Mars Prime

Rex Corvan #2

by William C. Dietz

A ship filled with colonists—and one murderous crew member—is headed for the Red Planet in this suspenseful tale by the bestselling author of the Pik Lando series. Aboard the Outward Bound, there are thousands of colonists headed towards Mars. But, one person on the ship is different. Inside that crew member’s head, there are a half-dozen voices, a half-dozen personalities normally bickering and disagreeing. Today, though, just as the ship is about to leave Earth’s orbit, they all agree on one thing—they have to kill to keep their secret safe. That’s dangerous for Rex Corvan, because secrets are the thing he was born to seek out. Rex is Earth’s greatest reporter. He’s equipped with a probing intelligence and a video camera for a right eye. Rex and his wife Kim are traveling on the Outward Bound to document its trip outward to the frontier of Mars. The story of colonization quickly takes a backseat to this unknown, zero-gravity serial killer. As Rex and Kim find clues to the murderer’s identity in the ship’s A.I., they become targets themselves. Will the ship reach Mars before the many killers in one body reach them? 

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

212 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 1992

About the author

New York Times bestselling author William C. Dietz has published more than fifty novels, some of which have been translated into German, Russian, and Japanese. He grew up in the Seattle area, served as a medic with the Navy and Marine Corps, graduated from the University of Washington, and has been employed as a surgical technician, college instructor, and television news writer, director and producer. Before becoming a full-time writer Dietz was director of public relations and marketing for an international telephone company. He and his wife live near Gig Harbor, Washington.

Reviews

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

The good:
- Dietz really includes a lot of hard science in this book (about Mars), and finds a way to make it interesting
- the characters are fun, and it's a fast read
- the ending included a twist I wasn't expecting

The bad:
- the bad guys are a bit kooky - not very realistic
- the AI character was overly-anthropomorphized
- the ending was rather abrupt - a mere 10 pages after the climax

The ugly:
- some weak plotting points nearly derailed the book - how many killers did this book need?

This book is the second to feature Rex Corvan, a journalist with a camera lens embedded in his eye socket in place of one of his eyeballs.

I also own the first book (Matrix Man), but I read this one first as I was on a bit of a Mars kick. It didn't matter, as this book stands on its own.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dietz, William C. Mars Prime. Rex Corvan No. 2. Roc, 1992.
In this close sequel to Matrix Man, our mystery solving couple and their faith AI Martin are off to Mars. There are murders on the way and more murders when they get there. Unpretentious old school science fiction. If you liked Matrix Man, you will like this one.

[Fred Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story centred on a trip to Mars. A murder while everyone is suppose to sleep. And an ongoing series of murders when they reach Mars.

While only a novella, the story and characters were still compelling.

William C. Dietz series Legion of the Damned is also HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those who love Military Science Fiction