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In the Shadow of Ares (Amber's Mars)
 
 

In the Shadow of Ares (Amber's Mars) [Kindle Edition]

Thomas L. James , Carl C. Carlsson
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Product Description

The third exploration mission to Mars vanishes in 2029 without a trace. Two decades later, the success of human settlement of Mars and the life of a young girl hinge on the secret of what happened to the Ares III mission...

In 2051, Mars is a growing outpost of humanity, and 14-year-old settler Amber Jacobsen is a minor interplanetary celebrity – 'the First Kid on Mars'. Pioneering Mars is hard, unglamorous work, though, and Amber secretly wishes she were just an ordinary girl living on Earth.

When her family’s homestead is destroyed in an apparent accident, the Jacobsens relocate to an independent settlement located on the northern fringes of Noctis Labyrinthus, a vast and largely unexplored canyonland. Their new home promises new opportunities, and Amber looks forward to being just another member of the community. Instead, the other settlers dismiss her as a burdensome child and refuse to accept her as the responsible young adult she has become.

In order to prove the value of her unique knowledge and perspective, Amber vows to uncover the fate of the Ares III mission, whose loss had largely been forgotten in the rush of the Martian settlement boom. But this seemingly harmless challenge thrusts her into a deadly conflict: those who know the truth will kill to keep it hidden, while those who destroyed her family’s homestead would use the secret to secure their dominance over all of Mars.

In solving the mystery, Amber could destroy everything the Martian settlers have worked to create.

Product Details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 590 KB
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B004FV4YUM
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Lending: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,200 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Action & Adventure Seasoned with a Dash of Free Market Economics, January 28, 2011
This review is from: In the Shadow of Ares (Amber's Mars) (Kindle Edition)
In the Shadow of Ares was a fun read. It's solid SciFi with a twist of mystery. The vivid technical details in the novel are no surprise since the authors are engineers who work in the space industry. That being said, not once did I feel they were droning on about boring technical details; they struck a nice balance between the engineering challenges of life on Mars and the emotional hardships of living on the Red Planet. While adults will enjoy the book, there are also good lessons for young adults. Specifically, young adults will benefit from the graphic contrast between free market economies that excel and centrally-planned socialistic economies that are destined for failure.

The characters were drawn quite well and while the main character, Amber, is a 14 year-old girl, I found it easy to sympathize with her frustration as the only kid on Mars trying to prove her worth to adults who dismiss her as a child. The Mars Development Authority (MDA) was written so well that you can't help but hate the useless, arrogant bureaucrats as they meddle in the lives of the producing colonists who are trying to make Mars a self-sustainable planet. (It was a nice touch that one of head bureaucrats had a hand in buggering up the EU back on Earth before being shipped to Mars.) And speaking of the MDA, I also found the contrast between the references of the earlier free market lunar colonization and the current attempts at centrally planning colonization on Mars to be entertaining.

While the ending wrapped up the main mystery of the story, there were some loose ends just teasing of a sequel. I'd like to see the authors continue the story in a second book, so we can watch Amber continue to grow up and to see how the colonies overcome some of the challenges of creating a self-sufficient Mars despite the overreaching MDA bureaucracy.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Hard SciFi with Charm, December 21, 2010
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This review is from: In the Shadow of Ares (Amber's Mars) (Kindle Edition)
I have been fascinated with Mars as the next frontier since reading Robert Zubrin. "In the Shadow of Ares" lets us imagine actually living on the red planet. This novel is driven by its strongly drawn and charming characters. The science of the book is extrapolated from real-world technology -- both of the book's authors are engineers and one works in the space industry -- yet the story revolves around the interactions of characters and avoids bogging down in technical detail (as sometimes happens with hard science fiction). It's refreshing to read a compelling story that does not require a suspension of disbelief.

While the novel is aimed at younger readers -- the main character Amber Jacobsen is fourteen -- it should appeal to all science fiction fans. Amber is the first true Martian -- the first person born on that planet. She is spirited, independent minded, and comfortable with science and technology, as any successful frontier settler must be. When Amber's family must move from their homestead to a larger settlement, Amber has trouble convincing the locals that she's competent to pull her weight. She decides to work on solving a mystery -- the disappearance of the crew and ship of an earlier mission -- and she thereby unwittingly enters the into the conflict between the independent settlers and the control-seeking bureaucrats.

Only in one segment did I feel the level of technical detail (about collating geological data) started to slow the story. And, while I loved Amber and her parents as characters, not all of the villains were drawn out as compellingly (though the portrayal of the bureaucrats is quite vivid and convincing). On the whole I loved this novel.

I should note here that I've known one of the authors, Thomas James, for for a couple of years, and I contribute (without compensation) to a political web page he helps to run (PeoplesPressCollective.org). -- Ari Armstrong
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Mars, Liberty and Action, January 16, 2011
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This review is from: In the Shadow of Ares (Amber's Mars) (Kindle Edition)
I've enjoyed reading this interesting book on my iPhone and on a Kindle. I thought I would have preferred a paper version, but the writing draws you in and you don't care what you are reading it on.

Although the story follows a 14 year old, it is a book that's enjoyable for adults. I particularly relished the descriptions of Mars and how the humans live there. It seems realistic and not too far from today's technology. The book also exposes you to the natural human motivations that lead to the ugliness of government bureaucracies. And then there is a bit of action.

The author's vivid descriptions only heighten the suspense for the various action sequences. You are there as he paints the terrain, weather and equipment. No need to go to the movie when it comes out - you've already seen it.

The topics are engaging. But it is the writing of this book that will keep you up past your bedtime. You may want to read it all in one sitting, but I suggest you savor it over several days.
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