“Bova re-creates for us much of that first excitement we felt in reading about the possibilities of space flight or, later, witnessing the earliest manned exploration.”

“An intelligent, entertaining story that may also serve as a rallying cry.”

“A sweeping, Michener-style saga of the first expedition to our neighboring planet…[T]he ultimate summer escape.”

“An exemplary summer read…adventurous, brilliant, over-the-edge characters…a carefully imagined, striking, and spooky portrait of the planet.”

“Bova’s 1992 novel follows Jamie Waterman—a Navaho geologist—on the first manned mission to Mars. The multinational expedition is wrought with political and personal strife, as well as a mysterious illness that strikes the entire land crew and nearly brings the project to a halt. The earnestness and longing of the lead character comes through in Stefan Rudnicki’s voice as he narrates the story of Waterman’s dogged search for signs of life on the Red Planet. Whether or not there’s life beneath the frozen surface of Mars, Rudnicki’s spellbinding baritone brings all the members of the international crew to life, providing believable accents for Russian, Brazilian, English, Japanese, and Israeli members of the landing team.”

“A bulging, impressive, all-you-ever-wanted-to-know, you-are-there Martian odyssey.”

“Bova has done extensive research and his descriptions of Mars and the conditions under which the study is conducted are very plausible. All in all, a satisfying story.”