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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780380797257
ISBN number: 0380797259
Label: Eos
Manufacturer: Eos
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 560
Printing Date: July 01, 2000
Publishing house: Eos
Release Date: July 03, 2000
Sale Popularity Level: 342993
Studio: Eos
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Product Description:
Six years after the very first manned Martian expedition, a second has been announced -- one motivated purely by its profitable potential -- and half-Navajo, half-Anglo geologist Jamie Waterman's conflicted soul is beckoning him back to the eerie, unforgiving planet. As commander of the new exploratory team, he will have to contend with a bitter and destructive rivalry, a disturbing new emotional attraction, and deadly, incomprehensible 'accidents' that appear to be sabotage, all of which could doom the mission to failure. But there is much more at stake than Waterman's personal redemption and the safety of his crew. For there are still great secrets to be uncovered on this cruel and enigmatic world -- not the least being something he glimpsed in the far distance during his very first Martian excursion: an improbable structure perched high in the planet's carmine cliffs; a dwelling that only an intelligent being could have built.
Amazon.com Review:
In Ben Bova's 1992 bestselling book Mars, geologist Jamie Waterman and his crewmates discovered the existence of primitive lichen on the floor of the great Martian canyon known as the Valles Marineris. In Return to Mars, Waterman is headed back to the Red Planet, this time in charge of an expedition that hopes not only to study Martian life but also to prove that exploring Mars can be profitable. Waterman also wants to revisit a part of the canyon where he thought he spotted a primitive cliff dwelling during the very first Martian mission. The second voyage to Mars runs into trouble right away, however, as Waterman clashes with Dex Trumball, the son of a billionaire who's backing the expedition. Dex wants to turn Mars into a tourist attraction, while Waterman wants to preserve the planet for scientific research. Both men are also attracted to the expedition's beautiful psychologist, Vijay Shektar, who can't seem to decide which of the two she likes best. As if that weren't enough, one of the Mars team may be trying to sabotage the mission, while back home the elder Trumball is pulling strings in order to force Waterman to step down as the expedition's leader.
Like Jamie Waterman, Bova takes on a lot of responsibility in this second Mars book. He's trying to create a complex story that relies equally on science, characterization, and politics, mixed in with a healthy dose of mystery and a dash of thriller. As usual, Bova nails the science but fares less well--though by no means poorly--with his characters. He pulls off the politics with confidence, but the thriller subplot seems forced. Finally, the mysteries (there are several) all succeed reasonably well, though some are more compelling than others. The whole makes up a thoroughly enjoyable novel both about what life might be like on an expedition to Mars and what Martian life might be like. It's a better book than its predecessor, and it can be read entirely on its own thanks to Bova's carefully interwoven details about the back story that took place in Mars. --Craig E. Engler
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Rated by buyers 
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It has been six years since geologist Jamie Waterman set foot on Mars for the very first time. Now, he's going back again, this time as mission commander in Ben Bova's great follow-up novel.
In this installment, Jamie has been installed as mission commander. He hopes to be able to further explore the rock formation he discovered in the Tithonium Chasma on the very first expedition. He's in charge of seven other members in this expedition. Included in the mission are Stacy Dezhurova, Dex Trumball, Possum Craig, Trudy Hall, Vijay Shektar, Mitsuo Fuchida, and Tomas Rodriguez. After a five-month flight from earth, the crew had finally reached their destination. Dex is the son of Darryl C. Trumball, an American billionaire who has put up most of the funding for the mission. He had hoped that his son would be named mission commander and only reluctantly accepted Jamie as commander. Dex and his father hoped to exploit possible commercial and tourist activities on Mars, while Jamie hoped to keep the planet pristine and explore its vast amounts of uncharted wilderness.
Almost immediately, tensions begin to flare between Jamie and Dex. To make matters worse, Dex and Jamie both seem romantically interested in Vijay. Despite their rivalry, Dex and Jamie begin to work together and, as the book goes on, even develop a strong friendship. Dex begins to have serious doubts about his father's grand scheme of making Mars into a tourist destination. As time goes on, he reveals more and more of his true feelings to Jamie. Jamie wants Mars preserved as is and slowly, Dex begins to believe that Jamie's course of action is best. Vijay's and Jamie's relationship deepens as well.
Studies are carried out at the Tithonium Chasma and it is discovered that Jamie's rock dwelling is indeed the remnants of an ancient civilization of Martians. Upon analysis of rock samples taken from the site, it is determined that the structure is approximately 65 million years old; the same age as the earth was when the dinosaurs were wiped out. This discovery leads the expedition members to believe that life on Mars ended at about the same time.
Problems have arisen for the expedition as well. Fuchida believes that there is a saboteur among the group. Several strange occurances have happened that cannot be explained as simple coincidence. Now, the group must watch out for further acts of sabotage. Unfortunately, another takes place, this time with devastating consequences.
Dex's father is still determined to see his dream of having Mars as a tourist destination fulfilled. So, he gets a seat on a re-supply ship destined for Mars. Mr. Trumball hopes to "claim" the part of Mars being researched as his own. That way, he can proceed with his vision. However, Jamie, with Dex's help, has decided to stake a claim for the Navajo nation in hopes of leaving Mars as is. Jamie also learns that he must remain behind after the others leave in order to enforce his claim. So, after the final act of sabotage forces the rest of the group to leave for Earth early, Jamie has decided to remain until the re-supply ship arrives to stake the claim for the Navajo nation. But, he's not alone; Vijay has decided to stay as well.
This is an excellent book. The story is well-conceived, and the development of the characters is first-rate. I've read several of Bova's books, and I've enjoyed "Mars" and "Return to Mars" the most. I hope that there will be a third installment to finish the story. This book and its predecessor are must reads for sci-fi fans.
Rated by buyers -
Navajo geologist-astronaut, Jamie Waterman, blasts off to the blue planet for a second time as the leader of a privately funded follow up expedition to the earth's very first foray to Mars which ended on a literal cliff-hanger. the discovery of pueblo-like cliff dwellings that seemed to indicate Mars had been inhabited in the past by intelligent life.
The crew, an eclectic blend of nationalities and experts in a variety of scientific and technical fields of endeavour, direct their efforts to the completion of three distinct projects - the examination of the lichen type biology and the geology of the caldera of Olympus Mons, a volcano and the highest mountain in the solar system; the recovery of a priceless artifact from the much earlier Mars Pathfinder expeditions; and the detailed investigation of Jamie's pueblo dwellings with a view to proving once and for all whether Mars had ever been home to an intelligent species of life.
Aside from the hard sci-fi themes of the Martian environment, the research, the overwhelming dangers and difficulties of extraterrestrial exploration in a fundamentally hostile environment, "Return to Mars" also examines two other central themes - first, the almost insurmountable difficulties of the costs of big budget science and the conflicts that inevitably arise when capitalism attempts to force fundamental research into profit-oriented motives; and, second, the inherent dangers of contaminating a pristine environment such as Mars with untrammeled, loosely controlled exploration, travel, business and (gasp!) even colonization or, worse yet, tourism!
Certainly, Bova was not shy about using "Return to Mars" as a forum for espousing his own political views on the matter and, for some readers, the strength of the expression of these opinions was seen as a shortcoming in the novel. But, I felt that using Jamie, in particular, a highly educated scientist with an underlying aboriginal Navajo cultural mindset, as the fundamental mouthpiece for these opinions, the left-leaning political statements seemed to come across as heartfelt and completely natural. While some readers might disagree with some of what Jamie had to say, it seemed completely reasonable to hear him and the other scientists express these views. Their disgust and complete antipathy to the notion of tourism directed at the Martian cliff-dwellings was particularly understandable in the context in which it was presented.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
Rated by buyers -
Perhaps that was a spoiler. Other reviewers have already mentioned that the protagonist of this novel was a Navaho Indian. I think that gives a unique slant to what could have been another "hardware opera". (For the record, I don't usually read realistic novels about space exploration because I'm not that interested in descriptions of rovers, landers etc.)
For me, what made this novel unique was that for once, the money-hungry developers DIDN'T get their way. Another unique touch was Jamie's real love for the planet Mars. Can any of us imagine WANTING to live on Mars? I can't. Jamie's protectiveness and reverence for the Red Planet are unusual in space fiction. Some reviewers are calling this "leftist" but I think this sort of consciousness is parallel to an increased respect for Earth as a living organism (Gaia). Call me mystical but I wonder whether all planetary bodies have some sort of integrity which ought not to be violated by money-hungry developers.
But what I enjoyed most was the portrayal of the discovery of the Martian village. We see a lot of ET's and aliens in space opera fiction, but it is another thing to imagine actually discovering intelligent life, or its remains. Bova handled this glorious moment wonderfully.
Rated by buyers -
I quite enjoyed Mars except for only a few shaky moments. In 'Return' he once again uses 'flash-backs' to explain how his characters - the crew - gain the much-vied-for spots on the second Mars expedition. Once again, Bova shows that characterization is extremely important to him and he is the best sci-fi writer in that respect. Some reviewers have said they found MORE politics in this second installment but I found the reverse to be true - at least in the amount of print devoted to Earth. This is far more 'Mars' than Mars was in that respect.
Two excellent points to make about the novel. The very first was the suspense of the Olympus Mons mission. The delicate, tenuous descent into the caldera and the perils that almost cost the two astronauts their lives were excellently written. I won't give anymore details but suffice it to say that you yourself are clinging to the dark, sloping wall perched on the edge of an unimaginable abyss. I was gripping the edges of the book. The second point is Bova's under-pinning scientific premise - that Mars suffered the same meteor shower that Earth did 65 million years ago and that since that time it has been slowly dying. For his story, it is the perfect premise and also extremely intriguing scientifically. Again, I won't give any more details but I beleive that it works well.
Lastly, Bova inserts a kind of 'whodunnit' mystery into the novel by bringing forth the possibility of a saboteur - and then giving the reader a real twist as to who it finally turns out to be. The story will touch you on some levels that the very first one didn't.
Rated by buyers 
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Dr. Jamie Waterman returns to Mars--this time for an ambitious 18-month stay upon the Red Planet. He and his expedition must live off the land--regardless of how hostile that Martian land may seem--they must glean their food, water and oxygen from the frigid blue sands.
This expedition's mission objectives include a harrowing descent into the caldera of Olympus Mons--the solar system's tallest volcano--and of course broadening the search for life--most controversially, Jamie's allegations of "cliff dwellings" hidden within the cliff face of Tithonium Chasma (Mars' Grand Canyon, which dwarfs our own).
The extended length of this mission takes away from the imperativeness of the very first expedition--it's a bit lazier--and also quite frightening--you've got 18 full months of the Martian elements staring you in the face.
And yes, Jamie is afforded sufficient time to investigate what he thought he saw on the very first expedition years ago. And he is determined to prove his allegations.
This is a good sequel, but I'm afraid it has a few shortcomings. I was disappointed at the lack of returning characters. I was disappointed in how Jamie's relationship with Joanna Brumado was handled. I was disappointed in how Jamie's relationship with his grandfather was handled. I was disappointed in how Jamie's relationship with his parents was handled. And I was a tad irked that once again the expedition's physician plays a pivotal role. A good doctor should be like a good lawyer--you don't even know he's there till you need him.
Another aspect of this book I found troubling was the characters' constant ethnic slurs to Jamie's Native American background. I found it very unrealistic. I think scientists would behave differently--and I think a handful of people on another planet wouldn't give two hoots what your ethnic background is; if you're human, then you're a friend.
And then there's Mr. Bova's tentative grasp of romance. He tries to push the envelope with this one, but there's still some key element missing. I think it's passion, a true passion for another, a passion which can enslave and yet free you at the same time. Mr. Bova feels a passion for Mars--which is palpably evident--but his passion for man-woman relationships is luke-warm.
Nonetheless, Mr. Bova's heart is in the right place, and the book's ending is a happy one--on all fronts [wink]. If you've read the very first book, then you owe it to yourself to read the sequel. And we can only hope the author writes a third installment. Until then, "Ya'aa'tey."
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