The Martian Conspiracy

By: John Read

Narrated by: Chris Abell

Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

The year is 2071. Devastated by the loss of his wife and son, NASA engineer John Orville signs up for a new life on Mars, implementing Project Bakersfield, a plan to combat deadly Martian storms. After a military unit lands on Mars, supposedly for a training exercise, Orville discovers the true purpose of Project Bakersfield. With the military unit going rogue, and a massive superstorm threatening imminent destruction, John Orville must fight to save the colony.

©2015 John Read (P)2015 John Read

NOT a The Martian ripoff

Any additional comments?

I received a free audiobook from the author in exchange for a honest review. So my comment here would be longer than usual. But my view is not impacted by the gift. And I do like the book.

This book has a somewhat unfortunate name. With Andy Weir's book of very similar name standing at the center of Science Friction and even Hollywood's spotlight lately, it is easy to mistake this book as a cheap rip-off of the same genre. I can assure you that this is not the case. Other than also happening on Mars and paying quite a bit of attention to technical detail, it is a whole different book, with a totally different storyline. (It did mention a Watney Building...brought a smile to my face. Not sure if intentional or not)

Also about the name, having the "Conspiracy" in the title kind of spoiled the story. It led me to think everything protagonist encounters is some sort of conspiracy. It let my imagination run wild at all the possibilities, so was a little disappointed when the conspiracy wasn't as elaborated as I had imagined.

On to the story itself, I think it's pretty good. The world is setting quite convincingly 60 years in the future. Autonomous cars, 3D printing, Hyperloop, drones, VTOL and other hot topics in mid-2010s are commonly seen. Although after a few repeated mentions it does feel a bit too intentional. They also make the book less timeless and clearly show which era when it was written. And...Skype? Really? In 2070s?

The plot itself is interesting. The conflict is quite well defined and explores a world where automation has eliminated the need for some people to have work. The characters have just enough room to demonstrate their own personalities (development, on the other hand, is not quite there. The book is just too short for that. But I'm okay with that)

I was expecting some follow up on the earth part of the story, but the Chekhov's gun still didn't fire towards the end. Turns out a sequel is in the plan. Will look forward reading it.

The audio book version is well produced as well. The narrator (Chris Abell) has just the right tone and speed to keep me engaged along the way.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Classic Conspiracy/Coverup with a Scifi Twist

This was a good twist on your typical story of a conspiracy by rich elites. After reading the summary I thought this book was going to follow the path of so many stories before it, but I ended up being pleased and drawn into the story by the new approach and the interesting sci-fi twist to a classic conspiracy plot.

The story begins with a NASA engineer (John) observing the project that has consumed years of his life, Project Bakersfield, launching into space. He and the rest of the agency are horrified when a freak accident results in it falling back to Earth and causing the most devastating man-made disaster in history. With a huge swath of southern California destroyed, John spends the next year searching for his wife and daughter who are presumed dead after being caught in the middle of the devastation.
Hollowed out emotionally, he is offered an engineering job on Mars that he accepts in an attempt to escape the guilt that plagues him. As one of the main engineers on the planet, he is assigned to coordinate the construction of a massive power generation project. After noticing several irregularities in the project, and a large contingent of military personnel arrive on the planet and begin acting strangely, John and his two friends uncover a potentially deadly plot by the some of the world's richest elites (now living on Mars in a secret, purpose-built paradise complex). To make matters worse, the project he has been working on may be the catalyst for the murder of thousands of Mars colonists.

The narration on this book was also quite good, and I was drawn into the story after the first few hours. I must admit that it was a little slow to start, but if you can get through the initial backstory, then you won't be disappointed.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author, publisher, or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review. I was NOT required to write a positive review and this reflects my honest opinion of the work.

13 of 19 people found this review helpful

The story and character arcs were really well done

A tragedy strikes California as a piece of NASA engineering crashes down to Earth and John Orville, an engineer at NASA can’t do anything to stop it. He thinks that he’s lost everything too, his child and his wife in the crash. So, he signs up to work as an engineer on Mars. Once he arrives, he starts to notice that things aren’t so much like they seem. Follow John as he tries to uncover the real truth about what is really happening on the red planet.

Chris Abell did narration for this, and he does a wonderful job. I really thought that Chris used the perfect voice for Chris, and gave the other characters really believable and well-done voices too. The quality of this recording was perfect, with no noticeable issues.

The Martian Conspiracy started off a little weird. I was trying to figure out why we were in California. But the whole first third of the book is to set the scene for who John is and what his motives are. I actually had to pause the audiobook at one point to make sure that I was actually listening to this book. Funny though, right after I did that a scene took place that changes where we were pretty quickly. With that being said, I don’t think that the beginning was unnecessary, it was just a bit confused when I thought I was reading a book about Mars and it spent a good amount of time NOT on Mars.

After we got to Mars, the action really started to pick up. Part sleuth/mystery and part sci fi thriller – this book has something for a lot of readers. I found myself really enjoying the story and staying up too late to get further into the story.

The story arc and character arcs were really well done too. I enjoyed the progress that each character had throughout and the interaction between them.

Overall, a well done science fiction novel, that really had some thought involved in it. I like the mixture of mystery, science fiction, and thriller. It was something different from the average sci-fi book.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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10 of 18 people found this review helpful

Fun and enjoyable

The book overall was a fun listen. It has a very nice overall pace to the story so there isn't much lag in between parts. I loved the idea behind the book so it was great for me as a fan of NASA and space exploration and colonization. I really enjoyed the back story of the main character. It gave reasons to why he made the decisions he did at the climax of the book. Good read and great performance by Chris Abell.

Sci-fi, Space, Adventure!

This was a fun read for me. The description grabbed me because I am into sci-fi adventures so it was my type of book. The problem with it being so well matched to my tasted is that having read so many in this genre, there is a higher bar for sci-fi adventure books. I received this book at no cost in exchange for an honest review, and this one did not disappoint!

I liked the near-future-ness of the story. The technology seemed to be a realistic imagining of what is possible in the not-too distant future, so there wasn’t any ‘magic’ technology – don’t get me wrong, I like those types of stories too. It’s just sometimes I want something a little more down to Earth…or Mars. The story also offered a fun mix of characters and scenery descriptions that were easy to visualize.

The narrator did a good job. There were a couple of accents done which helped to distinguish some of the characters. The only complaint I would have was one scene with a lot of dialogue back and forth between several characters where I couldn’t quite distinguish between two of the four or five characters involved in the conversation. There was also a point or two where a background noise made me blink, but it was so low I think the only reason I noticed it was because I was so thoroughly engrossed. Otherwise, it was a pleasant listening experience and the narrator moved at a good pace.

If you like near-future sci-fi, space travel and adventure this will be a good listen!

2 of 6 people found this review helpful

Definately worth the read.

World and story are great but the characters were could have used more fleshing out.

1 of 6 people found this review helpful

Fun Book and intriguing storyline

Would you listen to The Martian Conspiracy again? Why?

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

Sure it was interesting enough the first go around

What did you like best about this story?

The not too far away science puts the ideas in the book into reach and that makes it interesting.

What about Chris Abell’s performance did you like?

Engaging with out being overpowering

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Left Earth, Stuck on Mars

0 of 3 people found this review helpful

A rousing adventure reminiscent of classic scifi

SERIES INFO: This is Book #1 in a planned trilogy. According to the author, Book #2 - The Callisto Deception, - will be published in Summer 2016 and #3 (tentatively titled The War of Storms) will be out “8-12 months later.”

Although the protagonist is an adult, this book reminded me of an updated version of some of my favorite Robert Heinlein juveniles. You take a bright but unexceptional individual and throw them into space, then watch what happens. The book is packed with excellent characters, including:

Our Hero (John) - NASA nerd turned driven survivor turned action hero, not afraid to think outside the box, willing to do what’s right in difficult situations.

The Comic Relief (Leeth) - an adventurous sort of everyday hero, he’s a nurse who chooses to use his skills in disaster relief areas and other difficult situations. And he’s Aussie, mate.

The Girl (No spoilers = no name) - being a woman myself, I was happy when Mr. Read added one to the mix (although it came fairly late in the book). Unlike me, she is a kick butt military officer who can hold her own with the men. Like John, she stands up for what’s right despite the possible consequences. And she represents an opportunity for a dash of romance. (Not with John, thankfully. I’m still holding out hope that he will eventually reunite with his wife.)

I am not a scientist myself, but the technology in the book seemed realistic. There was a good balance of including advanced technology but not dwelling on the details to the point of tedium. A few things that stood out for me were: the way the internet was used to track/connect individuals following the disaster (this is already happening now in a less organized form) / the fact that few people know how to drive their own cars (we’re taking the first steps towards this) / and the great VR exercise machines (just because they’re cool).

The story starts with a great big bang. Mr. Read manages to introduce John and create an emotional connection with his wife and son in a very short time, before everything hits the fan (i.e. California). After that, the first 25%, before we head for Mars, seemed a bit drawn out. I’m not sure what could be removed (maybe Eddie, but I’m thinking he might make a reappearance in a later book). I think the decision to jump forward a year once he arrives on Mars was a good one. It eliminates any additional dragging before we get to the “conspiracy,” and allows John to be confident/skilled in his job.

The latter part of the story is one action scene after another with barely any time to breath in between (in a good way). And that last action scene was craaazy. The ending satisfactorily concludes the main “conspiracy” plot but leaves our crew with some serious issues to deal with in the next book.

The narration was great. Good accents and character distinction. The pacing was a bit slowish (I’m a fan of 1.25 speed); production was smooth; and female voices (although not very womanly) were acceptable.

FAVORITE PART(S): I appreciated that, while it was made clear that John is severely emotionally impacted by the loss of his family, the book didn’t wallow in the fact. / Fav scene - John trying to put his pants on in zero-g.

I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT: Swearing (esp the 6 F words), although it is MUCH less than another recent Martian story we’ve all heard about. / humorous use of GOD as an acronym / Leeth’s attachment to alcohol.

MY RATINGS:
--Enjoyment: HIGH
--Re-readability: HIGH, although I will probably skip straight to the point where he boards the ship for Mars.
--Narrator Impact: HIGH - When I first started the book, Mr Abell sounded a lot like the narrator of one of my Heinlein audiobooks (I was surprised when I checked and it wasn’t him). This increased my enjoyment of the book, since it instantly put me in the right mood.

I received this book free in return for an honest review, courtesy of Audiobook Blast dot com.

0 of 3 people found this review helpful

The Martian

Which scene was your favorite?

This audiobook is a fast paced sci-fi thriller. Beautiful flight scenes over both a devastated Californian landscapes and a desolate Martian terrain are coupled with a strong character driven plot and adventure.Very entertaining

0 of 3 people found this review helpful

Great Story Keeps You Wondering Whats Next

What made the experience of listening to The Martian Conspiracy the most enjoyable?

This novel combines intense, vivid flight scenes, gripping action sequences and even some light humor to create a fast paced, engaging story line.

Who was your favorite character and why?

John Orville

What about Chris Abell’s performance did you like?

Yes Very Much

Any additional comments?

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

0 of 3 people found this review helpful