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A review by kartiknarayanan
The War On Mars by J. Krebs
2.0
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You can also watch it on Youtube
Or read more like this on my blog, Digital Amrit
Introduction
The story starts with Erica, a military veteran, hiding from something in the woods. She has been doing so for a few months now. We discover that she is searching for her husband and children amid an alien invasion.
What is Good
The story starts well with the premise listed above. I like a good 'survival against the odds' fiction even if the premise has been used in other books & movies. Even more so, when the story breaks gender stereotypes.
Erica's character, at least in the first half of the story, is quite interesting. She uses her skills gained in the military to survive in the woods. But this physical struggle of hers intertwines with the mental anguish of not knowing her partner's or children's fate. Her mental strength comes through in this section at least.
What Could be Better
But the moment the big reveal happens, the story becomes comical. I don't want to give out spoilers, but let me say that the villain's name rhymes with Melon Tusk. If you found that name cringe-worthy, the names used in the book are no better. I really wish the author had chosen much better names & metaphors. I totally lost interest in reading after that, since it dilutes everything the author has been trying to say while also trivializing that Melon Tusk has achieved.
After this point, the story feels like a sixth-grader has written it. Suddenly, all the current conspiracy theories that float around the internet become part of the story. Many of them are ludicrous. This is the second item that kills the book for me.
The book could also use some good editing since there are plenty of continuity jumps, grammatical and spelling mistakes. But this is a lesser problem than the Melon Tusk references & conspiracy theories since it can be fixed even now.
Closing Thoughts
'The War on Mars' can be better if the author focuses on Erica Rae and showcases her struggle like Mark Watney in 'The Martian'. Also, she needs to drop Melon Tusk since it just distracts from the rest of the story.
If you liked this review, please support me on
Patreon
You can also watch it on Youtube
Or read more like this on my blog, Digital Amrit
Introduction
The story starts with Erica, a military veteran, hiding from something in the woods. She has been doing so for a few months now. We discover that she is searching for her husband and children amid an alien invasion.
What is Good
The story starts well with the premise listed above. I like a good 'survival against the odds' fiction even if the premise has been used in other books & movies. Even more so, when the story breaks gender stereotypes.
Erica's character, at least in the first half of the story, is quite interesting. She uses her skills gained in the military to survive in the woods. But this physical struggle of hers intertwines with the mental anguish of not knowing her partner's or children's fate. Her mental strength comes through in this section at least.
What Could be Better
But the moment the big reveal happens, the story becomes comical. I don't want to give out spoilers, but let me say that the villain's name rhymes with Melon Tusk. If you found that name cringe-worthy, the names used in the book are no better. I really wish the author had chosen much better names & metaphors. I totally lost interest in reading after that, since it dilutes everything the author has been trying to say while also trivializing that Melon Tusk has achieved.
After this point, the story feels like a sixth-grader has written it. Suddenly, all the current conspiracy theories that float around the internet become part of the story. Many of them are ludicrous. This is the second item that kills the book for me.
The book could also use some good editing since there are plenty of continuity jumps, grammatical and spelling mistakes. But this is a lesser problem than the Melon Tusk references & conspiracy theories since it can be fixed even now.
Closing Thoughts
'The War on Mars' can be better if the author focuses on Erica Rae and showcases her struggle like Mark Watney in 'The Martian'. Also, she needs to drop Melon Tusk since it just distracts from the rest of the story.
If you liked this review, please support me on
Patreon