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Venus on Mars
In this magical and smart novel author Jan Millsapps, deftly teases the female experience out of a history of mostly male astronomers and rocket scientists, and tells a mesmerizing story about generations of women struck by the stars. Dr. Millsapps is a finalist for the Mars One mission to put the first humans on Mars.
“A profound story — full of heart, wonder, wisdom — and brilliantly told.”
—Harriet Ellenberger, co-founder of Sinister Wisdom
“Three women – three generations – all linked by a mysterious journal, one man, and the enigmatic planet Mars. With great imagination and a lyrical flair, Jan Millsapps has fashioned an engaging tale about finding your place in the cosmos.”
—Marcia Bartusiak, author of The Day We Found the Universe
“The writing is eloquent. The characters, and the scenes through which they move, are vividly realized.”
—William Sheehan, Historical Fellow at Lowell Observatory and
author of The Planet Mars
”In a style that recalls the haiku imagery of Basho and the laconic economy of Hemingway, Millsapps writes across the unbounded interplanetary gulf that separates Earth from the brooding red planet Mars and intermingles the lives of three generations of women trapped in an involuntary struggle for gender equality that persists, even in the halls of haute science. Millsapps has a literary gift in her ability to bring the reader inside the eyes and mind of her characters. Every word is carefully crafted and delicately placed, every page magical to read. Even if the reader knows nothing about astronomy, Venus on Mars is a feast.
—Dana Berry, producer of Hubble’s Amazing Universe, Finding the Next Earth, and Emmy-nominated Alien Earths; author of Race to Mars and Smithsonian Intimate Guide to the Cosmos
“A profound story — full of heart, wonder, wisdom — and brilliantly told.”
—Harriet Ellenberger, co-founder of Sinister Wisdom
“Three women – three generations – all linked by a mysterious journal, one man, and the enigmatic planet Mars. With great imagination and a lyrical flair, Jan Millsapps has fashioned an engaging tale about finding your place in the cosmos.”
—Marcia Bartusiak, author of The Day We Found the Universe
“The writing is eloquent. The characters, and the scenes through which they move, are vividly realized.”
—William Sheehan, Historical Fellow at Lowell Observatory and
author of The Planet Mars
”In a style that recalls the haiku imagery of Basho and the laconic economy of Hemingway, Millsapps writes across the unbounded interplanetary gulf that separates Earth from the brooding red planet Mars and intermingles the lives of three generations of women trapped in an involuntary struggle for gender equality that persists, even in the halls of haute science. Millsapps has a literary gift in her ability to bring the reader inside the eyes and mind of her characters. Every word is carefully crafted and delicately placed, every page magical to read. Even if the reader knows nothing about astronomy, Venus on Mars is a feast.
—Dana Berry, producer of Hubble’s Amazing Universe, Finding the Next Earth, and Emmy-nominated Alien Earths; author of Race to Mars and Smithsonian Intimate Guide to the Cosmos
360 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
Jan Millsapps
2 books5 followersJan Millsapps is a pioneering digital filmmaker, an early web innovator, and a versatile and accomplished writer. She has produced films, videos, digital and interactive cinema on subjects ranging from domestic violence to global terrorism, and has published in traditional print and online venues.
She holds a B.A. with honors in Creative Arts from the Univ. of North Carolina at Charlotte, an M.A. in English from Winthrop Univ., a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition from the Univ. of South Carolina, and an academic certificate in cosmology.
As Professor of Cinema at San Francisco State University, she taught courses in digital, interactive and web cinema, and short format screenwriting. She currently holds the title of Professor Emeritus.
She holds a B.A. with honors in Creative Arts from the Univ. of North Carolina at Charlotte, an M.A. in English from Winthrop Univ., a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition from the Univ. of South Carolina, and an academic certificate in cosmology.
As Professor of Cinema at San Francisco State University, she taught courses in digital, interactive and web cinema, and short format screenwriting. She currently holds the title of Professor Emeritus.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 18, 2013
I’ve always loved road trips. There is a freedom of mind and body that can only be found when you’re far from home and the only physical object that ties you to your identity is your car. Some of my favorite books and movies have involved the Classic American Road Trip.
Of course I was immediately interested when I began reading Venus on Mars and realized I’d be riding shotgun along with Venus Dawson, who’s just left New Orleans, Louisiana and is on the road to Pasadena, California. Venus has just attended to her mother’s burial in New Orleans, and is on her way home, where a job she loathes awaits her return.
Before she leaves the funeral proceedings, an uncle she’s never met gives her a package, explaining that he promised her mother it would be passed down to the next generation. He tells Venus she is ‘supposed to have this’. She cracks into the package during her first diner stop, finds her great aunt Wrexie Louise “Lulu” Leonard’s private journal, and begins to read it.
Venus is drawn into Lulu’s life, and we, the readers, are taken along for the ride. But there’s room on the road trip for yet one more notable woman. The author cleverly slips in details of the life of Letha Broussard Dawson, the almost-blind mother of Venus who’s just been buried, and is still in her ‘discovery’ stages of Crossing Over.
As Venus meanders her way across the country, she becomes more and more engrossed in Lulu’s journal. She starts to connect with her great aunt and finds a bond of both kinship and sympathy for the life of a Victorian woman who struggled with her astronomy career and the man she worked alongside. Venus has her share of both those challenges, too.
Eventually, the impact this little journal has on Venus goes well beyond words on paper. She veers off the main road, both in reality and also metaphysically, until all paths of her life are changed forever. There’s no clear way to describe this transition, it really needs to be experienced first-hand by the reader.
I’m aware that other reviews of Venus on Mars focus heavily on the planet Mars. Indeed, much of this story revolves around the red planet, which forms the pivot point of this story. Mars is wonderfully revealed (and revered) by each of our characters as they try to solve its mysteries.
But for me, what I will remember most are the lives of Lulu, Letha and Venus. Separated by time, bonded by blood, and joined by circumstances, when all is said and done, each has an amazing story to share. Inspired by their stories, you may find a chapter of your own life, just waiting to be written.
The author maintains an eye-opening website (janmillsapps.com) that’s well worth exploring. Here, she explains the ‘augmented moments’ that you’ll come across now and then in Venus on Mars. If you have access to a QR Reader for your mobile device, you can take advantage of these bonus features, but the novel plays out perfectly well on it’s own.
( Review originally written for Steampunk Magazine http://www.steampunkmagazine.com )
Of course I was immediately interested when I began reading Venus on Mars and realized I’d be riding shotgun along with Venus Dawson, who’s just left New Orleans, Louisiana and is on the road to Pasadena, California. Venus has just attended to her mother’s burial in New Orleans, and is on her way home, where a job she loathes awaits her return.
Before she leaves the funeral proceedings, an uncle she’s never met gives her a package, explaining that he promised her mother it would be passed down to the next generation. He tells Venus she is ‘supposed to have this’. She cracks into the package during her first diner stop, finds her great aunt Wrexie Louise “Lulu” Leonard’s private journal, and begins to read it.
Venus is drawn into Lulu’s life, and we, the readers, are taken along for the ride. But there’s room on the road trip for yet one more notable woman. The author cleverly slips in details of the life of Letha Broussard Dawson, the almost-blind mother of Venus who’s just been buried, and is still in her ‘discovery’ stages of Crossing Over.
As Venus meanders her way across the country, she becomes more and more engrossed in Lulu’s journal. She starts to connect with her great aunt and finds a bond of both kinship and sympathy for the life of a Victorian woman who struggled with her astronomy career and the man she worked alongside. Venus has her share of both those challenges, too.
Eventually, the impact this little journal has on Venus goes well beyond words on paper. She veers off the main road, both in reality and also metaphysically, until all paths of her life are changed forever. There’s no clear way to describe this transition, it really needs to be experienced first-hand by the reader.
I’m aware that other reviews of Venus on Mars focus heavily on the planet Mars. Indeed, much of this story revolves around the red planet, which forms the pivot point of this story. Mars is wonderfully revealed (and revered) by each of our characters as they try to solve its mysteries.
But for me, what I will remember most are the lives of Lulu, Letha and Venus. Separated by time, bonded by blood, and joined by circumstances, when all is said and done, each has an amazing story to share. Inspired by their stories, you may find a chapter of your own life, just waiting to be written.
The author maintains an eye-opening website (janmillsapps.com) that’s well worth exploring. Here, she explains the ‘augmented moments’ that you’ll come across now and then in Venus on Mars. If you have access to a QR Reader for your mobile device, you can take advantage of these bonus features, but the novel plays out perfectly well on it’s own.
( Review originally written for Steampunk Magazine http://www.steampunkmagazine.com )
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 of 1 review