into new habits.”
But I would suggest to Mr Cawdron that he also owes a great deal to Arthur C Clarke's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, and HAL’s surprising sentience driving his (her? its?) decision to override the demands of the human crew members. All of that said, I rush to add that there wasn’t a moment during my entire reading of this absolutely gripping novel, that the word “derivative” crossed my mind.
END SPOILER
Peter Cawdron is definitely on my list of favourite contemporary sci-fi authors and RETROGRADE is highly recommended to fans of the genre.
Paul Weiss
“This is a goddamn nuclear war!” … “We don’t know who fired first, but once the missiles started flying, it doesn’t look like there was much in the way of restraint.”
And just like that, Mars Endeavour Mission and its 130 crew members and commanders, scientists, doctors, and technical specialists were abandoned by NASA mission control in Houston with no hope of rescue, return to earth, or resupply! Colonists from a lengthy list of earth’s nations are struggling to figure out what has happened on earth, whether their friends and families have been annihilated in what appears to be an out of control launching of WW III, and whether their loyalty and camaraderie belongs to their countries on earth or to continued exploration, to the advancement of science, to their mission and to their fellow scientists.
Then things started to REALLY go wrong!
RETROGRADE is a brilliant blend of both the hard and soft sides of contemporary sci-fi. On the hard side, consider for example this brief exposition on Martian dust which Cawdron manages to insert in the narrative, informing its readers without interrupting the high speed flow of his story in the slightest:
“I climb up into the cab of R4. A fine coating of dust covers the controls. Most of the electronics are sealed in plastic to protect them from various corrosives and volatiles in the Martian environment, but inevitably the dust gets everywhere. Dust on Mars is different from anything I’ve experienced on Earth. Back home, dust is soft and more of a nuisance than a problem. Up here, it’s as fine as cigarette smoke. Roll some between your fingers and you’d swear it was oily, with the consistency of graphene.”
“Dust represents a serious health concern for us, … Perchlorates in the dust are highly reactive when they come in contact with moisture – they’re chemical time bombs waiting to go off in our lungs, and on returning to base it’s important not to handle the outside of the suit until the techs have given it a chemical shower. Some of the dust is akin to glass particles ground up so find they hang in the air for up to several minutes. This dust can be easily sucked into our lungs when breathing. Ingesting sandpaper would do less tissue damage than Martian dust, as the fines are so small they can breach cell membranes. Back on earth, similar fine-grain particulate material, like cigarette smoke and asbestos fibers, can cause cancer, and the general view is there’s no safe level of exposure.”
On the soft side of the spectrum, RETROGRADE deals with issues such as off-planet continuations of earth-side nationalism; love and romance in a space colony; abiogenesis (the investigation of methods by which life could arise from inorganic material); scientific methodology; cross-cultural communication and understanding; how people in a fledgling colony in a hostile environment such as Mars would react to a life-threatening disaster back on earth; artificial intelligence, consciousness, sentience, and cognitive upload; and more!
SPOILER:
Spoiler
In an author’s note at the end of the story, Peter Cawdron acknowledges his debt to his predecessors,
“The recent success of Andy Weir’s THE MARTIAN has stirred public imagination about life on the fourth planet. In this novel, I wanted to show a little of what life would be like in a Martian colony. This story was heavily influenced by Kim Stanley Robinson’s RED MARS. I enjoyed his take on the clash of national interests and cultures that inexplicably follows in the wake of a single hominid species spreading out into new habits.”
But I would suggest to Mr Cawdron that he also owes a great deal to Arthur C Clarke's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, and HAL’s surprising sentience driving his (her? its?) decision to override the demands of the human crew members. All of that said, I rush to add that there wasn’t a moment during my entire reading of this absolutely gripping novel, that the word “derivative” crossed my mind.
END SPOILER
Peter Cawdron is definitely on my list of favourite contemporary sci-fi authors and RETROGRADE is highly recommended to fans of the genre.
Paul Weiss
A very exciting book with lots of interesting details about the science of living on mars. This book had a huge twist ending that i actually was not expecting, which was refreshing.
The only critiques i would give is that i'm not sure if it was mentioned how long they've been on mars and i would love to know more about the journey to get to mars.
The only critiques i would give is that i'm not sure if it was mentioned how long they've been on mars and i would love to know more about the journey to get to mars.
I really liked this book. I think I have a new author that I really enjoy. Fantastic characters and story. It was not at all what I was expecting the story to be about but I thoroughly enjoyed. Check it out if you love Sci-fi or Mars. Lots of cool science and tech as well.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Writing often goes on tangents (from introducing characters, through describing scenes or technology to lengthy flashbacks) in the middle of the action. This can be a sentence, a paragraph or several pages long. I found it jarring, breaking immersion and interfering with the plot without adding anything substantial. Half way through the book I started skipping those tangents and didn't feel like I missed anything.
Fun story. I rolled my eyes a lot, though. The protagonist is a woman, but sounds like a man (: There's a lot of *telling* going on, sometimes mid-action. A huge amount of repetition. And then I could see the twist coming, but that didn't make it any more plausible or even entertaining :|
But I love space, and I love reading about Mars, so I finished the book :)
Oh, and all the "cultural issues"? Super stilted, loaded with cringey stereotypes. Have to wonder a bit if that's the author's own experience talking.
But I love space, and I love reading about Mars, so I finished the book :)
Oh, and all the "cultural issues"? Super stilted, loaded with cringey stereotypes. Have to wonder a bit if that's the author's own experience talking.
3.5 stars. I liked this, thought it was interesting and it was a quick and easy read ... but I never quite felt completely captivated by it all. Taking place in a not-very distant future, it wasn't overly futuristic. I mean yes, there is an underground settlement on Mars, but nothing seemed that "out there" ... a very diverse group of settlers, from different countries and nationalities. What happens when there are tensions (and beyond) between the countries back on Earth? What does that mean for Mars settlement? Then add in a bunch of twists and turns ... I didn't see it coming SPOILER
I see there is a sequel ... and I'd likely read it if I could get it for free (this was part of Kindle Unlimited, both kindle copy and audio), but it's not KU or at my library. I'm not invested enough to pay for it.
Spoiler
having an AI be behind all the destruction, I just hadn't been expecting that. Thought the additional mind-meld with Jin was also interesting.I see there is a sequel ... and I'd likely read it if I could get it for free (this was part of Kindle Unlimited, both kindle copy and audio), but it's not KU or at my library. I'm not invested enough to pay for it.
dark
medium-paced
I read two Peter Cawdron books back to back which was a mistake. Most of the book is the inner dialog of the lead female character showing her anxiety and weakness and rarely something positive or strong other than feelings. It wasn’t enjoyable. I experienced the same writing style in the last book. No more of these for me. Plus the plot was AI taking over which is common.