Mars

By: Ben Bova

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 18 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

This grand epic adventure from six-time Hugo Award - winning author Ben Bova tells the irresistible story of man's first mission to that great unconquered frontier, Mars. Technically plausible and compellingly human, Bova's story explores the political, scientific, and social repercussions of our greatest quest yet: the search for evidence of life beyond Earth's boundaries.

Half-Navajo geologist Jamie Waterman has been selected for the ground team of the first manned expedition to our mysterious neighbor planet. Joining an international team of astronauts and scientists, he endures the rigors of training, the dangers of traveling an incredible distance in space, the challenges of an alien landscape, and the personal and political conflicts that arise when the team must face the most shocking discovery of all.

Listen to Ben Bova's complete Mars trilogy, including the second book, Return to Mars, and the third book, Mars Life.

©1992 Ben Bova (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A bulging, impressive, all-you-ever-wanted-to-know, you-are-there Martian odyssey." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Best Mars book ever

I first listened to this audiobook way back when it was a book-on-tape, borrowed from the library many years ago. It was a favorite when I spent hours in the car travelling Texas in sales. The characters are so down to earth and the scenarios so believable that you could imagine yourself working alongside them, feeling the intensity of scientists desperate to make the most of the limited time and resources of a first Mars mission. #NearFuture #SuperbNarration #LetsGetToMars #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes

Excellent book

Well written and keeps my interest. The narrator speaks clearly and has a good voice.

Excellent story, beautifully told

It’s rare that a story like this brings me to tears, but at times this one did. It plucks at the heart strings and makes one yearn to explore the future.

I have enjoyed all of the helldivers. How ever I did order Helldivers the lost years

However I ordered Helldivers"I did order the lost years on audible ,as of March 7 2024 I have not received the audio version as of yet.

Solid Near Future Sci-Fi

This is a solid science fiction title set in a slightly dated near future. Ben Bova has written an interesting story about the first human expedition to Mars that I found quite engaging and addictive. Some of the story elements are now dated (eg. Floppy disks, battlestar galactica approach) but nonetheless the story holds up as realistic and for me, at least, exciting.

I had previously read the title in hardcopy prior to 'reading' it on audible and I think I appreciated it more evenly - throughout the entire book - the second time around. I attribute that to the format - you can not easily scan or skip ahead in an audiobook - but also to the narration of Stefan Rudnicki who kept it interesting. Stefan manages to deal with the many accents passably or at least better than I could.

A very nice read!

Very good story. Reveals the mind of Bova

I have been reading Ben Bova books for years and have most all of his audible books here. Mars is one of his best stories and Stefan Rudnicki is very good in his delivery. However, I don’t understand why Egypt and Argentina are represented as significant space powers here in the book. The one quandary is after all these years I have come to the conclusion Ben doesn’t like a great number of things. He doesn’t like the news media, politicians, government or people with power. His representation of the news media is negative as are the people in government and politics. They are usually the protagonists. People in his books are constantly planning silly and selfish subterfuge and act very impulsively like children do sometimes. Come on Ben, Dan Brown has that style mastered. The story is good enough to out weight all of this though. Listen to it and just enjoy it.

Could have been better.

It was incredibly hard for me to listen to this story from the POV of a Navajo trying to reclaim his roots. People need to get the culture down before putting their main character in it. Most irritating was the assumption of the coming of age "ceremony?". It would have been for a girl at menarch.Iy really would have been a better story without it..

Great Narrator,very good book.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Nice listening,worth every cent.

Would you be willing to try another book from Ben Bova? Why or why not?

of course i'll do,but i'll put some books in between.

What does Stefan Rudnicki bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Stefan it's very very good,nothing to add.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

If steven spielberg or sodenbergh will do it,yes.

Any additional comments?

If you're looking for explosions and aliens or sci-fi high tech stuff coming to you every moment...let it go.

Solid near future Sci Fi

I liked this book so much that I bought a 1st limited Edition signed copy...

It is solid... It does not try to jump the shark. The tech and the problems faced are totally valid.

I am looking forward to the second book... If this one is sny indication of the quality found in the next book, I may buy That one too!

Enough science to make the fantasy real

A great perspective of life and possibilities. Enough science in the narrative to help understand the difficulty in reaching and exploring Mars to create a framework for a believable fantastic story. A sleeping frozen ecosystem waiting to wake and thrive once again. The personalities are enjoyable and it's a great story with no bad guys. Just people with their own motivations acting accordingly.