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A review by alina_leonova
Before Mars by Emma Newman
5.0
Characters
Anna Kubrin - a geologist and artist who has been sent to Mars - is the main character. As is typical of all the Planetfall books, the story is told in the first person through her point of view. It's also a typical thing that Anna is struggling with some issues and is brilliantly fleshed out. We get to know her intimately thanks to the depth of Emma Newman's writing. Other characters are the crew living on the Mars base, each of them is unique and feels real.
World-building
Emma Newman has created an immersive, well-researched world, depicting various aspects of living on Mars. A lot of the tech is common for the Planetfall world, some of it is specific to Mars. Again, extensive world-building and interesting technology is something I've come to associate with author's style. The book can be classified as hard sci-fi.
Plot
The plot is straightforward, even though it's told in a non-linear way and a lot of information is provided through flashbacks, memories and immersive recordings that Anna watches (which is again something typical of Emma Newman's style, at least in the Planetfall series).
Impressions
I loved the book. Even though I deduced part of the mystery early on from the previous novels in the series, it still had a lot to offer and surprise me with. The book can be read as a standalone, and I believe it can be more unpredictable this way.
The flaws and struggles of the main character are the focus of the story along with the Martian mystery. Anna Kubrin struggles with her motherhood and marriage. Through her, the author creates a compelling and profound portrayal of postnatal depression.
You might enjoy the book if you are into Mars, high-tech, sci-fi thrillers and liked other Planetfall books. You can also start with this book and see if you want to proceed with the series.
Check out my website about sci-fi by women and non-binary authors for more reviews, lists, interviews, short stories and more.
Anna Kubrin - a geologist and artist who has been sent to Mars - is the main character. As is typical of all the Planetfall books, the story is told in the first person through her point of view. It's also a typical thing that Anna is struggling with some issues and is brilliantly fleshed out. We get to know her intimately thanks to the depth of Emma Newman's writing. Other characters are the crew living on the Mars base, each of them is unique and feels real.
World-building
Emma Newman has created an immersive, well-researched world, depicting various aspects of living on Mars. A lot of the tech is common for the Planetfall world, some of it is specific to Mars. Again, extensive world-building and interesting technology is something I've come to associate with author's style. The book can be classified as hard sci-fi.
Plot
The plot is straightforward, even though it's told in a non-linear way and a lot of information is provided through flashbacks, memories and immersive recordings that Anna watches (which is again something typical of Emma Newman's style, at least in the Planetfall series).
Impressions
I loved the book. Even though I deduced part of the mystery early on from the previous novels in the series, it still had a lot to offer and surprise me with. The book can be read as a standalone, and I believe it can be more unpredictable this way.
The flaws and struggles of the main character are the focus of the story along with the Martian mystery. Anna Kubrin struggles with her motherhood and marriage. Through her, the author creates a compelling and profound portrayal of postnatal depression.
You might enjoy the book if you are into Mars, high-tech, sci-fi thrillers and liked other Planetfall books. You can also start with this book and see if you want to proceed with the series.
Check out my website about sci-fi by women and non-binary authors for more reviews, lists, interviews, short stories and more.