Customer Reviews

In the Shadow of Ares (Amber's Mars)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

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.

A fun combination of science fiction adventure with some subtle political jabs mixed in. James and Carlsson have obviously done their homework incorporating into the story some technological advances that seem very possible in the not so distant future. Character development is a little slow at times but it all wraps itself up very well by the end of the book. An entertaining page turner that seems a good foundation to build a series on.

In the Shadow of Ares was a very engaging read. The authors' vision of a burgeoning Mar colony, including the technology required to sustain life and promote commerce, was extremely rich with scientific detail. It is not hard to picture yourself living as a high-tech frontiersman in the harshly beautiful, unforgiving environment.

I really appreciated that the authors chose the smart, savvy Amber Jacobsen to be the story's protagonist. So often science fiction stories revolve around young men coming into their own (think Dune, Ender's Game). These are fantastic reads, of course, but it is refreshing to have a strong female lead. I think the authors did a good job showing the kind of prejudice facing motivated young folks who are desperate to contribute yet are dismissed as helpless kids. How easily as adults we forget what we were capable of at that age. Amber is able to earn the respect of her fellow colonists and ultimately to solve the Ares mystery through perseverance, ingenuity and a dash of moxie, all within the believable (albeit exceptional) context of her teenage self.

That being said, I wish that the authors had put as much effort into presenting a balanced political view as they did into the scientific details. Right out of the gate it was exceedingly obvious that they wanted the reader to know that government = BAD and business = GOOD. I'm not arguing with the sentiment, I just would like to have seen to motivations of the MDA (i.e. bad guys) explored more deeply. It's my belief that on the whole people are motivated by good to do what they think is the best for themselves and their society. Presenting the battle between the colonists and the MDA as a contest of disparate philosophies would have been far more engaging (and believable) than simply "I'm an evil bureaucrat, give me your hard earned money".

Politics aside, I was drawn into this very believable world on Mars and it makes me excited to think that this vision of the future cannot be too far off. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next chapter.

This is a self published Kindle book (one of the authors, James, is a Lockheed Martin engineer). After a prolog in 2029, showing the disappearance of the Ares III mission, the book is set on 2051, as colonization of Mars has started. Amber Jacobsen is 14, and a minor celebrity as "the first kid on Mars". She would just like to be able to live on Earth and be a normal teenager.



After her family's homestead is destroyed by an accident, her mother finds a job at the independent settlement near Noctis Labyrinthus. Anxious to show her worth, Amber tries to be of use, but most of the colonists see her as a distraction, even a burden. As a way to prove her use to the colony (and Mars) she vows to find out what happened to the Ares III mission.



There's a lot of politics here, as the colonists are continually at odds with the Mars Development Authority (MDA) (the book is written with a heavy dose of free market economics) and Amber's investigations give the MDA a reason to try and take over the colony.



There's a mystery, with hints of some sort of conspiracy, and danger to Amber (in an almost "Nancy Drew" sort of way) which I found reasonably enjoyable. I did feel that some of the villains weren't well drawn (that is, their motives seem to come out of left field) and the MDA is almost a strawman opponent for the authors economic arguments (and that with me agreeing with the core of their libertarianism). The science is pretty good overall, and they've given some thought to how the settlements would be set up.



Overall, a retty good read, though I did have some problems with the formatting on my Kindle.

An imminently believable story of the colonization of Mars set in the near future. Politically reminiscent of "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand with its meddlesome big government vs. free market individualism. The sense of isolation, after all Mars is millions of miles from earth, is very well captured in the prose and could be favorably compared to Arthur C. Clarke's "2001 A Space Odyssey". It's also a mystery. Like Amber, the heroine, you don't know until nearly the end who the allies and enemies really are, which makes it a real Kindle clicker. James and Carlsson successfully targeted this story for the teenage audience. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. The politics, although I share the author's viewpoints, would be more effective, from my middle-aged perspective, if presented more subtly allowing readers to draw their own conclusions. How you would accomplish "subtlety" for a teen audience would be a challenge. Perhaps peppering the story with a little humor?! I could see "In the Shadow of Ares" being made into a film and having a much wider audience, not just teens. I, too, would like to read a sequel as Amber grows up on Mars. In the Shadow of Ares (Amber's Mars)

Knowing the caliber of the authors of In the Shadow of Ares, I was almost intimidated to begin reading this book, despite my own engineering background. However, the authors do a masterful job of weaving technical details into the story without detracting from the plot and the issues at hand. They create a totally believable future scenario where, in around 40 years' time, humans have colonized Mars and somehow managed to eke out a living from the stark, inhospitable conditions wholly unsuitable for human life.

The story of Amber and her teenaged curiosity is also sympathetic. Many young adults will recognize the headstrong, stubborn will to get to the bottom of the mysteries she uncovers as the book goes on. While others may find the free market lessons contained throughout the book as being somewhat obvious or blunt, we should all remember that today's youth is often groomed, whether intentionally or not, to accept that government interference with all manner of human affairs is not only acceptable, but desirable. Amber and her family's allies show that this is not the case, and do so in a common-sense way that will be thought-provoking for all readers.

The authors manage to avoid the traps into which some other great free-market writers have fallen by wrapping up these ideas in a fast-paced science fiction story that never becomes secondary to the economic lessons. They also provide an exciting glimpse into what can happen in the future. Pending technology, they show ways that humans can potentially reach out to other planets and do so successfully. Space exploration has always captured the human imagination, and the possibilities presented here are actually quite mind-boggling. I thoroughly enjoyed reading In the Shadow of Ares, and highly recommend it.

I reject the digital book regardless of the platform by which it is delivered.
Actually, that should be said in the past tense, "I rejected", until In The Shadow of Ares was released.

The digital platform was my only option and this particular story turned out to be more than worthy of being my first digitally delivered book.
I had been a Science Fiction and Fantasy fan for as long as I can remember. However, in the past decade I stopped reading all new Science fiction, all new Fantasy, because it had all become too familiar and too predictable.

I decided to purchase In The Shadow of Ares because I have read Co-author Thomas L. James writings on other topics and because the description of this story did not sound typical.

One of the issues I had with science fiction and which caused me to stop reading it was that every book by every author, seemed to be various versions of the same story. Nothing seemed fresh, new, or original.

I was not disappointed with In The Shadow of Ares, it delivered a well written, fresh and new story.

I'll give nothing of the story away in my review. I will tell you that you will enjoy the main character (and first born Martian), Amber, thoroughly. You will find the story very vivid in its descriptions of the Martian world, the technology and the people, without making the mistakes of being overly and boringly detailed.

The inclusion of the Mars Development Authority is likely one of my favorite concepts within the story. There is a lesson for those of us here on this planet when it comes to the Mars Development Authority.

After the first half hour of reading I know this would not be a book that I read once and then tossed aside (or in this case, delete) never to be picked up again.

I will be re-reading at some time in the future.

In the end this book made me warm up (a little) to the idea of a digitally delivered book and made me realize that it is perhaps time I gave new science fiction another chance.
In the Shadow of Ares (Amber's Mars)

As a book targeted toward younger audiences, In the Shadow of Ares was a breath of fresh air. Unlike the teenage fluff that's saturating the bookshelves these days, this book is intelligent, well thought out and entertaining. Perhaps a more challenging read than what most young readers are used to but, then again, that's what books should do. Challenge. I may not have known all the technical terms used in the book but by simply looking those terms up, I walked away from this book having actually learned some things. Now I can hold my head up high and ask, "Do you know what an ultracapacitor battery is? No? Well, I do."

This is the first book in a long time that made me want to keep reading chapter after chapter. I was so absorbed in the story that I stayed up until an ungodly hour finishing it, because setting the book down for the night was, to me, completely unacceptable. After completing the book, I couldn't help but want to read more adventures involving the book's protagonist, Amber Jacobsen. She's adventurous and incredibly bright and that makes her a much better alternative and role model for younger girls than what some popular authors offer teenage readers these days.

The authors, T.L. James and Carl Carlsson, most certainly succeeded in grabbing my interest and reinforcing my love of science, technology and space exploration with this book. The hard work, expertise and dedication that went into writing such a brilliant story shows in the amount of details they provided. Visuals of the Martian landscape were so nicely done it was as if Bob Ross marched down from Heaven and painted them himself.

It's exciting for both young and older readers, for newbies to science fiction and to those who have loved SciFi all their lives. It is my only hope that the authors continue writing and provide us entertainment for years to come.