Return to Mars - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

Return to mars heart 2 heart

Return to Mars is a science fiction novel by Ben Bova. This novel is part of the Grand Tour series of novels. It was first published in 1999 and is a sequel to Ben Bova's novel Mars.

Plot summary

Navajo geologist Jamie Waterman returned to Earth as a hero, travelling the globe, giving speeches on Mars, and supporting a return voyage. Now six years later, Waterman gets to return to his beloved red planet, and to the mysterious dwelling in the Valles Marineris region. However, the second voyage has sponsorship not from governments, but from corporations, most notably from millionaire Daryl Trumball, whose son is sent on the mission to make his father proud... and money. Now, Jamie finds himself locked in a war between Trumball's wishes of exploiting the planet, his job as mission director, and his own desires to explore the cliff dwelling that could hold the key to discovering the planet's past inhabitants.

Characters

Jamie Waterman - main character of the "Mars" novels by Ben Bova; he drives the discovery of microbial life on Mars, as well as of a distant cliff dwelling. Waterman seems to have a connection to Mars, as connections between his Navajo beliefs and the Red Planet become entangled

Dex Trumball - son of millionaire Daryl Trumball, at first he is the antagonist; as his goal of making money for his father and Waterman's view on preserving Mars conflict

Vijay Shektar - an Australian-raised psychologist with Indian heritage; she falls in love with Waterman

Stacy Dezhurova

Possum/Wiley Craig

Tomas Rodriguez

Trudy Hall

Daryl C. Trumball - a heartless millionaire, whose only joy is to make money. He sponsors the second Mars mission after his son convinces him that he could make money off the expedition

Pete Connors - an astronaut on the first mission, and friend to Jamie

Reception

Publishers Weekly, in its 1999 review, wrote that Bova made the hard science aspects of this novel vivid and appealing. His characters were "less enchanting and the inclusion of a saboteur seems like overkill, since the environment he describes more than capable of destroying anyone for simple carelessness."

Publication history

1999, USA, EOS Harper Collins ISBN 978-0-380-97640-9, Pub Date 8 June 1999, Hardcover

1999, UK Hodder & Stoughton ISBN 978-0-340-70795-1, Pub Date 1999, Hardcover

1999, UK, New English Library ISBN 978-0-340-70796-8, Pub Date 18 Nov 1999, Paperback

2000, USA, EOS Harper Collins ISBN 978-0-380-79725-7, Pub Date 3 July 2000, Paperback

References

Return to Mars Wikipedia

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