Jamie Waterman discovered the cliff dwelling on Mars, and the fact that an intelligent race lived on the red planet sixty-five million years ago, only to be driven into extinction by the crash of a giant meteor. Now the exploration of Mars is itself under threat of extinction, as the ultraconservative New Morality movement gains control of the U.S. government and cuts off all funding for the Mars program.
Meanwhile, Carter Carleton, an anthropologist who was driven from his university post by unproven charges of rape, has started to dig up the remains of a Martian village. Science and politics clash on two worlds as Jamie desperately tries to save the Mars program and uncover who the vanished Martians were.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Bova’s Grand Tour future histories continue to constitute one of the more absorbing and intelligent contemporary sf sagas. Here two scientists add up fossil evidence to conclude that Mars once supported intelligent life and that Martians colonized Earth—conclusions that run them into the religious buzz saw of New Morality conservatives. The tension and suspense of that confrontation make a well-done if somewhat didactic thriller out of much of the book. Readers at peace with the hard-sf community’s views on religious influences will be unperturbed, and surely not just they will enjoy this exceptionally intelligent and absorbing story. --Roland Green
Description:
Jamie Waterman discovered the cliff dwelling on Mars, and the fact that an intelligent race lived on the red planet sixty-five million years ago, only to be driven into extinction by the crash of a giant meteor. Now the exploration of Mars is itself under threat of extinction, as the ultraconservative New Morality movement gains control of the U.S. government and cuts off all funding for the Mars program.
Meanwhile, Carter Carleton, an anthropologist who was driven from his university post by unproven charges of rape, has started to dig up the remains of a Martian village. Science and politics clash on two worlds as Jamie desperately tries to save the Mars program and uncover who the vanished Martians were.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
**
From Publishers Weekly
Multiple Hugo–winner Bova pens a gripping and convincing conclusion to the story begun in Mars (1992) and Return to Mars (1999). Jamie Waterman, who discovered cliff dwellings during his first trip to Mars, is struggling to acquire funding for continued research on the long-dead Martians, but his efforts are severely compromised by the increasing influence of religious fundamentalists. Their rise coincides with a global environmental crisis, giving the U.S. government another rationale for shifting resources away from Waterman's work. Even the discovery of a Martian fossil can't ensure the project's viability, and Waterman and his wife return to the red planet in a last-ditch effort to keep the exploration going. Bova deftly captures the excitement of scientific discovery and planetary exploration. This compelling story, balancing action and plausible political intrigue, will easily be enjoyed by both fans and newcomers. (Aug.)
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From Booklist
Bova’s Grand Tour future histories continue to constitute one of the more absorbing and intelligent contemporary sf sagas. Here two scientists add up fossil evidence to conclude that Mars once supported intelligent life and that Martians colonized Earth—conclusions that run them into the religious buzz saw of New Morality conservatives. The tension and suspense of that confrontation make a well-done if somewhat didactic thriller out of much of the book. Readers at peace with the hard-sf community’s views on religious influences will be unperturbed, and surely not just they will enjoy this exceptionally intelligent and absorbing story. --Roland Green