Mars Underground

It's 2030 in Mars City. Crusty old scientist Alwyn Stafford is out on a solo Mars-buggy trip in Hellespontus. Now he's overdue, and his young protege "Carter Jahns" (nudge, ) is leading the search. Annie Pohaku, a reporter newly-arrived from Earth, tags along.Stafford isn't found before his air runs out, and is presumed dead. Carter finds the abandoned buggy. Oddly, it had been deliberately hidden. The director of Hellas Station is uncooperative. Carter heads to the University of Phobos to study satellite imagery for clues to the fate of his friend. He finds interesting IR imagery; overnite, the imagery is lost due to "computer error". Annie has followed. They become lovers, and plot the next move in an increasingly-murky mystery...Hmmph. I've never much cared for plot-outline book reviews, but how else do you start one?Astronomer and planetary scientist Hartmann makes an impressive fiction debut in "Mars Underground". The areology and extrapolation are impeccable, as one might expect. Less-expected, but equally welcome, are fully-formed characters - people you come to care about - set in a well-paced story with intriguing plot twists and a satisfying resolution. Bravo!I've read and enjoyed a number of Dr. Hartmann's nonfiction books and papers over the years. An endnote says his novel took 8 years to write. I hope we don't have to wait that long for his next.For bookstore blurb-browsers: Tor has assembled an impressive collection, ranging from Clarke, Benford & Bear to Tony Hillerman. They're all fair and accurate, IMO. Nice cover art, too.Happy reading!Pete Tillman

It's a pity so many people can't see the qualities of this this book. I thought it was a very good read - especially for a debut!! What I especially liked was that it focused on the characters AND on the the very vivid descriptions of Mars. You have lotsa writers, including geniuses like Asimov and Clarke, who tend to focus too much on the technology or the concept (new aliens/ alien worlds, new science, whatever), but only manage to create one or two-dimensional characters. Hartmann's characters aren't too 'deep' either, but he has definitely made them much 'deeper' - and *described* them much better than many of his more esteemed colleagues. And that makes the characters come alive in a very intense way. And it makes the whole book come alive, because the thoughts and doings of the characters are intimately connected to the experience of a lonely, and secretive - but also beautiful - Mars, which Hartmann conveys to the reader with so much vividness that it really feels like you're there! Hartmann expertly describes moods and settings, his language is rich and varied - each sentence filled with metaphors and imagery. Only very few times does he fail to maintain this level of writing. The plot drags sometimes, true, and the you may or may not like the ending, but such things can be forgiven for a debutant. (Besides: I thought it was rather gutsy not to give anything away about the aliens. It also emphasizes that this is not a plot-driven, but rather a character and 'mood-driven' story which I am sure is quite intentional.) Bill Hartmann has very much potential as a new and different writer, and I definitely look forward to future novels. If you long for more contemplative characters in today's scifi (and like the 'melancholic touch' this book has), I think you are in for a very good experience.

Astronomer and planetary scientist Hartmann makes an impressive fiction debut in "Mars Underground". The areology and extrapolation are impeccable, as one might expect. Less-expected, but equally welcome, are fully-formed characters - people you come to care about - set in a well-paced story with intriguing plot twists and a satisfying resolution. Bravo!

This novel could have been -- should have been -- half or a third as long. It's an interesting and at times fascinating portrait of life on Mars in the near future, but the love story is ridiculous and pointless, and the red herring aspect of the old scientist's disappearance is incredibly annoying. This book really needed some serious pruning, better focus, and a real plot that goes somewhere.

William Hartmann's books on Astronomy have been a source of great inspiration and education; this novel does the same while adding good solid entertainment. Hartmann continues in the "plausible extrapolation" mode of SF and includes enough mystery, conspiracy and excellent characterizations to keep the reader entertained. With all the interest in Mars that has been generated by the success of the Sojourner/Pathfinder mission, this novel provides a good fix for those who like to get their science education within the bounds of an imaginative look into the mid twenty first century. The story takes it's time in meticulously building plot, characters and setting -- then leads you on a grand adventure. Highly recommended