Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, Book #1 of The Mars Trilogy
Introduction
Red Mars begins as the story of the first hundred people who make a permanent home on Mars. Among the first hundred is the first man who had set foot on Mars on an earlier mission, John Boone, the leader of the American group, Frank Chalmers, the leader of the Russian group, Maya Toitavna, the leading engineer Nadia Chernyshevski, the leader of the outpost made on the moon of Phobos, Arkady Bogdanov, a physicist and a proponent of immediately terraforming Mars, Sax Russell, a geologist and a proponent of leaving Mars in its original state, Ann Clayborne, and the leader of the farm team, Ai Hiroko. They face the challenges and dangers of Mars and of themselves to begin to transform the face of Mars so it can be inhabited for generations to come.
Summary
The first hundred come to Mars on the spaceship Ares after a long journey. They settle in a group of bunkers which they called Underhill. The beginning of the novel focuses on a love triangle between Maya, John, and Frank. Ann’s position is referred to as the Red position and Sax’s position is referred to as the Green position. The United Nations Organization Mars Authority (UNOMA) holds the final decision and favors exploiting the raw materials found on Mars to the benefit of the people of Earth.
Many outposts are built with the direction of Nadia and a mass emigration is enacted. A space elevator is constructed, the water at the north pole is mined, an ice meteorite is broken up in the Martian atmosphere, and large holes called moholes are drilled into the surface of Mars. Not everyone is happy with the current conditions and this leads to revolution.
Recommendation
The world-building in this trilogy is impressive. It details a rational and likely method for the terraforming of Mars. The author writes a wonderful description and creates interesting characters. The only problem that I have with the novel is that the author relies heavily on the narrative summary. While the technique of narrative summary can help tell a story that takes place over many years, it limits the connection the reader feels with the characters. The story continues in Green Mars and concludes in Blue Mars. Another book of short fiction contained within the Trilogy’s timeframe was also released and called The Martians.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson.
Hope and Red by Jon Skovron, Book #1 of the Empire of Storms
Introduction
Hope begins the novel as the lone survivor of her village. The village was exterminated by the order of biomancers. Biomancers serve the emperor and can manipulate any living thing. Their power is a mix of science and magic. She is taken in by the Vinchen warriors, who practice a variation of kung-fu training and philosophy. She vows vengeance on the biomancers. Red begins the novel as a young boy, is taken in by Sadie the Goat, and they become notorious pirates. After some adventures, he takes to the streets of New Laven and learns the trade of a thief.
Summary
Hope learns the ways of the Vinchen warriors as the only female ever so trained. She must leave the island of the Vinchen warriors and sets to sail with Captain Carmichael on the trading ship Lady’s Gambit as a fighter. Red is helped in his thieving exploits by his friends Filler and Nettles in the New Laven slum of Paradise Circle. New Laven is the largest and most populated island of the Empire of Storms.
The Empire is ruled by the emperor from the island of Stonepeak. Red’s crew become embroiled in the plans of the gangster overlord Deadface Drem. Deadface Drem has made a sinister pact with the biomancers, which has threatened all of people of Paradise Circle. The third viewpoint character in the novel is the biomancer, Brigga Lin. Brigga Lin is searching for the long guarded secrets of biomancers. Those secrets have a big payoff at the end of the novel.
Hope heads to New Laven after witnessing other atrocities committed by the biomancers. When Hope and Red meet halfway through the novel, the novel takes off showing their vengeance on the biomancers, the gangsters, and the empire.
Recommendation
The author describes this novel as a kung-fu, pirate, and gangster adventure. I heartily agree. This is a fun and fast-paced novel, which includes many twists and turns. The twists at the end set up the next volume called Bane and Shadow, which is due to be released on February 28, 2017. I have preordered it and look forward to reading it then.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Hope and Red by Jon Skovron.
This is the link to my review of Black Prism by Brent Weeks. The Black Prism is book one of the Lightbringer series. The Lightbringer series is like the Empire of Storms series because they are series with both fantasy and magic.
I had read great reviews of this novel in the past and finally read it last year. The praise is well-founded. The framing story is about an innkeeper called Kote. He reveals himself to be the legendary wizard Kvothe and then details his life of adventure and magic to the Chronicler who transcribes the tales. How much of his tales is the truth or an elaboration has yet to be determined?
Sequels do not always match the wonder of the first novel, but this one does. It works as an extension of the first novel. It’s been a long wait for the third novel, The Doors of Stone, but I see why it must be this way. It must be very difficult to maintain the quality of the narrative considering that all the threads must be completed to have a finished series. The three parts should read like one long novel. It is the story of Kvothe from apprentice to master.
This is the second book in the Stormlight Archive. While the first book is mainly focused on Kaladin’s story, this novel expands on Shallan’s story. Many events occur by the end of this long novel and set up the third book, called Oathbringer due to be released in 2017, which features the story of Dalinar.
The magic system in this fantasy, called chromaturgy, involves the magician turning various colors of light into a substance called luxin. The luxin can be manipulated into items depending upon which color of light is used. This novel focuses on the struggles of Gavin Guile as he tries to preserve the balance of light in chromaturgy and tries to rule the peoples of the Seven Satrapies as the Prism. Gavin may be the ruler, but he has many problems that plague him, including interacting with Kip, Dazen, Karris, Corvan, Liv, and the mysterious Lord Omnichrome.
This book was adapted for television by the SyFy Channel as the first season of The Expanse. That is why I initially chose to read this novel. I enjoy examining the comparisons from book to screen. Some examples are The Man in the High Castle, Games of Thrones, and the Harry Potter series. The Expanse is set in the future in the solar system, where the Terrans, the Martians, and the Belters (people who live beyond Mars) all vie for materials and power. The main characters are captain Holden and Detective Miller. They must unravel who has released an alien virus called the protomolecule and why it was released.
Novels Six to Ten of the Novels That I Read in 2016
The author describes this novel as a mix of kung-fu, pirate, and gangster adventure. I heartily agree. This is a fun and fast-paced novel, which includes many twists and turns. Hope begins the novel as the lone survivor of her village. The village was exterminated by the order of biomancers. Biomancers serve the emperor and can manipulate any living thing. Their power is a mix of science and magic. She is taken in by the Vinchen warriors, who practice a variation of kung-fu training and philosophy. She vows vengeance on the biomancers.
Red begins the novel as a young boy, who falls into becoming a pirate. After some adventures, he takes to the streets of New Laven and learns the trade of a thief. When Hope and Red meet halfway through the novel, the novel takes off showing their vengeance on the biomancers and the empire. The twists at the end set up the next volume called Bane and Shadow, which is due to be released on February 28, 2017. I have preordered it and look forward to reading it then.
This series mixes muskets and magic. The magic system uses gunpowder as its base. The protagonists can use gunpowder to enhance their stamina, accuracy in shooting, and self-healing ability. The exploits of Field Marshall Tamas, his son Taniel, and Inspector Adamat can be followed in the trilogy. A second trilogy starts when Sins of Empire is due to be released on March 7, 2017.
The sequel to Leviathan Wakes expands the conflict in the Expanse series. Captain Holden of the ship called Rocinante is back. The crew chooses to help Prax, whose daughter has been kidnapped from the moon of Ganymede. Ganymede has been attacked by enemies unknown as witnessed by Martian Marine Bobbie Draper. United Nations Under-Secretary Avasarala also becomes involved in the plot as the four characters unravel what has transpired between Earth, Mars, the Belt, and the kidnappers. Most of these events will be covered in the second season of the SyFy Channel program called The Expanse. The first episode is scheduled to air on February 1, 2017.
I have always enjoyed the author’s science fiction and the Song of Ice and Fire series. This novel was written in between the two. I had steered away from it because it included vampires because it felt like there was no place interesting to go with that trope. I decided to try it anyway and was pleasantly surprised. The novel is set in the 1850s on the Mississippi River. The story is about riverboat captain Abner Marsh and his mysterious benefactor, Joshua York. They build a big and fast boat and sail down the Mississippi toward New Orleans. York’s past catches up to him and secrets are revealed. These vampires have a well thought out history and biology. It is a science fiction type retelling of the vampire and werewolf superstitions.
This novel is the third book featuring the characters of Wax and Wayne. The Mistborn trilogy featured a different cast of characters and was set in a semi medieval world. There are three magic systems that exist in all of the books; allomancy, feruchemy, and hemalurgy. The technology level of the Wax and Wayne series is roughly Western with guns and trains mixing with the magic systems. In this novel, Wax searches for the legendary bands of mourning and tries to discover the intentions of a secretive group called The Set. The stage is set for a climactic final novel featuring these characters. The seventh Mistborn novel is called The Lost Metal and will be released in 2018.
The Other Ten Novels I Read in 2016
The other novels I read last year were The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick (This was a reread prepping me for the first season of the Amazon Instant Video series), Tuf Voyaging by George R. R. Martin (This was a reread so I could follow the you tube video series by Preston Jacobs on the Thousand World Stories by Martin), The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss, The Atlantis Gene (The Origin Mystery #1) by A. G. Riddle, Murder at the Kinnen Hotel by Brian McClellan (background short story in the Powder Mage series labeled #0.3).
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King, A Fire Upon the Deep (Zones of Thought #1) by Vernor Vinge, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter #8) by J. K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers, and Song of the Sea Spirit (The Mindstream Chronicles #1) by K. C. May.
Upcoming Books I Want to Read
Books that I’m looking forward to reading this year that are scheduled to be released this year: -Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson on November 22, 2016 -Oathbringer (Stormlight #3) by Brandon Sanderson sometime in 2017 -The Heart of What was Lost (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn #4) by Tad Williams on January 3, 2017 -Bane and Shadow (Empire of Storms #2) by Jon Skovron on February 28, 2017 -New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson on March 14, 2017
Series that I want to continue reading: -Powder Mage Series by Brian McClellan -Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks -The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey -Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson
Books I will wait for as long as it takes: -The Winds of Winter (Song of Ice and Fire #6) by George R. R. Martin -Doors of Stone (The Kingkiller Chronicle #3) by Patrick Rothfuss
This is a link to my review of The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which is a fun quickly-paced science fiction/fantasy adventure story. It has the lost world theme and an interesting method of alternative evolution included in this world. It is just the perfect story for that pre-teen boy to read.
Polished and submitted the stories 4 Humours and Grognard to two different short fiction magazines.
Polished and readied the stories Space Station Sunyata, White Bracer, and Mage Squad for submission to short fiction magazines.
I planned on polishing and readying the stories Time Traveller One, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines, but did not do so.
Events from December 2016
I chose and uploaded a single photo to use for my website, goodreads page, and meet-up profile. I will also use this photo for future Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Postponed setting up Facebook and Twitter accounts until January 2017, due to completing other tasks.
The story 4 Humours was not accepted.
Writing Goals for January 2017
Polish and submit the stories Space Station Sunyata, White Bracer, Mage Squad to three different short fiction magazines.
Polish and ready the stories Time Traveller One, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
Submit 4 Humours to another short fiction magazine.
Planned Events for January 2017
Create Facebook and Twitter pages.
Update Website to the Himmelan WordPress Theme.
Research professional photographers to take an author’s photograph for all of my social media accounts.
I will attend the Winter Fiction Fest on February 18, 2017. They are holding the conference at Loganberry Books at 13015 Larchmere Blvd in Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120 The conference is sponsored by Literary Cleveland. They will present four panels that feature Mary Doria Russell, Casey Daniels and Shelly Costa, DM Pulley, Geoffrey Landis, and Mary Turzillo.
