What do you think?
Rate this book
Mars, Inc. (1)
A new novel from Ben Bova, creator of the New York Times best-selling Grand Tour science fiction series. Bova is a six-time Hugo award winner, and past president of the National Space Society. Here, Bova returns to his most popular and best-selling subject: the quest for Mars
How do you get to the Red Planet? Not via a benighted government program trapped in red tape and bound by budget constrictions, that’s for sure. No, what it will take is a helping of adventure, science, corporate powerplays, a generous dollop of seduction—both in and out of the boardroom—and money, money, money!
Art Thrasher knows this. He is a man with a driving vision: send humans to Mars. The government has utterly failed, but Thrasher has got the plan to accomplish such a feat: form a “club” of billionaires to chip in one billion a year until the dream is accomplished. But these are men and women who are tough cookies, addicted to a profitable bottom-line, and disdainful of pie-in-the-sky dreamers who want to use their cash to make somebody else’s dreams come true.
But Thrasher is different from the other dreamers in an important regard: he’s a billionaire himself, and the president of a successful company. But it’s going to take all his wiles as a captain of industry and master manipulator of business and capital to overcome setbacks and sabotage—and get a rocket full of scientist, engineers, visionaries, and dreamers on their way to the Red Planet.
The man for the job has arrived. Art Thrasher is prepared to do whatever it takes to humans on Mars—or die trying!
About Mars, Inc.:
“. . .perfectly enjoyable as an SF book (could Bova write anything that wasn’t enjoyable?), Mars, Inc. has that torn-from-the-headline vibe that’s obviously intended for a larger audience. . . . the bottom line? Mars, Inc. has inspiration, excitement, thrills, romance, a dash of satire—and is a good, fun read . . . .”—Analog
"The Hugo winner returns to his most popular subject: the quest for Mars."—Publishers Weekly
". . . escapist fantasy for rocket scientists and space engineers, those dreaming of these kinds of missions. Yet Bova’s story is rigorously realistic. . . . a fun read showing you do not need car chases or shootouts to deliver a fast-paced and exciting story."—Daily News of Galveston County
About the award winning novels of Ben Bova:
“Technically accurate and absorbing. . ..”—Kirkus
“[Bova is] the science fiction author who will have the greatest effect on the world.”—Ray Bradbury
“A masterful storyteller.”—Vector
“Gives a good read while turning your eyes to what might be in the not so distant future, just like Clarke and Asimov used to do so well.”—SFX
How do you get to the Red Planet? Not via a benighted government program trapped in red tape and bound by budget constrictions, that’s for sure. No, what it will take is a helping of adventure, science, corporate powerplays, a generous dollop of seduction—both in and out of the boardroom—and money, money, money!
Art Thrasher knows this. He is a man with a driving vision: send humans to Mars. The government has utterly failed, but Thrasher has got the plan to accomplish such a feat: form a “club” of billionaires to chip in one billion a year until the dream is accomplished. But these are men and women who are tough cookies, addicted to a profitable bottom-line, and disdainful of pie-in-the-sky dreamers who want to use their cash to make somebody else’s dreams come true.
But Thrasher is different from the other dreamers in an important regard: he’s a billionaire himself, and the president of a successful company. But it’s going to take all his wiles as a captain of industry and master manipulator of business and capital to overcome setbacks and sabotage—and get a rocket full of scientist, engineers, visionaries, and dreamers on their way to the Red Planet.
The man for the job has arrived. Art Thrasher is prepared to do whatever it takes to humans on Mars—or die trying!
About Mars, Inc.:
“. . .perfectly enjoyable as an SF book (could Bova write anything that wasn’t enjoyable?), Mars, Inc. has that torn-from-the-headline vibe that’s obviously intended for a larger audience. . . . the bottom line? Mars, Inc. has inspiration, excitement, thrills, romance, a dash of satire—and is a good, fun read . . . .”—Analog
"The Hugo winner returns to his most popular subject: the quest for Mars."—Publishers Weekly
". . . escapist fantasy for rocket scientists and space engineers, those dreaming of these kinds of missions. Yet Bova’s story is rigorously realistic. . . . a fun read showing you do not need car chases or shootouts to deliver a fast-paced and exciting story."—Daily News of Galveston County
About the award winning novels of Ben Bova:
“Technically accurate and absorbing. . ..”—Kirkus
“[Bova is] the science fiction author who will have the greatest effect on the world.”—Ray Bradbury
“A masterful storyteller.”—Vector
“Gives a good read while turning your eyes to what might be in the not so distant future, just like Clarke and Asimov used to do so well.”—SFX
368 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2013
About the author
Ben Bova
691 books1,052 followersBen Bova was born on November 8, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1953, while attending Temple University, he married Rosa Cucinotta, they had a son and a daughter. He would later divorce Rosa in 1974. In that same year he married Barbara Berson Rose.
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
December 19, 2013
So should you read Mars, Inc.? Sure. While this might not be SciFi enough for some readers, the ideas that Bova plays with and presents to readers are pretty priceless. Mars, Inc. left me thinking about our space industry and wondering what the future holds for it. I think that is probably the point of the novel. Bova wasn’t writing some huge manifesto regarding space exploration, nor was he trying to write the next SciFi masterwork. I think he was taking our space industry and looking at it from a different perspective to try to get readers to do the same thing. It’s kind of clunky, kind of weirdly paced, and I think the characterization leaves a little to be desired, but the guarantee is that it will make you look at things a little differently. Agree or disagree, sometimes a different perspective is refreshing and exciting.
Read my full review here:
http://www.bookwormblues.net/2013/12/...
Read my full review here:
http://www.bookwormblues.net/2013/12/...
October 15, 2013
http://koeur.wordpress.com/2013/10/15...
Publishers Description: How do you get to the Red Planet? Not via a benighted government program trapped in red tape and bound by budget constrictions, that’s for sure. No, what it will take is a helping of adventure, science, corporate powerplays, a generous dollop of seduction—both in and out of the boardroom—and money, money, money!
Review: First off, the cover art is really sad. Poor showing for the Scifi genre with Bova’s name attached. A behemoth ship being built above Earth or hovering over Mars would have been much better. Instead we have a suit in a boardroom with a picture of the Mars landing. Weeeee!!!!
This was a pretty fun read. Thrasher is just great throughout the novel. Well developed in a shallow skirt chasing sort of way. The billionaires were presented as forming a set of very eclectic personalities, but we never saw the development of these personalities which would have made for a very interesting novel. Instead we follow Thrasher around the world on his forays to unite the world in his quest to realize a Mars landing with a live crew. Throw in some hot chicks here and there, either as virtual eye candy or for Thrashers pleasure and we start to get one-dimensional.
There have been some really good scifi novels that embraced the visual antics of sex, kind of like being there too. Bova intimates that sex is occurring without the descriptors. Like, you just have to take his word that it happened. If your going to spend a fair amount of time describing women that Thrasher interacts with or goes to bed with, then go all the way with the scene development. It will not cheapen the novel. If Thrasher has a mild love interest and is not as focused on women, then play it thin on the scenes.
This novel is in the Scifi genre but I would say that it is fiction. There is no culmination with the actual landing of Mars. There are no aliens, bacteria, ancient structures or hidden water caches underground. It is an entertaining novel about the fiscal/political construct to achieve Mars. It is fun and insightful with good writing but not awe inspiring.
February 5, 2014
Wasn't really what I was hoping for. It was a much longer version of The Man Who Sold the Moon by Heinlein, without the payoff of the return voyage. It really didn't make me wishing for the return of the Golden Age, and wasn't something that kept me gripped. All in all, an ok read, but I expected much more from Ben Bova.
December 2, 2013
I received an electronic advanced reading copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley.
The genre denoted SF is most commonly called science fiction, but some prefer speculative fiction instead. Either way, a precise definition of what constitutes science fiction can be as elusive as defining what constitutes life. As a scientist, I've always wanted more fiction that simply took place in the world of science, with scientist characters and problems - nothing far-reaching in speculation, nothing out-of-this world. Not even focused on astronomical issues per se, as a lot of sci fi is, causing some, like Margaret Atwood, to eschew the genre term merely due to this connotation of spaceships and intergalactic exploits.
Mars Inc. comes close to being a science fiction book about getting the process of science done; it may be more accurate to say that Bova's new novel is about technology more than science. Sadly, the cover as I see it here (the electronic edition has no cover) brings to mind far more cliched science fiction space-faring than is in this novel. Instead the action is all on Earth. it is about getting to space again, about finding a way to move human enterprise and human exploration in the universe forward in a society that is increasingly hostile (at least politically) to doing this through public means, ie the government.
Bova's protagonist is a wealthy businessman with a soft spot and dream for increased space exploration, and he is committed to getting private sources (other rich men) to get it done, rather than the 'damned government.' This set up is intriguing and Bova uses it to explore all the difficulties his character has in getting this dream to come to fruition amid hostile and greedy business that is not out for the benefit of humanity. Despite the character's hatred of government and belief that private capital can do better, in the end success is more due to his own tenaciousness against adversity and one gets the sense that if he were more open about governmental public works, and a little more familiar with that system as he is for private enterprise, he could have fought just as hard in that sector and gotten similar results.
The novel therefore is not about the triumph of private income over public works, but rather the triumph of this particular character in using his own unique position and talents to get a job done and realize his dreams of scientific/technological possibilities - getting human beings to Mars. In these general respects Bova succeeds really well, and the novel's plot is both captivating and believable.
However, on the negative side, the novel suffers from being a bit too simplistic in the non-scientific or business aspects of the plot, it fits assuredly into the 'genre' mold. The character's are primarily all male, one major female character is a secretary, the other is a scientist. Both are primarily used as predictable love interests, and in the case of the scientist, that is pretty much her only role. The novel doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is however, and what Bova is setting out to do here, he manages to accomplish well.
If you like SF heavy on the process of getting science and technology to move forward or have an interest in the space program then this is assuredly a novel you'd want to check out. If you are looking for action on an alien world or something more complex than simple genre fare that emphasizes technology over other matters social, then it's best to look elsewhere.
The genre denoted SF is most commonly called science fiction, but some prefer speculative fiction instead. Either way, a precise definition of what constitutes science fiction can be as elusive as defining what constitutes life. As a scientist, I've always wanted more fiction that simply took place in the world of science, with scientist characters and problems - nothing far-reaching in speculation, nothing out-of-this world. Not even focused on astronomical issues per se, as a lot of sci fi is, causing some, like Margaret Atwood, to eschew the genre term merely due to this connotation of spaceships and intergalactic exploits.
Mars Inc. comes close to being a science fiction book about getting the process of science done; it may be more accurate to say that Bova's new novel is about technology more than science. Sadly, the cover as I see it here (the electronic edition has no cover) brings to mind far more cliched science fiction space-faring than is in this novel. Instead the action is all on Earth. it is about getting to space again, about finding a way to move human enterprise and human exploration in the universe forward in a society that is increasingly hostile (at least politically) to doing this through public means, ie the government.
Bova's protagonist is a wealthy businessman with a soft spot and dream for increased space exploration, and he is committed to getting private sources (other rich men) to get it done, rather than the 'damned government.' This set up is intriguing and Bova uses it to explore all the difficulties his character has in getting this dream to come to fruition amid hostile and greedy business that is not out for the benefit of humanity. Despite the character's hatred of government and belief that private capital can do better, in the end success is more due to his own tenaciousness against adversity and one gets the sense that if he were more open about governmental public works, and a little more familiar with that system as he is for private enterprise, he could have fought just as hard in that sector and gotten similar results.
The novel therefore is not about the triumph of private income over public works, but rather the triumph of this particular character in using his own unique position and talents to get a job done and realize his dreams of scientific/technological possibilities - getting human beings to Mars. In these general respects Bova succeeds really well, and the novel's plot is both captivating and believable.
However, on the negative side, the novel suffers from being a bit too simplistic in the non-scientific or business aspects of the plot, it fits assuredly into the 'genre' mold. The character's are primarily all male, one major female character is a secretary, the other is a scientist. Both are primarily used as predictable love interests, and in the case of the scientist, that is pretty much her only role. The novel doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is however, and what Bova is setting out to do here, he manages to accomplish well.
If you like SF heavy on the process of getting science and technology to move forward or have an interest in the space program then this is assuredly a novel you'd want to check out. If you are looking for action on an alien world or something more complex than simple genre fare that emphasizes technology over other matters social, then it's best to look elsewhere.
July 17, 2015
Wow. Never thought the day would come that I DNF'd a Ben Bova book halfway through (pg. 167).
I think I understand what Bova was trying to do - emulate the sci-fi style of the 60s and 70s, but with a present day setting, cast, and plot. And it could have worked...if I cared.
The catch is that this book isn't sci-fi. It's Business Fiction. We don't get to talk much about even the science of getting to Mars, we get to talk about the business of the science of getting to Mars. Which I suppose in today's climate is the more poignant topic, but since we're skimming and moving at a fast pace in the book, we don't get anything of interest. Just a chauvinistic character (which didn't bother me in and of itself, we don't need every main character to be politically correct), whining about how much money and paperwork he's going through to get to Mars. And for no good reason. Even when the character mulls over why he's doing this, he doesn't come up with anything of substance.
Bova didn't phone this one in. He texted it. Maybe dictated it to Siri, or gave her the basic premise and said "Now flesh it out to a 300 page novel".
Spoiler alert here - we don't even GET to Mars. Oh we get to launch. But that's it. So if you thought this would at all be Andy Weir's superb "The Martian" with a business-flaired start on how we got the program going....you are going to be really, really disappointed.
Scratch that. You're going to be disappointed no matter what.
I think I understand what Bova was trying to do - emulate the sci-fi style of the 60s and 70s, but with a present day setting, cast, and plot. And it could have worked...if I cared.
The catch is that this book isn't sci-fi. It's Business Fiction. We don't get to talk much about even the science of getting to Mars, we get to talk about the business of the science of getting to Mars. Which I suppose in today's climate is the more poignant topic, but since we're skimming and moving at a fast pace in the book, we don't get anything of interest. Just a chauvinistic character (which didn't bother me in and of itself, we don't need every main character to be politically correct), whining about how much money and paperwork he's going through to get to Mars. And for no good reason. Even when the character mulls over why he's doing this, he doesn't come up with anything of substance.
Bova didn't phone this one in. He texted it. Maybe dictated it to Siri, or gave her the basic premise and said "Now flesh it out to a 300 page novel".
Spoiler alert here - we don't even GET to Mars. Oh we get to launch. But that's it. So if you thought this would at all be Andy Weir's superb "The Martian" with a business-flaired start on how we got the program going....you are going to be really, really disappointed.
Scratch that. You're going to be disappointed no matter what.
December 23, 2013
Mars, Inc (subtitle: The Billionaire's Club) by Ben Bova is a new standalone novel not set in the same universe as his Grand Tour solar system books. There were a few confusing moments where I wasn't sure about the universe, particularly as someone called Yamagata showed up and didn't do anything that went against the Yamagata in the Grand Tour books. But maybe it was an homage. Or something.
I had previously only read Grand Tour books by Bova and I was hoping that Mars, Inc would be as sciencey as some of those were, particularly the Mars trilogy, which I enjoyed. Alas, it was not to be. It's not that the science in Mars, Inc is soft, but it's not a book about science or scientists. It's a book about a businessman. It's a how-to guide for funding and organising a crewed mission to Mars. I am firmly of the opinion that science is significantly more interesting than business, so I can't say I found this an overly interesting read. It wasn't boring enough for me to stop reading, but still, fans of science fiction beware.
Being a book primarily about rich businessmen, it is heavily populated by old white guys and packed full of much of the unpleasantness that entails. And why couldn't there have been even one female billionaire in the mix? Oh, that's right, women can only be secretaries and journalists. It's a very sexist book, with references to tokenism sprinkled throughout. Calling a black woman a "two-for" (or however it was spelled) and a "dark-skinned Latina" a three in one is distinctly not cool. I could almost have forgiven it if it was clear that the characters were the ones being dicks, but there was too much of that sort of thing in the narration (as in, the parts not clearly in Thrasher's head). There was no need, for example, to point out that in a meeting with the US President and others, the President's secretary was the only woman in the room. Obviously it wasn't necessary to set the scene up that way in the first place, but pointing it out did not help. Far too often the (very minority) presence of women is pointed out in a self-congratulatory way by the characters. They "even" have two female astronauts (out of seven). Someone give them a medal.
(Also aren't secretaries in the sense of assistants and organisers usually called PAs or EAs these days? They certainly are in Australia.)
Thrasher is a "reprobate", which is the euphemism of choice for sleaze in Mars, Inc. There is a supposedly wholesome romantic relationship "developing" throughout the book but I found it nauseating, especially when it was the female character hero-worshipping him for no clear reason, before he'd even begun to think of her as an option. (And then he keeps calling her "kid" even after they get together? Ewww.)
There are a lot more instances of rankling sexism, but it's been a few days since I finished reading (I kept using jetlag as an excuse to put off writing this review) and the reading was done on Kobo which doesn't lend itself to easy highlighting. Suffices to say, what I've mentioned in this review is not at all exhaustive.
It's not that I didn't have previous evidence of Bova writing sexist stuff, but I had the futile hope that, since not all of his other books (that I've read) were that bad, maybe this wouldn't be either. (I mean, Saturn and Titan made me a lot angrier than the other Mars books, for example.) I was wrong. The Old White Man aspect of the plot didn't help either.
Rampant sexism aside, the plot was fairly readable, despite being about businessmen rather than scientists. There's an organisational aspect and the quest for funding, there's a bit of intrigue thrown in, there are Thrasher's personal issues with which woman he wants to sleep with which night, there's a side story about rocket powered commercial flight... (the latter being driven by Thrasher's desire to not spend too much time flying between cities, a sentiment I found myself sympathising with deeply as I sat in a jet and crossed threeish continents.) Plotwise there's a lot going on, enough to offset the fact that it's not science-based SF. It's the variety of the plot that stopped me throwing the Kobo aside in frustration. Well, that and the fact that most of the ARCs I actually wanted to read were PDFs and those don't Kobo well.
If you've gotten this far through the review, you'll have gathered that I didn't enjoy Mars, Inc. Because of the problems with it, I feel I can only recommend it to readers interested in a how-to guide for getting to Mars in the near future. Although I've said it's low on science, what science there is is accurately described. I don't think I'll be picking up any more Ben Bova books, and certainly not in the near future.
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
I had previously only read Grand Tour books by Bova and I was hoping that Mars, Inc would be as sciencey as some of those were, particularly the Mars trilogy, which I enjoyed. Alas, it was not to be. It's not that the science in Mars, Inc is soft, but it's not a book about science or scientists. It's a book about a businessman. It's a how-to guide for funding and organising a crewed mission to Mars. I am firmly of the opinion that science is significantly more interesting than business, so I can't say I found this an overly interesting read. It wasn't boring enough for me to stop reading, but still, fans of science fiction beware.
Being a book primarily about rich businessmen, it is heavily populated by old white guys and packed full of much of the unpleasantness that entails. And why couldn't there have been even one female billionaire in the mix? Oh, that's right, women can only be secretaries and journalists. It's a very sexist book, with references to tokenism sprinkled throughout. Calling a black woman a "two-for" (or however it was spelled) and a "dark-skinned Latina" a three in one is distinctly not cool. I could almost have forgiven it if it was clear that the characters were the ones being dicks, but there was too much of that sort of thing in the narration (as in, the parts not clearly in Thrasher's head). There was no need, for example, to point out that in a meeting with the US President and others, the President's secretary was the only woman in the room. Obviously it wasn't necessary to set the scene up that way in the first place, but pointing it out did not help. Far too often the (very minority) presence of women is pointed out in a self-congratulatory way by the characters. They "even" have two female astronauts (out of seven). Someone give them a medal.
(Also aren't secretaries in the sense of assistants and organisers usually called PAs or EAs these days? They certainly are in Australia.)
Thrasher is a "reprobate", which is the euphemism of choice for sleaze in Mars, Inc. There is a supposedly wholesome romantic relationship "developing" throughout the book but I found it nauseating, especially when it was the female character hero-worshipping him for no clear reason, before he'd even begun to think of her as an option. (And then he keeps calling her "kid" even after they get together? Ewww.)
There are a lot more instances of rankling sexism, but it's been a few days since I finished reading (I kept using jetlag as an excuse to put off writing this review) and the reading was done on Kobo which doesn't lend itself to easy highlighting. Suffices to say, what I've mentioned in this review is not at all exhaustive.
It's not that I didn't have previous evidence of Bova writing sexist stuff, but I had the futile hope that, since not all of his other books (that I've read) were that bad, maybe this wouldn't be either. (I mean, Saturn and Titan made me a lot angrier than the other Mars books, for example.) I was wrong. The Old White Man aspect of the plot didn't help either.
Rampant sexism aside, the plot was fairly readable, despite being about businessmen rather than scientists. There's an organisational aspect and the quest for funding, there's a bit of intrigue thrown in, there are Thrasher's personal issues with which woman he wants to sleep with which night, there's a side story about rocket powered commercial flight... (the latter being driven by Thrasher's desire to not spend too much time flying between cities, a sentiment I found myself sympathising with deeply as I sat in a jet and crossed threeish continents.) Plotwise there's a lot going on, enough to offset the fact that it's not science-based SF. It's the variety of the plot that stopped me throwing the Kobo aside in frustration. Well, that and the fact that most of the ARCs I actually wanted to read were PDFs and those don't Kobo well.
If you've gotten this far through the review, you'll have gathered that I didn't enjoy Mars, Inc. Because of the problems with it, I feel I can only recommend it to readers interested in a how-to guide for getting to Mars in the near future. Although I've said it's low on science, what science there is is accurately described. I don't think I'll be picking up any more Ben Bova books, and certainly not in the near future.
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
October 30, 2021
A fun read. Nothing spectacularly mind-blowing. Kind of a beach-companion book, laden with stereotypes, but also with some fun action and a bit of hard science to keep it interesting.
April 20, 2014
The best science fiction is actually just a few steps away from reality. Communication with aliens, warp drive, inter-species wars...all that is fine for movies, but when it comes to reading science fiction, I want to read the stories that could happen. Given Ben Bova's reputation as a science fiction writer, I expected this to actually BE science fiction. I've never read his work before, so I don't know if this is indicative of his other books, but I don't think I'm going to jump in to find out.
Mars, Inc. tells the story of Art Thrasher, a man determined to send humans to the red planet so that he can let those back on Earth experience their adventures via virtual reality, thereby making millions through selling his company's VR equipment.
Mars, Inc. starts off sensibly enough, with Thrasher getting the money men together and assembling the team to make his vision into reality. There are a few references to the design of the ship that will make the trip. Beyond that, the book barely touches on the mechanics of the Mars mission or even on the astronauts and scientists involved. Instead, we get sabotage, an attempted corporate takeover and political wrangling over where to do the launches. All of this might be more interesting if Bova had created Thrasher as any kind of sympathetic protagonist. Instead, we get a man whose main concern is how he's going to get laid each night.
The novel seems to be written at about a sixth-grade level, and there are several typos. In one glaring continuity error, the fifty-five-year old Thrasher remembers back to sitting as a child in his college professor father's lecture hall, where students were texting as his father talked. Really?
Despite the cover work portraying men planting flags on Mars, the book ends with the launch. The subtitle makes me wonder if this is meant to be the first novel in a series. I doubt I'll return for more.
Mars, Inc. tells the story of Art Thrasher, a man determined to send humans to the red planet so that he can let those back on Earth experience their adventures via virtual reality, thereby making millions through selling his company's VR equipment.
Mars, Inc. starts off sensibly enough, with Thrasher getting the money men together and assembling the team to make his vision into reality. There are a few references to the design of the ship that will make the trip. Beyond that, the book barely touches on the mechanics of the Mars mission or even on the astronauts and scientists involved. Instead, we get sabotage, an attempted corporate takeover and political wrangling over where to do the launches. All of this might be more interesting if Bova had created Thrasher as any kind of sympathetic protagonist. Instead, we get a man whose main concern is how he's going to get laid each night.
The novel seems to be written at about a sixth-grade level, and there are several typos. In one glaring continuity error, the fifty-five-year old Thrasher remembers back to sitting as a child in his college professor father's lecture hall, where students were texting as his father talked. Really?
Despite the cover work portraying men planting flags on Mars, the book ends with the launch. The subtitle makes me wonder if this is meant to be the first novel in a series. I doubt I'll return for more.
January 14, 2017
I chose this book because I've read and enjoyed a lot of Bova's other work and expected a good read despite it coming from Baen (A publisher who I tend to avoid for reasons that will become clear). Sadly it soon became obvious that this is not one of Bova's better works. While the idea was intriguing the delivery was formulaic and suffocated by it's adherence to the narrow ideological viewpoint that Baen appears to impose on all it's authors. These constraints rob the plots of their books of any dramatic tension (I have books that provided more on their third reading than this one had on it's first) as it means that twists in the plot are telegraphed well in advance and a reader familiar with Baen's output will know the outcome the moment the clue is introduced. To make matters worse the editing of my copy was dreadful, it appears that the central character's name was changed at the last moment because in two places his name is given as 'Thatcher' instead of 'Thrasher' and in another place a purely descriptive passage is somehow credited as being part of the central character's thoughts. I was left with the impression that this was Bova's 'Contractual Obligation Novel' to Baen. It might be worth checking this book out of the library but it's not worth purchasing and I'll be even less likely to open a Baen book in the future.
May 13, 2014
This was my second, and my last, Ben Bova book. I could finish neither, and I had to ask myself why. Any book where the main character can't say the word "government" without adding "goddamned" in front of it every time has got to be good, right? Sadly, no.
The problem is Ben Bova is a naturalist. That's a loaded term. I'm using it to mean that Bova strives to represent human beings in an essentially journalistic fashion, picking from the basic palette of flat characters you would see in the culture around us. His characters are just regular people, even when they are billionaires. This to me is not only contrary to the essence of science fiction, which should present a vision of an advanced future that is "larger than life," but it is contrary to anything that would make sense about a private mission to Mars.
I'm not very forgiving. Two strikes, you're out, Ben Bova!
The problem is Ben Bova is a naturalist. That's a loaded term. I'm using it to mean that Bova strives to represent human beings in an essentially journalistic fashion, picking from the basic palette of flat characters you would see in the culture around us. His characters are just regular people, even when they are billionaires. This to me is not only contrary to the essence of science fiction, which should present a vision of an advanced future that is "larger than life," but it is contrary to anything that would make sense about a private mission to Mars.
I'm not very forgiving. Two strikes, you're out, Ben Bova!
February 5, 2018
This book is an interesting but sometimes boring and predictable character piece on a man's quest to get people to Mars. I picked this up without any knowledge of what the story was about and was only slightly disappointed. It was not really exciting and some of the science and business was not very sound but I would call it a passable possibility for humanity getting to Mars.
This is not a bad book but do not go in to reading it thinking you will be on the edge of your seat. There is a lot of "boardroom action" and "business dealings" plus some pretty interesting ideas on rockets and space flight.
This is not a bad book but do not go in to reading it thinking you will be on the edge of your seat. There is a lot of "boardroom action" and "business dealings" plus some pretty interesting ideas on rockets and space flight.
February 6, 2018
At times it seemed as good if it had been written in the 50’s and simply had some updates on modern technology, particularly in regards to women. More disappointing was the lack of depth to the story. The events simply tracked; not enough emotion or background to make me care about any of the characters.
March 30, 2014
The business angle to the story was more interesting than I thought it would be.
January 22, 2017
Tech billionaire pressures others into funding private exploration of Mars.
May 3, 2018
Not much plot and the tension was forced. Disappointing.
February 10, 2020
Should have been named “Art Thrasher’s Sex Life - Oh, and Some Stuff About Mars”. Reminds me of how Heinlein’s late stuff became more about sex instead of a good story. No thanks.
September 6, 2022
junk.
a book that sent me running to look up to see what the hell I missed. Nothing as far as I see just people not bothering to admit they read a bad book as far as I can tell.
I mean, the book is fine grammatically but everything else is junk.
where is this corporate thriller that people are talking about? Some reviews I'm seeing are mad it wasn't that sci-fi which I get that some felt tricked but I went in knowing this so no issue there. But what's the plot here? main character asks for money repeatedly, he gets it; OH MY GOD SOOOOO INTERESTING!
Every female character is immediately defined by how fuckable they are, which surprise surprise they all are.
Nothing is believable or explained well enough.
how exactly did the main character become a millionaire from nowhere?
how is he a bumbling fool and the next instant knows things?
how does the main character go through so many years of life and 2 marriages and then suddenly after getting married a 3rd time realize that this one might last because he actually kind of likes her?
how are problems just solved by saying "just get it done" or something to that effect?
how is 10K enough to get someone who has a stable life and makes much more than that sabotage such a massive project, how is that enough, its directly tied to their own jobs success, how was it hidden from cops and insurance agencies but not from the main character just checking in?
how is the betrayal of a long time friend, their murder, the attempt to destroy your mars project and destroy you in every way solved with a literal punch to the gut?
Decades of planning payback and a capable billionaire's plan was to try to buy enough shares to have a controlling interest but he very clearly doesn't?
I can only hope that this was written ages ago and just published very very late and no one bothered to think though updating it. Heck, I don't even mean that because of the sexist use of female characters. I mean in its view of money, in tech, society. I would buy it if this was written before 1999 or so but if this was written anytime this millennium is sorely out of touch.
A plan to launch a space mission in 5 years isn't making money in the first 2 and is considered a failure for it?
VR will make enough money to justify a mars mission?
VR sells a million units and is considered a success?
mob is super organized, super secret, super invested, controls billionaires, kills over 5 grand, and is so amazing they can do random stuff and not be addressed after it is brought up at the very end to be the answer?
Don't get me wrong it would still be bad but at this point it doesn't make sense why anyone likes this book.
a book that sent me running to look up to see what the hell I missed. Nothing as far as I see just people not bothering to admit they read a bad book as far as I can tell.
I mean, the book is fine grammatically but everything else is junk.
where is this corporate thriller that people are talking about? Some reviews I'm seeing are mad it wasn't that sci-fi which I get that some felt tricked but I went in knowing this so no issue there. But what's the plot here? main character asks for money repeatedly, he gets it; OH MY GOD SOOOOO INTERESTING!
Every female character is immediately defined by how fuckable they are, which surprise surprise they all are.
Nothing is believable or explained well enough.
how exactly did the main character become a millionaire from nowhere?
how is he a bumbling fool and the next instant knows things?
how does the main character go through so many years of life and 2 marriages and then suddenly after getting married a 3rd time realize that this one might last because he actually kind of likes her?
how are problems just solved by saying "just get it done" or something to that effect?
how is 10K enough to get someone who has a stable life and makes much more than that sabotage such a massive project, how is that enough, its directly tied to their own jobs success, how was it hidden from cops and insurance agencies but not from the main character just checking in?
how is the betrayal of a long time friend, their murder, the attempt to destroy your mars project and destroy you in every way solved with a literal punch to the gut?
Decades of planning payback and a capable billionaire's plan was to try to buy enough shares to have a controlling interest but he very clearly doesn't?
I can only hope that this was written ages ago and just published very very late and no one bothered to think though updating it. Heck, I don't even mean that because of the sexist use of female characters. I mean in its view of money, in tech, society. I would buy it if this was written before 1999 or so but if this was written anytime this millennium is sorely out of touch.
A plan to launch a space mission in 5 years isn't making money in the first 2 and is considered a failure for it?
VR will make enough money to justify a mars mission?
VR sells a million units and is considered a success?
mob is super organized, super secret, super invested, controls billionaires, kills over 5 grand, and is so amazing they can do random stuff and not be addressed after it is brought up at the very end to be the answer?
Don't get me wrong it would still be bad but at this point it doesn't make sense why anyone likes this book.
September 3, 2022
With a title like Mars, Inc. and the name Ben Bova attached to it, you would think you'd know what to expect. Personally, I was excited to get my hands on an ARC,and went into this with high hopes. As much as I tried to hold onto those hopes, though, the 'real' story I expected to find beginning in the next chapter never materialized.
This was so very much not what I was expecting from a master like Ben Bova. It felt like a throwback to 60s and 70s pulp sci-fi, but not in a good way. It was cheap, sexist, and almost as lazy in respect to its business and it politics as it was smart in respect to its science - and we don't get nearly enough of that. What's more, there's no payoff, no grand spectacle, just the fact of a launch to end the book that we don't even get to see, much less experience.
Disappointing in just about every respect. I do wonder if there's a sequel to come, but I have neither the patience nor the interest for that.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
This was so very much not what I was expecting from a master like Ben Bova. It felt like a throwback to 60s and 70s pulp sci-fi, but not in a good way. It was cheap, sexist, and almost as lazy in respect to its business and it politics as it was smart in respect to its science - and we don't get nearly enough of that. What's more, there's no payoff, no grand spectacle, just the fact of a launch to end the book that we don't even get to see, much less experience.
Disappointing in just about every respect. I do wonder if there's a sequel to come, but I have neither the patience nor the interest for that.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
December 30, 2021
Art Thrasher has a dream - for humankind to get to Mars. When the government (which he constantly curses and berates) keeps cutting NASA funding and reducing projects, Art reaches out to numerous billionaires to form a "club" (business) to make the project happen. Each billionaire agrees to fund $1 billion a year for five years.
Bova draws believable characters but even better, he brings understanding of the current state of scientific and technological developments. This is science fiction at its best, showing how within our current times the imagined could become reality.
Bova draws believable characters but even better, he brings understanding of the current state of scientific and technological developments. This is science fiction at its best, showing how within our current times the imagined could become reality.
December 13, 2020
An unlikeable protagonist who is immune to consequence, who stomps all over safety offices because, gosh, if only there were someone to tell NASA to "go faster" it would work?
And mix in a whole lot of board room discussion as primary plot device and uuugh every woman but two in the book being a knockout with a lot of detail letting you know she's pretty and of course they all fall all over the protagonist who is, as I said, extremely unlikeable...
not for me.
And mix in a whole lot of board room discussion as primary plot device and uuugh every woman but two in the book being a knockout with a lot of detail letting you know she's pretty and of course they all fall all over the protagonist who is, as I said, extremely unlikeable...
not for me.
October 6, 2021
No, the protagonist is no Elon Musk, but Ben Bova has caught the drift of the times and magnitude of importance of an individual on the private sector’s push towards the red planet.
The book’s lack of characterisation doesn’t necessarily interfere with the likability of this book, just reduces its potential scope and depth.
This is a light, pleasant, plausible and enjoyable snack, not a banquet, a catchy little tune, not a grand symphony.
The book’s lack of characterisation doesn’t necessarily interfere with the likability of this book, just reduces its potential scope and depth.
This is a light, pleasant, plausible and enjoyable snack, not a banquet, a catchy little tune, not a grand symphony.
November 22, 2024
I did enjoy this one a bit more than my 3 stars might suggest. It was a nice cosy typical Ben Bova read but I did put my feet up and sink into the story and enjoy it. Yes it reads kinda 50's pulp but it does have modern references as it was only published a decade ago. Yes it follows and goes where many of Ben Bova's novels go so not very original and not that exciting but at this point I am so familiar with Ben's writing and types of characters he writes I really enjoyed it.
November 11, 2021
Strange to call this "science fiction" as it is more of a mystery novel. Well written, characters well drawn. Initially the protagonist is looked at with a bit of distain by a character I was assuming to be the protagonist of the story. Nicely done, Mr. Bova! Personally I was looking for more "sci-fi" than I got, but the book is indeed a "good read." Pun intended.
September 1, 2018
My introduction to Ben Bova was 'Mars', and I've been slowly working my way through the Grand Tour books. Although this book isn't part of that story it caught my eye at the bookstore.
Absolutely loved reading every page. While the story was serious, I enjoyed the lighter tone the book had.
Absolutely loved reading every page. While the story was serious, I enjoyed the lighter tone the book had.
June 25, 2020
A guy mooches billions from billionaires with the hopes of a crewed mission to Mars. A rocket is built but it explodes. An investigation determines that it was meant to happen. An investigation while the back-up is prepared. Don't judge this by its cover.
December 11, 2022
Did not enjoy this.
If you like admin and meetings, this is for you.
This entire book is about the business dealings to get a spaceship to Mars, and doesn’t actually include a ship getting to mars.
Looking for actual sci-fi? Don’t bother with this, look at some of his other books.
If you like admin and meetings, this is for you.
This entire book is about the business dealings to get a spaceship to Mars, and doesn’t actually include a ship getting to mars.
Looking for actual sci-fi? Don’t bother with this, look at some of his other books.
May 18, 2026
Meh, it was okay. Seems like a generous view of billionaires actually. The most interesting part of the plot (the rocket ship and trip to Mars) were glossed over or not covered. The story ends when the ship leaves orbit. It's not about getting to Mars but the politics leading up to the flight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2018
Pretty good book - author is super sexist, though.
July 21, 2018
Quick read, nicely paced. Reminds me of Heinlein's "The Man Who Sold The Moon", which may explain why I liked it so much.
November 7, 2018
Definitely more fiction than science fiction. It was still a very good story and kept me interested.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews