Offworld [Paperback]

Robin Parrish (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2009

The return of NASA's first manned mission to Mars was supposed to be a momentous day. But when the crew loses touch with ground control before entry, things look bleak. Safe after a treacherous landing, the crew emerges to discover the unthinkable--every man, woman, child, and animal has vanished without a trace. Alone now on their home planet, the crew sets out to discover where everyone has gone--and how to get them back--only to discover they may not be as alone as they thought.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Author Robin Parrish has quite a flair for action, and readers will find Offworld to be both sharp and thoughtful. An urgent tone and a number of combat scenes move the story along nicely.... I immensely enjoyed the mystery unfolding--especially with regard to the character Mae, who I spent the entire book trying to fathom. I also really appreciated the idea that the astronauts earn their stripes and prove themselves more than worthy of their titles. With NASA recently making headlines for the Mars exploration program, the release of this science fiction thriller comes at an exciting time." --Melanie Smith, FaithfulReader.com

From the Back Cover

""Every Person on This Planet Has Disappeared." Commander Christopher Burke and his crew are humanity's greatest explorers. They've finished their mission on the red dirt of Mars and now they just want to get back to Earth. To see friends, family, and loved ones. To be home. But even with communication to ground control cut and a perilous landing, nothing could prepare the crew for what they discover when they step foot back on planet Earth. Everyone...everywhere...is gone. It's not a dream. It's not a trick. Now Burke and his team have one mission:find out who or what is behind the disappearance of all mankind.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House; 1 edition (July 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764206060
• ISBN-13: 978-0764206061
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #787,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"Robin Parrish is a keen-eyed, passionate pop cultural savant, whose writing is as incisive and insightful as it is entertaining."
- Allan Heinberg, Executive Producer, Grey's Anatomy

Robin Parrish wants to take you on a ride.

A wild ride -- which is exactly what you're in for when you pick up one of his books. And he's adamant that it will never be the same kind of experience twice.

Robin's stories mix, mingle, and meld various genres together to create thoroughly original suspense/thrillers. His Dominion Trilogy, for example, mashed up superhero action, secret societies, ancient myths, and an apocalyptic setting to create an entirely new take on the classic "hero's journey." Offworld mixed science fiction and an end-of-the-world scenario with high-octane action. Nightmare, his 2010 novel, is a spine-tingling examination of the world of the paranormal, paired with can't-put-it-down mystery. He describes his 2011 novel, Vigilante, as a story about a man who sets out to do something that no one has ever done before.

Always pushing the envelope, ever on the edge of where modern storytelling is going, Robin Parrish will gladly and unapologetically tell you that he's an entertainer, a weaver of stories that ignite the mind and delight the heart. Defying labels and refusing pigeonholes, his imagination is fueled by the possibilities of asking "What if...?", and as anyone who's read his work knows, he has a very big imagination. Readers will be happy to know that he has an endless supply of wild stories with enormous scope, that are still yet to come.

As a journalist, Robin has worked for About.com, CMCentral.com (RIP), INFUZEmag.com (also RIP), PopCultureGeek.com, b5media, SplashPress Media, and many more. His writing has been printed in numerous magazines and newspapers.

His influences as a novelist range from television and film storytellers like Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams, to masters of the modern myth like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Akin to Philip K. Dick's search for the meaning of identity, most of what Robin writes about boils down to his own ponderings and examinations of just what this thing we call "existence" really is.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A trip worth taking, July 20, 2009

By 

Mimi "Mimi" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Offworld (Paperback)

Two years into a mission to Mars, and some 60-days before their scheduled return to Earth, the crew on Ares loses contact with Houston. After a near fatal landing, the four member team steps out of the shuttle to find there is no one on Earth. No one-including animals-have inhabited Earth since the very day Ares lost contact with ground control.

What should be a celebration turns into a pulse quickening adventure as they try to find the source of the disappearances. Chris, the Commander of the mission remains in charge as he leads Terry, the youngest and most dramatic astronaut, Owen, the smartest and most level-headed of the bunch, and Trisha, the only woman who is the fiesty mother hen on board. They encounter Mae-a homeless teenager-who appears to be the only one left on Earth. And what's up with the flash backs Chris keeps having related to a blackout he encountered during their mission on Mars? What of the hovering black hole the crew sees periodically that temporarily transports them to odd places? What about the fact that they all harbor secrets? The answers prove to be far more complex than the questions.

Don't be lulled when the pace slows for a page or two. That is when the action takes off like a rock catapulted from a sling shot and you will be back to chewing your nails and reading at break neck speed. I have never been a fan of Sci-Fi. The storylines are typically unbelievable-eye rolling drama at best. OffWorld has single handedly piqued my interest in Christian Sci-Fi as it could never fall into the same category as its predecessors. Believable action with a backdrop of non-stop suspense, you will understand why I state that OffWorld does for novels what The Fugitive did for the silver screen.

The biggest surprise being that I was spellbound and in tears as the pages dwindled down. There are no outright conversations about Christianity but the implied twist of circumstances leaves the reader knowing beyond a shadow of doubt what Parrish wants you to know. And what that is......will leave you contemplating long after you close the cover. A book like this doesn't cross your path often.

OffWorld is a journey for everyone. Spiritual insights can be subtle yet strong. And when you get it, you will be left with a sense that the pieces fit together in an almost poetic fashion. As for Parrish, well, I'll have to admit to really liking the guy. Between the tone of his acknowledgements, his unique writing style and imagination, he presents his work as a modern Steven Spielberg.


Cliché? No. OffWorld really does keep you on the edge of your seat and well worth your time. Although don't be surprised if once you've read the first page, life goes on hold until you close the back cover.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner From Parrish!, June 29, 2009

By 

MasterAP (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Offworld (Paperback)

Robin Parrish has created another masterpiece with Offworld.

As the product description says, what do you do when you return from Mars and discover everyone is missing?

Is it The Rapture? Alien abductions? Is it all a dream?

Parrish's love of TV's LOST comes out in this novel. Not because the show is referenced by name but because there's a big question (Where is everyone?) that must be resolved and there are the characters who each have their own history which are revealed chapter-by-chapter.

Robin Parrish takes you on the hair-turning ride from the first sentence. You can't put the book down because you just have to find the answers - where in (or out of) the world did society vanish to, and what seems to be following the four surviving astronauts?

Questions abound until about halfway through. And even when you get the answers, you desperately turn the pages to find out how everything will resolve...maybe it won't.

Great book. 4 out of 5 stars!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Offworld is Out of this World!, August 5, 2009

By 

Heather www.heathersthoughtspot.blogspot.com (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Offworld (Paperback)

Robin Parrish constructs a believable sci-fi adventure in his new book Offworld. Strap yourself in along with the crew of the Ares, the first astronauts to go to the planet Mars and return to Earth in the year 2033. But hang on tight as all communication with Houston is suddenly and inexplicably lost and the crew barely manages a crash landing at the Kennedy Space Center.

After that ordeal, Commander Chris Burke and his squad are badly shaken. But mangled space craft and exhausted bodies turn out to be mere hang nails as they begin to uncover why they had lost communication with Ground Control in the first place. Seems there no longer is a Ground Control. In fact, there isn't any sort of any body left on the planet! All life forms have vanished; gone without a trace. Video feed from security cameras confirm that one moment everyone is going about business as usual, and the next they have absolutely disappeared.

The only inkling of hope is that there may be an answer waiting for them in Houston, where a bright radiating light gleams on satellite maps. Thus begins a heart pounding, wide-eyed trip, more dangerous than anything outer space can dish up! I could barely catch my breath as one disaster after another overtakes this bedraggled yet very brave crew of four (plus one...I won't divulge more than that).

Mr. Parrish plows this tale through in a very straightforward manner, not needing layers from different angles of stratagem to pull it off; although there are occasional flashbacks that happen in real time. No doubt it would make a wild movie with some fantastic special effects... I had no problem seeing it as such in my minds eye. The characters are believable and heroic, causing you to care about them and cheer them on. Even the chapter names, names such as "The Smoke and Stir of this Dim Spot", and "The Equivocation of the Fiend" poetically and intriguingly urge the reader to keep turning pages.

Though not overtly Christian in substance, the plot just screams that something bigger is at stake and Someone else is ultimately in control. In the end, the Christian worldview is clarified and the reader is given resounding and thought provoking ideas to ponder. Though most of the circumstances encountered are in no way realistic (at least not in such a non-stop, let-me-come-up-for-air sequence), remember, this is science fiction and in that realm, just about anything can and does happen. You'll just be really thankful that it happens to these poor, fictional souls and not your own!