Mars by Ben Bova (Audiobook Review)

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Title: Mars
Series: Grand Tour
Author: Ben Bova
Narrator: Stefan Rudnicki
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Duration: 18 hours, 55 minutes
Copyright: 2008
Genres: science fiction
Filed in: Audiobook Reviews
Review copy provided by Blackstone Audio.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: This grand epic adventure from six-time Hugo Award - winning author Ben Bova tells the irresistible story of man's first mission to that great unconquered frontier, Mars. Technically plausible and compellingly human, Bova's story explores the political, scientific, and social repercussions of our greatest quest yet: the search for evidence of life beyond Earth's boundaries.
Half-Navajo geologist Jamie Waterman has been selected for the ground team of the first manned expedition to our mysterious neighbor planet. Joining an international team of astronauts and scientists, he endures the rigors of training, the dangers of traveling an incredible distance in space, the challenges of an alien landscape, and the personal and political conflicts that arise when the team must face the most shocking discovery of all.
©1992 Ben Bova; (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

MY TAKE ON IT: Choosing a Native American as the main character for “Mars” was pretty clever. “A red man going to the red planet,” as Jamie is often teased. Seriously though, this presents an interesting conundrum. Brought up in a modern world, Jamie has spent most of his life trying to reconcile his two halves: the red, and the white. Now his search is literally taking him to another world, to the red planet itself.
When Jamie first steps onto the surface of “Mars”, he almost feels like he has come home. The barren red landscape, ragged cliffs, and empty waterways remind him of his native home in New Mexico. Jamie is disheartened, however, to see that the same old prejudices and political bureaucracies apply, even a hundred million kilometers from Earth. Through the devastating tragedies, and extraordinary discoveries, the group experiences on Mars, Jamie will finally discover who he really is.
Jamie Waterman is a strong and well-developed character, and I had no trouble at all getting behind him on his quest. I particularly liked how Ben Bova mirrors the split in Jamie, red and white, with a split between Mars and Earth, red and blue. One side of each split seems frozen in the past, while the other strides for the future. It creates a sort of balance and harmony in the story.
“Mars” is part of Ben Bova’s Grand Tour series which explores most of our solar system’s planets, as well as a few moons and the asteroid belt. The nice thing about the series, is that you don’t necessarily have to read them in any particular order. If you’re obsessive compulsive and you absolutely must know what order to read them in, Ben Bova’s website has a suggested reading list, and Wikipedia also has a good article on the series. Ben Bova’s story of Mars encompasses three novels, “Mars”, “Return to Mars”, and “Mars Life.” These should, of course, be read in order.

NARRATOR: I like Stefan Rudnicki a lot as an audiobook narrator. I became familiar with his reading when I listened to Orson Scott Card’s Ender series, and was pleased to hear his deep, rich voice once again. I heard someone describe his voice as gravelly, but I’m not sure I agree with that. “Mars” has characters of many different nationalities, and I think Rudnicki handles them reasonably well. His accents for the Russian, British, French, German, and Australian scientists were convincing enough for me.
Stefan Rudnicki has been involved in more than a thousand audiobooks as narrator, writer, producer, or director, and was voted 2008’s best voice in science fiction and fantasy.

FINAL WORD: I first read “Mars” more than fifteen years ago and it has remained one of my very favorite science fiction novels. There’s something about the planet Mars that captivates me. In the years hence, Ben Bova has become my favorite science fiction author, largely due to his Grand Tour series.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
Return To Mars by Ben Bova (Audiobook Review)
Mars Life by Ben Bova (Audiobook Review)
Empire Builders by Ben Bova (Audiobook Review)

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If you like this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get “Mars” by Ben Bova (Unabridged Audiobook) from Blackstone Audio.

This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
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