A A Step Beyond (Paperback)

~ Christopher K Anderson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you're looking for realistic, high-tech science fiction, you've found it... Anderson really knows his stuff, and it shows." -- Geoffrey A. Landis, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Mars Crossing

Product Description

2021. Four years after the first manned mission to Mars ends in tragic failure, a joint U.S.-Russian mission blasts off in two ships, each crew equally determined to set foot upon the inhospitable Red Planet.

The commander of the Liberty, Colonel Tom Nelson, struggles to hold his crew together as tensions rise during the long voyage...tensions made worse when an accident puts the entire mission at risk. Meanwhile, aboard the Druzhba, Commander Dmitri Komarov faces tensions of a different sort as he finds himself powerfully drawn to the beautiful technician Tatiana Pavlova, wife of the ship's pilot, Vladimir.

The dangers both crews must face are many, from mechanical failures to the natural hazards of solar flares. Waiting for them on Mars, at the chosen landing sites of Valles Marineris, a chasm nine times the size of the Grand Canyon, and Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, are dangers greater still, dangers both known and unknown. But something else is waiting as well...

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075955031X
• ISBN-13: 978-0759550315
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,389,025 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real People - Real Problems, October 30, 2002

By	Gil Paul "[e-mail]" (Edison, nj United States) - See all my reviews

A great read that gives the reader some idea of how complicated space travel is with out making us feel dumb in the process. I used to fantasize about being an astronaut on a journey to Mars. I have had to revise my fantasy since reading this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Gripping High-Tech Drama from a Newcomer, February 25, 2002

By	John C. Snider (Roswell (GA, not NM)) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Freshman novelist C. K. Anderson has delivered a gripping high-tech drama cast with believable, imperfect characters. Anderson's mastery of the technology of space travel and the Martian environment is remarkable - but he stops just short of delivering too much scientific detail. As a first novel from a previously unpublished author, A Step Beyond has a few minor rough edges, and it's a fairly orthodox Martian adventure - but it's a very well-done Martian adventure and an impressive effort overall. It holds up well in comparison to similar near-future adventures like Ben Bova's Mars and Geoffrey A. Landis's Mars Crossing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Science Reality, January 16, 2002

By	Kenneth M. Lampe (ANNANDALE, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Science-Fiction was low in my reading order because of the "made-up" events and "magical" solutions. A Step Beyond smacks you in the face with reality. The excitement of exploration and the resolve of the human spirit is highlighted by the fact that this could "really" happen. Well-written, full of human questions and exciting situations.