Classic science fiction
I really enjoy Ben Bova's books.
"Mars" by Ben Bova, 'nuff said.
I loved this book - the story of a first manned international expedition to Mars, with all the political and personal pressures that involves. A good sci-fi read.
"Vintage" Ben Bova... what more needs to be said? ;-)
Jeremy and Crystal D. (jeremy-and-crystal) reviewed Mars (Grand Tour, Bk 4) on + 3 more book reviews
I was a little disappointed in reading this book (I think I probably expected something more like Kim Stanley Robinson's "Red Mars"), but it was good for what it was; an interesting narrative about what the first explorers of Mars might discover, and what Mars and Earth's relationship might be in the future, and what it might have been in the past.
Good SF about the first manned mission to Mars. Told in alternating POVs from about five or six main characters, it also switches back and forth between past and present. At first I was afraid that this would turn into a story mostly about the friction between the astronauts (that's a little pun there, if you know what I mean) but I was pleasantly surprised when the story shifts away from that emphasis. The last half is very suspenseful. Bova leaves the biggest question of all unanswered, a great choice, leaving the reader wanting to know more. It does feel a little dated now (2018), with the Russian astronauts and the blatant racism towards Jamie, half-Navajo and half-Caucasian. But still an excellent space story.
