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World War Mars
Alien tech discovered. The race to claim it could spark a new kind of War.When a derelict alien starship appears in the solar system and crash-lands on Mars, it ignites a desperate race to be the first to reach the Red Planet to claim the mysterious technological treasures of the Visitor.Space Force General Tom Bradstreet, ace Air Force fighter pilot and the only active-duty officer with actual space combat experience, is given control of the Morrigan, the first manned mission to Mars—and the first space warship. He and his elite team know their mission. In fact, it should be simple. The US is the only nation with a spaceship capable of making it to Mars.Or so they think… Maverick Russian General Mikhail Antonov has been handed the insane, desperate gamble of building an Orion-style spaceship powered by nuclear warheads. Launching it from the heart of Russia could be the spark that touches off a nuclear war but it’s the only way the Russians and Chinese can hope to reach Mars before the Americans.The scene is set for a devastating world war, and the first shots may be fired on another world...Don’t miss the next action-packed, gritty military sci-fi series from Rick Partlow, the bestselling author of the Drop Trooper Series and Taken to the Stars.
- GenresScience Fiction
358 pages, Paperback
Published March 5, 2024
429 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Rick Partlow
214 books374 followersRick Partlow is that rarest of species, a native Floridian. Born in Tampa, he attended Florida Southern College and graduated with a degree in History and a commission in the US Army as an Infantry officer.
His lifelong love of science fiction began with Have Space Suit---Will Travel and the other Heinlein juveniles and traveled through Clifford Simak, Asimov, Clarke and on to William Gibson, Walter Jon Williams and Peter F Hamilton. And somewhere, submerged in the worlds of others, Rick began to create his own worlds.
He has written over 70 books in over a dozen different series, and his short stories have been included in many different anthologies.
He currently lives in norther Wyoming with his wife and their dog. Besides writing and reading science fiction and fantasy, he enjoys outdoor photography, hiking and camping.
His lifelong love of science fiction began with Have Space Suit---Will Travel and the other Heinlein juveniles and traveled through Clifford Simak, Asimov, Clarke and on to William Gibson, Walter Jon Williams and Peter F Hamilton. And somewhere, submerged in the worlds of others, Rick began to create his own worlds.
He has written over 70 books in over a dozen different series, and his short stories have been included in many different anthologies.
He currently lives in norther Wyoming with his wife and their dog. Besides writing and reading science fiction and fantasy, he enjoys outdoor photography, hiking and camping.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 13, 2024
“Here on Earth, we fight wars when two sides want the same thing.”
A thrilling ride from start to finish!
I was delightfully impressed with the plot and the characters. The storyline is so authentic and audacious, I was pulled in from the beginning. The author has done a fantastic job of creating a rich and immersive futuristic setting that immediately drew me in.
The vivid descriptions of the landscapes, and the high tech painted a picture that felt both familiar and wonderfully otherworldly.
“I know we’re both armed for war, but that doesn’t mean we have to fight one.”
What truly sets this book apart is its well-developed characters. Each one is unique, with their own motivations and backstories that add layers of depth to the narrative, and I found myself rooting for them through every twist and turn, every loss a hard blow.
World War Mars #1 not only delivers on the promise of a gripping sci-fi adventure but also explores thought-provoking themes that add a layer of depth to the narrative. It's a perfect blend of excitement, intrigue, and emotion. It's a page-turner that kept me up late into the night, eager to uncover the next mystery.
Rick Partlow’s storytelling is nothing short of exceptional. He has a knack for creating dialogue that feels natural, enhancing the overall reading experience, combining the serious nature and depth with humour.
I am suitably impressed and excited, and looking forward to reading this phenomenal new series!
“From hell’s heart I stab at thee,” he murmured. “For hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.”
A thrilling ride from start to finish!
I was delightfully impressed with the plot and the characters. The storyline is so authentic and audacious, I was pulled in from the beginning. The author has done a fantastic job of creating a rich and immersive futuristic setting that immediately drew me in.
The vivid descriptions of the landscapes, and the high tech painted a picture that felt both familiar and wonderfully otherworldly.
“I know we’re both armed for war, but that doesn’t mean we have to fight one.”
What truly sets this book apart is its well-developed characters. Each one is unique, with their own motivations and backstories that add layers of depth to the narrative, and I found myself rooting for them through every twist and turn, every loss a hard blow.
World War Mars #1 not only delivers on the promise of a gripping sci-fi adventure but also explores thought-provoking themes that add a layer of depth to the narrative. It's a perfect blend of excitement, intrigue, and emotion. It's a page-turner that kept me up late into the night, eager to uncover the next mystery.
Rick Partlow’s storytelling is nothing short of exceptional. He has a knack for creating dialogue that feels natural, enhancing the overall reading experience, combining the serious nature and depth with humour.
I am suitably impressed and excited, and looking forward to reading this phenomenal new series!
“From hell’s heart I stab at thee,” he murmured. “For hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.”
April 4, 2024
CLASSIC RICK PARTLOW...IT JUST DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS!
World War Mars (book 1) by Rick Partlow is a GREAT first book in what will be a GREAT series. If you are into military sci-fi that's action-packed throughout, with a great storyline, you're in for a treat with this new series. The characters are well defined, the story will hold your interest completely from the beginning to the end, and you will find yourself routing for Brent Parker and the rest of the characters as they fight their way to Mars to investigate a mysterious alien ship that shows up on the surface of Mars.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading each new book that Rick has to add to this series. I hope you'll find yourself enjoying this book as well as I did.
World War Mars (book 1) by Rick Partlow is a GREAT first book in what will be a GREAT series. If you are into military sci-fi that's action-packed throughout, with a great storyline, you're in for a treat with this new series. The characters are well defined, the story will hold your interest completely from the beginning to the end, and you will find yourself routing for Brent Parker and the rest of the characters as they fight their way to Mars to investigate a mysterious alien ship that shows up on the surface of Mars.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading each new book that Rick has to add to this series. I hope you'll find yourself enjoying this book as well as I did.
January 6, 2025
A well thought out and written sci-fi book that is close to reality in ways. Alien ship lands/crashes on Mars. Earth is divided politically and we meet one of our main charecters in the midst of fighting a cartel in mexico.
The starships are almost feasable.
2/5
World War Mars 1 by Rick Partlow is boilerplate military I picked up to wash my hands of some recent reading. It has is a first contact military Sci Fi with TRACE elements of Hard SF. the charecters are undeveloped, but its SF and that's to leave room for the main story elements.
These aliens don’t make sense so far. I mean they created us why do we have such low tech compared to their other creations?
... and now they through contrived plot point need to genocide humanity?
That said, for all the problems? I had some eye-rolling fun in the reading.
The starships are almost feasable.
2/5
World War Mars 1 by Rick Partlow is boilerplate military I picked up to wash my hands of some recent reading. It has is a first contact military Sci Fi with TRACE elements of Hard SF. the charecters are undeveloped, but its SF and that's to leave room for the main story elements.
These aliens don’t make sense so far. I mean they created us why do we have such low tech compared to their other creations?
... and now they through contrived plot point need to genocide humanity?
That said, for all the problems? I had some eye-rolling fun in the reading.
July 31, 2024
An OK read!
April 11, 2024
I really like the way Rick Partlow writes his stories. They are always military science fiction and do it right even if there are civilians (scientists) along for the ride. This book starts off in Mexico with some Force Recon Marines doing a joint operations with Mexican Marines. They were intermixed so Sgt. Brent Parker has a few Mexican Marines in his squad along with more in Bravo Company, First Force Recon.
They were going in against a cartel searching through several warehouses that probably contained illegal drugs or illegal weapons. They had just spotted what appeared to be a missile platform on the roof of one of the warehouses and his squad was assigned to take it out. They had choppers coming in with Army Ranger types in support and needed to make a safe LZ. That was the plan until it went to hell very quickly. Apparently, the Mexican Marines were more interested in getting paid by the cartel than keeping their honor.
But, Force Recon Marines don’t just play at being good, they are good and this bunch of turncoats didn’t prevent Sgt. Parker and his other Force Marines from taking them out once they showed which side they were on. He also realized that there were more of the cartel armed thugs around the warehouse than previously advertised. In other words, this was a setup from the get go. The only problem for Sgt. Parker was that there weren’t any other available Senior NCOs or Officers with him and he needed to get the job done and now. So, he takes charge and gets the rest of the Force Recon Marines that are still functioning to secure an LZ and get those Army Ranger choppers in to clean this mess up.
Meanwhile, back at the White House, the President and a number of his advisors were discussing something that came straight out of a science fiction book. An object not of this Earth, had just appeared in the plane of the ecliptic out near Jupiter. Yet it wasn’t being influenced by Jupiter’s gravity, but was in a gentle orbit around the Sun. It appeared to be power, but how, no one had a clue. Dr. Victoria Morales was briefing the President on this object and would eventually be doing much, much more.
Right now the object appeared to be heading around the Sun and then back out into interstellar space. It wasn’t giving off any kind of signal, radiation or anything else. In fact, they couldn’t figure out how it was even moving on its own trajectory. All they had now were pictures from the Webb telescope and a few from some classified surveillance satellites. Everyone was fine with the fact that it wasn’t headed towards Earth, so the decision was to closely monitor it while considering the fact that they now had proof that Earth was not alone in the universe. Some intelligence has sent this probe or whatever our way and we might never know why. It could be just remotely piloted or be piloted by an AI and not even concerned with finding other life.
So, how does this affect Sgt. Parker? Well, it wasn’t too much longer after the debacle in Mexico that Sgt. Parker and his Squad were waiting around being interrogated about their mission when they were told that they had a new mission, but on a voluntary basis. It seems that the alien object had change trajectory and was now headed, not for Earth, but for Mars. So, everyone, which means the Russians, Chinese and the Americans had to get there first to find out if this object contained any new technology, which it much have or it wouldn’t have gotten this fare in its travels. The USA was definitely going to send a contingent of scientists to Mars and along with them would be a detachment of Force Recon Marines. Sgt. Parker had volunteered to go and was surprised when he found out that every member of his squad had also volunteered. That didn’t happen with the rest of the company.
So, that’s what this book is about. It’s a race to Mars between the Soviets and the Chinese although the latter two have to team up since neither has the capacity at this time to send such a mission on their own. The Russians have a very experimental space craft that has been banned from going into space because of its particular type of nuclear engine, while the Chinese has the technical skill and the nuclear material that would be used to fuel the spaceship, so that’s why they team up.
The USA is going ahead with its planned mission to Mars only at an accelerated pace. They are also going to have to be very careful because all the other nations of Earth are apparently not happy that the American aren’t sharing the trip. So, Sgt. Brent Parker is going to have to survive an attack against the very starship he’s going to ride to Mars, but he’s also probably going to be fighting Russians when they also get there. If those are the only hostiles he has to face, that might not be so bad since he’s trained for this. But, he’s going to be fighting a lot more than what he expects.
A very good start to what should be a very good series. I’ve already downloaded the next book aptly titled, “World War Mars 2”. It’s available on Amazon.
They were going in against a cartel searching through several warehouses that probably contained illegal drugs or illegal weapons. They had just spotted what appeared to be a missile platform on the roof of one of the warehouses and his squad was assigned to take it out. They had choppers coming in with Army Ranger types in support and needed to make a safe LZ. That was the plan until it went to hell very quickly. Apparently, the Mexican Marines were more interested in getting paid by the cartel than keeping their honor.
But, Force Recon Marines don’t just play at being good, they are good and this bunch of turncoats didn’t prevent Sgt. Parker and his other Force Marines from taking them out once they showed which side they were on. He also realized that there were more of the cartel armed thugs around the warehouse than previously advertised. In other words, this was a setup from the get go. The only problem for Sgt. Parker was that there weren’t any other available Senior NCOs or Officers with him and he needed to get the job done and now. So, he takes charge and gets the rest of the Force Recon Marines that are still functioning to secure an LZ and get those Army Ranger choppers in to clean this mess up.
Meanwhile, back at the White House, the President and a number of his advisors were discussing something that came straight out of a science fiction book. An object not of this Earth, had just appeared in the plane of the ecliptic out near Jupiter. Yet it wasn’t being influenced by Jupiter’s gravity, but was in a gentle orbit around the Sun. It appeared to be power, but how, no one had a clue. Dr. Victoria Morales was briefing the President on this object and would eventually be doing much, much more.
Right now the object appeared to be heading around the Sun and then back out into interstellar space. It wasn’t giving off any kind of signal, radiation or anything else. In fact, they couldn’t figure out how it was even moving on its own trajectory. All they had now were pictures from the Webb telescope and a few from some classified surveillance satellites. Everyone was fine with the fact that it wasn’t headed towards Earth, so the decision was to closely monitor it while considering the fact that they now had proof that Earth was not alone in the universe. Some intelligence has sent this probe or whatever our way and we might never know why. It could be just remotely piloted or be piloted by an AI and not even concerned with finding other life.
So, how does this affect Sgt. Parker? Well, it wasn’t too much longer after the debacle in Mexico that Sgt. Parker and his Squad were waiting around being interrogated about their mission when they were told that they had a new mission, but on a voluntary basis. It seems that the alien object had change trajectory and was now headed, not for Earth, but for Mars. So, everyone, which means the Russians, Chinese and the Americans had to get there first to find out if this object contained any new technology, which it much have or it wouldn’t have gotten this fare in its travels. The USA was definitely going to send a contingent of scientists to Mars and along with them would be a detachment of Force Recon Marines. Sgt. Parker had volunteered to go and was surprised when he found out that every member of his squad had also volunteered. That didn’t happen with the rest of the company.
So, that’s what this book is about. It’s a race to Mars between the Soviets and the Chinese although the latter two have to team up since neither has the capacity at this time to send such a mission on their own. The Russians have a very experimental space craft that has been banned from going into space because of its particular type of nuclear engine, while the Chinese has the technical skill and the nuclear material that would be used to fuel the spaceship, so that’s why they team up.
The USA is going ahead with its planned mission to Mars only at an accelerated pace. They are also going to have to be very careful because all the other nations of Earth are apparently not happy that the American aren’t sharing the trip. So, Sgt. Brent Parker is going to have to survive an attack against the very starship he’s going to ride to Mars, but he’s also probably going to be fighting Russians when they also get there. If those are the only hostiles he has to face, that might not be so bad since he’s trained for this. But, he’s going to be fighting a lot more than what he expects.
A very good start to what should be a very good series. I’ve already downloaded the next book aptly titled, “World War Mars 2”. It’s available on Amazon.
May 13, 2024
Mr Partlow delivers another mil-scifi story, set in the near future with a humanity sitting on thin ice on the political spectrum.
The story has politics, action, seed-theory, espionage and a good old conflict between Russia and the US. The book is well written other than the two points of failure ; the whole 'US is the world's police' bs has long been proven to be wrong & if you can stomach the 'RaRa Go Team US' vibe, with the Ruskies and everyone else being wrong of course. Second point of failure is the romance, totally unnecessary and badly written, people are falling "in love" within five seconds of meeting. I rest my case.
The combat is quite realistic, as can be considering this is fiction and so is space travel. Humans are shown to be hopelessly outmatched but through dogged determination somehow get through, to book two.
The story has politics, action, seed-theory, espionage and a good old conflict between Russia and the US. The book is well written other than the two points of failure ; the whole 'US is the world's police' bs has long been proven to be wrong & if you can stomach the 'RaRa Go Team US' vibe, with the Ruskies and everyone else being wrong of course. Second point of failure is the romance, totally unnecessary and badly written, people are falling "in love" within five seconds of meeting. I rest my case.
The combat is quite realistic, as can be considering this is fiction and so is space travel. Humans are shown to be hopelessly outmatched but through dogged determination somehow get through, to book two.
March 11, 2024
Although Military Scifi isn't 🪖 my go to genre, picking this up was a no-brainer as I've read several books by Rick Partlow and enjoyed them. World War Mars did not disappoint... It was really good and I ended up on the edge-of-my-seat in this action-packed near earth adventure. Where just lifting off good old American soil was harrowing. As China, India and even France took umbrage to the US beating them to Mars to study the alien space craft...
Go grab this book because you're gonna need to find out how it all breaks down. Better yet get the audiobook because as I discovered by listening to this book Paul Heitsch is great...
Go grab this book because you're gonna need to find out how it all breaks down. Better yet get the audiobook because as I discovered by listening to this book Paul Heitsch is great...
October 24, 2024
Great Read
A well thought out and written sci-fi book that is close to reality in ways. Alien ship lands/crashes on Mars. Earth is divided politically and fighting is prevalent. The USA has an advantage in technology to modify and finish buildings a spacecraft originally to go to mars in 10-20 years. Everyone knows that the first to Mars will get advance technologies that will place them in control on Earth. Plans, sabotage, assassins and world outrage to be the winner of the race to Mars bring Earth to the brink of world war. The race is on, but nothing works the way you think it should thanks to Murphy’s Law!
A well thought out and written sci-fi book that is close to reality in ways. Alien ship lands/crashes on Mars. Earth is divided politically and fighting is prevalent. The USA has an advantage in technology to modify and finish buildings a spacecraft originally to go to mars in 10-20 years. Everyone knows that the first to Mars will get advance technologies that will place them in control on Earth. Plans, sabotage, assassins and world outrage to be the winner of the race to Mars bring Earth to the brink of world war. The race is on, but nothing works the way you think it should thanks to Murphy’s Law!
June 27, 2024
Liked this one!!
The visitor was interesting though I still have several questions that will hopefully be answered. These aliens don’t make sense so far. I mean they created us why do we have such low tech compared to their other creations? Why did the computer bring its enemies to them? Doesn’t make sense yet but I thought the spaceship idea of a giant battleship in space ripping nuclear bombs was bad ass Russian lol. Their soldiers were disappointing though. Really enjoyed this after a little while.
The visitor was interesting though I still have several questions that will hopefully be answered. These aliens don’t make sense so far. I mean they created us why do we have such low tech compared to their other creations? Why did the computer bring its enemies to them? Doesn’t make sense yet but I thought the spaceship idea of a giant battleship in space ripping nuclear bombs was bad ass Russian lol. Their soldiers were disappointing though. Really enjoyed this after a little while.
March 13, 2024
I've been away from most mil sci-fi for a while, but Partlow always wrote competent stuff in my experience. This is no exception, a near-future that seems to extrapolate from Peter Zeihan's geopolitical theories (China collapse, USA neo-isolationism, etc.) and inserts the race for first contact between the remaining powers.
Execution is good so I have no real complaints. I will certainly check out book 2 and see if the author can keep it going.
Execution is good so I have no real complaints. I will certainly check out book 2 and see if the author can keep it going.
May 6, 2024
This author often produces some interesting ideas, but then goes on to write some utter twaddle, this book has examples of both. The author’s ’Earth’ had numerous problems and his understanding of geography was very limited. I nearly gave up by halfway, but the story improved for a while.
Unfortunately I didn’t really like the direction of the story and although I finished the book I won’t be continuing with the series.
Unfortunately I didn’t really like the direction of the story and although I finished the book I won’t be continuing with the series.
March 19, 2024
Well written military Sci-Fi action!
Unlike other Sci-Fi stories, this one does not more the reader with descriptions of Sci-Fi technology created by the author. This story is short on technology descriptions and long on Sci-Fi military action. The reader will be pleased with the story plot and character development. Very well written story!
Unlike other Sci-Fi stories, this one does not more the reader with descriptions of Sci-Fi technology created by the author. This story is short on technology descriptions and long on Sci-Fi military action. The reader will be pleased with the story plot and character development. Very well written story!
March 16, 2024
Does what it says on the packet!
An alien craft arriving in our solar system almost starts WW3.
Multiple nations ships head towards Mars where the UFO lands.
Earth’s Nations aren’t the only entities interested in it……
An alien craft arriving in our solar system almost starts WW3.
Multiple nations ships head towards Mars where the UFO lands.
Earth’s Nations aren’t the only entities interested in it……
March 17, 2024
Exciting!! Draws you in completely!
All the regular stuff..Marines, lovers, klutz, heros, complicated plots (plural), spies, science nerds, and a satisfactory ending. But I want more!! Have to wait. Maybe if I wasn't a fast reader it would help??
All the regular stuff..Marines, lovers, klutz, heros, complicated plots (plural), spies, science nerds, and a satisfactory ending. But I want more!! Have to wait. Maybe if I wasn't a fast reader it would help??
April 5, 2024
Excellent story
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the first in the series, - the story line has a nice twist at the end that opens the way for the rest of the forthcoming series. I'd recommend this to any fan of military Sci-Fi.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the first in the series, - the story line has a nice twist at the end that opens the way for the rest of the forthcoming series. I'd recommend this to any fan of military Sci-Fi.
August 9, 2024
For the audiobook.
Almost punched out at 9 hours of an 11 hour book because I was simply bored and no longer cared. The first 4 hours are pretty interesting and roped me in, only to nearly bore me to death.
Really, everything about the race to Mars to contact the OBJECT is good, but once they reach the magic space mcguffin, it devolves into cookie cutter aliens and Stargate tropes.
None of the characters are memorable. I wouldn't bother if I had the chance to go back in time.
Almost punched out at 9 hours of an 11 hour book because I was simply bored and no longer cared. The first 4 hours are pretty interesting and roped me in, only to nearly bore me to death.
Really, everything about the race to Mars to contact the OBJECT is good, but once they reach the magic space mcguffin, it devolves into cookie cutter aliens and Stargate tropes.
None of the characters are memorable. I wouldn't bother if I had the chance to go back in time.
October 7, 2024
Ah the shit has hit the fan now.
Absolutely brilliant sci-fi action.
The race to the red planet has begun.
Great characters with realistic situations and lots of action.
I look forward to the next one.
Absolutely brilliant sci-fi action.
The race to the red planet has begun.
Great characters with realistic situations and lots of action.
I look forward to the next one.
November 11, 2025
Ok, I finished world war Mars; it is entertaining, but you have to admit it is profoundly derivative of Stargate with the Gateway the unstoppable enemy like the Goa’uld and a healing sarcophagus. Not to mention Star Trek references from Wrath of Khan, and Battlefield Earth and the religious zealots straight out of Halo! Mr Partlow plundered from these original ideas and wove an entertaining if not predictable story… not bad, not bad at all.
March 23, 2024
Enjoyable
Rick Partlow knows how to setup and tell a good story. This is a series I'll be reading until it's completion!
Rick Partlow knows how to setup and tell a good story. This is a series I'll be reading until it's completion!
March 27, 2024
Wasn't a fan, great idea but I really struggled. Doubt I'll finish the series.
March 29, 2024
Excellent
Great premise for a story. Can't wait to see humanity kick their butts. Good characters and plot. Definitely worth going into the second book!
Great premise for a story. Can't wait to see humanity kick their butts. Good characters and plot. Definitely worth going into the second book!
May 1, 2024
Great read!
What a good story. Started somewhat slowly but then the action started and I could not put it down. On to! the next book.
What a good story. Started somewhat slowly but then the action started and I could not put it down. On to! the next book.
May 13, 2024
A real page turner!
Among the best of Mr. Partlow's work. If you're into futuristic military action, you'll live this!
Can't wait to read part 2.
Among the best of Mr. Partlow's work. If you're into futuristic military action, you'll live this!
Can't wait to read part 2.
June 17, 2024
Liked this one better then some.
January 16, 2025
a little slow at the beginning but picked up as I further read the book. Will diffidently look for the next in this series.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews