Martian Race: Amazon.ca: Books

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L'avis des consommateurs

37 �valuations

5 �toiles:		(14)
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4.1�toiles sur 5 (37 �valuations de client)

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Commentaires client les plus utiles

4.0�toiles sur 5 Racing to Mars with a great deal of verve..., Ao� 24 2002

Par	Jonathan Burgoine "bookseller" (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - Voir tous mes commentaires (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Martian Race (Mass Market Paperback)

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

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3.0�toiles sur 5 Mildly interesting science fiction, Mai 26 2002

Par	triskaidekaphilia (Austin, TX) - Voir tous mes commentaires

This review is from: The Martian Race (Mass Market Paperback)

Not great, not bad. The characters are mildly sympathetic and the story is mildly interesting, but nothing about the book is particularly affecting. I'd recommend it to someone who had read the genre extensively and was looking for a slightly different take on near-term space exploration. I did find the inclusion of real-life persons as characters somewhat fawning, but nowhere near as bad as Niven's Fallen Angels.

A note on the workmanship of the book itself: The edition I purchased was from Warner Books (Aspect), and fairly new (no more than a year old, I'd estimate). The binding was so poorly done that the cover fell off before I was halfway through the book, and the pages themselves separated from the main body as they were read. While I fully expect paperbacks to be of lesser quality than hardcover editions, I expect them to at least make it through the initial reading. I will certainly think twice before buying another Warner Book.

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1.0�toiles sur 5 Binding Falls Apart, Avril 17 2002

Par	L. Kelly (Chelmsford, MA USA) - Voir tous mes commentaires (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Martian Race (Mass Market Paperback)

An excellent story ruined by the WORST binding effort I have ever seen. The book literally fell to pieces in my hand after only a few pages. I guess it says something about the story that I even bothered to fight to the end of it. No chance of a re-read. Unless you're willing to deal with loose 25 page sections, I would just look for a copy at the library. It will not survive to become part of your collection.

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Commentaires client les plus r�cents

5.0�toiles sur 5 loved it
great book, i loved benfords writing style and the overall structure of the book (the first half switches back and forth from the mission on mars back to the planning of the... Read more

Publi� le Mars 14 2002 par spender

5.0�toiles sur 5 Hard Sci-Fi.
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). Read more

Publi� le Mars 13 2002 par Emil L. Posey

3.0�toiles sur 5 Good science, so-so story
Benford clearly knows his stuff. The mission practicalities and planning; the effects of low-G; setting up hab modules, and the exploration of an alien world are all described in... Read more

Publi� le Mars 1 2002 par Cartimand

4.0�toiles sur 5 I would have gave it a 5 but the ending is a little weak
This is a great book overall. He does a great job of sucking you into the story and keeping you there. Read more

Publi� le Janv. 20 2002 par Hugh Watkins