Mars Adrift

Mars Adrift is the conclusion to McFall and Hays' Halo Trilogy. I haven't yet had the pleasure of reading books one and two, but that didn't interfere with my enjoyment of book three.

This is some pretty hardcore sci-fi meets a good detective story. It's a dual timeline story, told from the point of view of Lauren Valentine, chancellor of Stardust University and history professor, in 2238, and from the point of view of Crucial Larsen, fifty years earlier on Mars. Crucial's parts of the story unfold in response to discussions Valentine has with her students, and this storytelling method really worked well for me.

Crucial is something of a curmudgeon, largely interested in what's best for Crucial, but he's still a surprisingly likable character. And he's not quite as self-interested as he used to be. Sure, he's still working toward his own agenda, but he'll do his best to save those who matter to him – and the world – in the process. He's not always happy about his newly discovered compassionate tendencies, though. As they search for Mel, his former lover and the only person who might be able to really make a difference following the attack, Crucial glares at his sister Essential and thinks, “If the nanites have somehow infected me with empathy, I will never forgive her.”

I think Sanders was my very favorite character, though. He's a cybanism – a cybernetic humanoid. As you might expect, there are some pretty entertaining misunderstandings when he takes something Crucial says literally that shouldn't have been taken literally or has no frame of reference for how humans think. And just as the Resistance sought to introduce an empathy hack into the overlord AI Halo, Sanders himself seems to be developing emotions. Coincidence?

The writing style is sharp and smart, and moves the story along quickly. Mars Adrift touches on serious issues, such as global wealth, climate change, politics, and the grasping greed that is part of human nature. However, it does so with fascinating turns of phrase and unexpected elements that make the story fun to read as well as thought-provoking. I mean, “an interstellar invader in squiggly paramecium ships crapping out clouds of what are most likely weapons”? Come on, if that doesn't make you want to read this book, you are dead inside. And I think “Oh, for the love of binomial aggravation” may be my new favorite expletive phrase.

If you're a sci-fan, or just a fan of a well-told, well-written, wildly entertaining story, get the Halo Trilogy. McFall and Hays have gotten bumped up to the top of my “I'll read anything they write” list.

I give it five dome-smashing meteors. Top notch.