Customer Reviews

The Martian Race

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the real, hard stuff--an informed look at how we might go to Mars, for the very best reasons, both scientific and personal. Better than the Robinson because it's about what we can do NOW, not political dreams. A great read, fast pace, real characters.

This is "hard sci fi," just as I like it. The title refers to a race to Mars, not a race of Martians (although it comes close to that, too). It's as much an example of "how to" on the cheap as it is a story. Benford is down on NASA (or the Federal government, or both), postulating a competition to Mars with a huge purse ($30 billion) as the way to get a human expedition there. That might be what it takes. Yet it's also a call for cooperation rather than competition. He shows the downside of human nature -- competitiveness, going for the gold, the potential for a breakdown of discipline in difficult situations. He advocates nuclear propulsion systems for planetary exploration, rather than today's chemical systems. He stresses how difficult planetary exploration will be -- especially the early stages, when improvisation and self-sufficiency are critical and thereby makes a case for on-the-spot decision-making rather than relying on orders from Mission Control. He also looks forward to life (past or present) on Mars. He was very creative in his depiction of what it could be like. In fact, this novel once again demonstrates to me the limitations of my creative abilities. Maybe I'm just intimidated, but I can't imagine writing a novel this well put together, this imaginative yet full of sophisticated technical detail. Heck, I wonder if I could even come up with a good idea for a "beginning, middle, and end." At any rate, it was an excellent adventure story, notwithstanding the fact that the end was predictable two-thirds of the way into the book. Benford put his lead characters through so many troubles (it actually got depressing at one point) in order to show the extent of danger and difficulties he expects planetary explorers to face that he left them only one way out. Arguably, that aspect of it could have been better written. And the way the threads came together in the end just fit too well.
Still, I enjoyed it immensely.

First a disclaimer: I'm an unrepentant Gregory Benford fan. But in a sci-fi world increasingly dominated by Star Wars and dragons, I think any lover of hard-science fiction will enjoy this novel. The fact that it is based on technology from Robert Zubrin's 'Mars Direct' program is icing on the cake. This really *could* happen.

It's a great read, and I recommend it highly.

The Martian Race (1999) is a SF novel about the race for the Mars Prize. When NASA submitted a budget of 450 billion dollars to go to Mars, Congress suffered from sticker shock and turned down the project. Instead, the United States and other Western countries offered a prize of 30 billion dollars for the first voyage that accomplished specified goals.

NASA continued to prepare for a voyage to Mars in 2016, but used the Mars Direct model instead of the previous boondoggle version. Step by step, NASA built and tested their equipment. They sent an Earth Return Vehicle to Mars to manufacture methane for the return voyage. But their launch of an orbital vehicle to test the centrifugal force idea was a spectacular failure, destroying the equipment and killing the crew. Congress canceled the NASA Mars program.

Still, a private Consortium was set up by billionaire John Axelrod to win the Mars Prize. The Consortium started hiring ex-NASA astronauts and buying surplus NASA equipment. But they downsized the mission to four astronauts instead of the previous six crewmembers.

In this novel, Julia, Viktor, Marc and Raoul survive the six month trip and aerobraking to land in Gusev crater. Shaped like a tuna can, the two-story habitat is a strange landing vehicle, but adequate living quarters. They have brought a pressurized rover, but also convert the two onsite vehicles to manual control.

Raoul spends most of his time repairing the ERV, which had landed with enough lateral vector to damage the engine pipes. The peroxide dust and the extreme changes in temperature at the surface have also damaged the ERV components. Although he is able to replace and refit many parts, Raoul doesn't have the tools to do as much as he wishes. The first test results in even more damage. He needs more tools; in fact, he really needs a replacement ERV.

The scientific program continues concurrently with the ERV repairs. Marc explores the surrounding terrain and sets off seismic charges to map the subsurface. They find evidence of surface water, underground caverns, and billion year old bacterial fossils.

As they approaching the end of their stay on the Red Planet, Julia and Viktor discover a venting sinkhole. When they approach it and prepare to descend, they find moisture and water ice. Julia gets a sample off the lip of the hole, but then Viktor slips on the ice and sprains his ankle; he has to be taken back to the hab immediately.

Julia checks her samples in the lab and finds organic residue. Although ruptured by the cold and lower pressure, this residue may have been cellular remains. Unfortunately, the men are focused on the ERV repairs and will not let her return to the vent for more exploration.

This novel depicts the political intrigues surrounding the first manned flight to Mars. Scientific research is peripheral to the political aspects. When Julia confirms the biological origins of her samples, she is told to keep silent about her discoveries.

Unfortunately, politics is the name of the game. Whether public or private, research is funded primarily for the political (and economic) returns. The whole space program is evidence of the political nature of such projects. Even a private venture will have to show a political reward of some nature, probably in entertainment and related products.

This work draws heavily on Heinlein's The Man Who Sold the Moon, which in turn was based on Amundsen's trek to the south pole. Of course, Amundsen did not have trivid, email, or direct broadcasts, but he did sell newspaper articles and stamps postmarked at (or near) the Pole. This book shows how the media could dominate private planetary exploration.

Highly recommended for Benford fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of planetary adventure.

-Arthur W. Jordin

The martian race is a very good hard sci-fi novel.

NASA gives up going to Mars and instead offers a prize of $30 billion dollars to the first company that can safely land, conduct research and return. There are two companies that decide to take up the challenge, the first an american company run by John Axelrod and the second an asian/european company. The book is set from the point of view of the only woman (and wife of the mission captain) of the american team.

After a stay of 18 months on the planet the american crew is about to lift off when complications with their 'borrowed' return vehicle arise. To make matter worse the asian crew are about to land then leave almost immediately, to beat them back, in a quick snatch and grab operation. In the end it all boils done to a race on who can get of the planet and back to Earth first and claim the price.

Overall it was a good action/adventure type book that had just the right amount of believable science in it so that if you read the story in the paper tomorrow it wouldn't be hard to believe. Not a fantasy sci-fi but a believeable sci-fi. Like Jurassic Park.

The only drawback of the novel I found was a slight lack of punch at the end, but still very good. I would definitely recommend this book to any reader.

I have never read Gregory Benford before, and picked up "The Martian Race" from a bargain-bin pile with a little interest. It strayed to my "to be read" pile, then finally worked its way to the surface.

I am a big fan of Kim Stanley Robinson's "Red Mars" trilogy, and I found "The Martian Race" another strong extrapolation of potential future visits to our brother planet. The team of four sent to Mars - intelligently told through the eyes of the team biologist and the only female of the group - are there not from NASA, not from science, but from the most basic of societal drives: Corporate Sponsorship and Prize Money.

30 Billion to the first team to reach Mars, fulfill a series of scientific requirements, and return. The conflict of the story is multi-levelled: the arrival of a second team trying to beat the first to the prize, the "mere survival" conflict of four humans trying to survive on Mars, and then a further twist that I don't want to ruin by mentioning.

All in all, "The Martian Race" was an enjoyable reading experience, with enough "real science" to feel entirely plausible. The plot curves catch you unaware, but don't feel overly contrived, and the fantastical element that becomes the third conflict is wonderfully crafted.

The only real frustrations I had with the book were, as another reviewer mentioned, a rather weak ending, and a few occasions where I felt a few characters suddenly acted out of character for what we'd seen of them so far. Regardless, you won't be let down with "The Martian Race," especially if you enjoyed Robinson's "Mars" trilogy.

'Nathan

Opening new frontiers is always difficult and expensive, be it the race to find a new route to the Indies, locate the South Pole, fly solo from the U.S. to France, or perform manned exploration of Mars. The rewards cannot be measured ahead of time -- unless a monetary award goes to the first explorer to achieve predetermined goals. Gregory Benford, like many before him, realizes this and uses it extremely well in The Martian Race.

Mars is in reach and may well be our next frontier. There'll be hardships and loss of life, along with many astounding discoveries -- some of which may be as dramatic as those Dr. Benford presents and some may be even more fantastic. He presents the facts and extrapolates plausible possibilities while building characters with greater depth than is commonly portrayed in the latest sci-fi to hit the theaters. Bravo!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, the only fault I found was that the ending seemed rushed; but the end of a long race is always a hard push to the finish line.

After Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars), science fiction novels about Mars exploration became quite common; and, most of them were just that common and derivative and paled in comparison to Robinson's epic trilogy. But, finally there is a worthy successor with the release of Gregory Benford's The Martian Race.

The Martian Race is an exciting take on a near future where one more fatal accident in the space program has left NASA canceling its Mars Exploration program that was considered the front runner in claiming a $30 billion international prize for the first successful exploration mission to the red planet. But, the void left by NASA's exit is filled by an eccentric billionaire who leverages everything to to hire away NASA's best astronauts, buy up its hardware (including the return vehicle already parked on Mars, but exposed to the harsh Martian atmosphere), and launch a stripped down effort to make the launch window before it closes for two years.

Benford has divided up the storytelling in a way that sucks the reader into the excitement of the exploration effort, while using flashbacks to tell the story of how the scrappy effort succeeding launching and the trials and tribulations they faced in doing so, as well as the Chinese program that rose as competition in a fog of secrecy.

Told from the perspective of astronaut Julia Barth, this tale brings the reader along for the ride as the mission both discovers amazing things on Mars and suffers potentially fatal setbacks such as corrosion of the return vehicle that needs make-shift repairs so they can attempt to return home. Benford has modeled his mission after Robert Zubrin's Mars First plans and designs, a mission design that many find quite doable and a better approach than any effort now being considered.

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

In THE MARTIAN RACE, Gregory Benford has created what is probably going to be the most realistic portrayal of our first manned expedition to Mars. The inevitable comparisons to Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy and Ben Bova's Mars and it's sequel are bound to follow. What Benford brings to this already thoroughly explored genre is a fresh, realistic and very scientifically accurate adventure that should please fans of hard SF everywhere.

The title of the novel originally derives from a competiton that is set up with a 30 Billion dollar prize to the first expedition that can reach Mars, extract new scientific information, and return to Earth successfully. The expedition is funded by billionaire John Axelrod who stretches his finances to the limit in pursuit of the 30 billion dollar prize and is as tight with his purse strings as any corporate CEO would be.

There were a number of aspects to this novel that set it apart and made it better than previous Mars novels-the main one being the depth of Benford's characters. Each one has their private motivations for being part of the crew and the changes and accomodations they have to go through including overcoming their own personal shortcomings made this novel very realistic.

The other strength of this novel lies in the manner in which Benford deals with all the side effects of a Mars expedition-the politics,the fringe groups, the media exploitation, etc. This book does not gloss over or candy coat any of the problems or opposition a scientific effort of this magnitude is going to encounter. Several critics of this novel have complained about the pacing, but again I belive this just adds to the realism of this novel. The actual journey to Mars is going to be a tedious one and the scientific research is going to be painstaking and is detailed very accurately by Benford.

With enough suprises and twists and turns and very powerful descriptions of the Martian landscape this is a solid page turner and one of Benford's very best efforts to date. If you want to read how our first expedition to Mars is likely to happen-then pick up a copy of the Martian Race-you won't be disappointed

This is near-future, hard (no "warp drive", ESP, or even nanotech) SF. Benford doesn't really milk the tension of the race to return from Mars, which is probably a good thing. Instead he mixes that drama with character development, the story of exploring Mars, and trying to survive on Mars. All in all, it's a fairly well-paced book. It never really elevates itself to a gripping, "just one more chapter before I go to bed" level. But it never really drags either, so I never really found myself bored and wanting to put it down.