Ares by Jayson Adams - The First Expidition To Mars Is Plagued With Strife

 

Ares by Jayson Adams

I learned about Ares from a Facebook ad that kept popping up on my timeline. I was further spurred on to read by the book's description. It promised a fast-paced tale of murder and intrigue on the first mission to Mars. No less, it promised a story set in the Cydonia region of the Red Planet, a place of much controversy and speculation.

I read this book in just a few days, finding it to be an amazing story that moved so fast, I just did not want to stop reading. It is a great tale with well-developed characters. There are moments of great tension and several fun and scary plot twists. Anyone who loves Sci-Fi space opera or a really good mystery story would enjoy this story. It is full of political corruption, starting at the top levels of two space agencies driven by greed. Nothing is certain in the plot and there are surprises on nearly every page.

The first mission to Mars is led by Commander Kate Holman, that is until she is unexpectedly relieved of command and replaced by the mission's security officer as ordered by a NASA deputy director. This happens almost as their vessel is descending for a landing on Mars. Kate learns that their mission has gone from one of exploration and discovery to one with a military objective.

Kate and most of her crew are a little perplexed by the security officer, who makes a trek to the "face on Mars" to retrieve something. What he finds could be anything, evidence of life, alien artifacts, or maybe a rare new element previously unknown. Kate can only speculate about what the officer has found.

Astronauts are killed and their habitat begins to experience malfunctions. One crew member says the mishaps result from a Martian curse that will continue to plague the mission until whatever the security officer has found is returned to its original resting place. Kate continues to seek more plausible explanations for the problems that keep cropping up.

When she finally learns the nature of what has been retrieved, she understands why some would kill to protect the secret. It is decided her, and what is left of her crew must return home to expose the corruption she has uncovered. Unfortunately, the odds are against her as she is forced to fight against some very powerful forces, determined to keep the secrets in the darkness.

Kate is a great, strong female character who has studied, worked, and sacrificed much to earn her position, commanding the first Martian mission only to have it ripped away from her. But she doesn't just step aside quietly and relinquish. She knows she is in the right and is determined to get her command back and lead a successful mission. This is very important to her.

She does have a few skeletons in her closet, and she has a hard time stopping the old bones from rattling. Much of what causes her pain is some misconceived ideas she has of an incident that occurred on previous mission.

Her determination and her ability to survive the obstacles in her path are all she has, and she takes full advantage of her resources to thwart the plans set against her.

The author has created a great character in Commander Kate Holman, and I would enjoy reading more about her exploits in future books.

My favorite plot point in Ares was how Commander Kate was able to find ways to deal with her problems so well. She had a lot stacked against her. She had personal problems, family problems, problems with the mission, problems with the crew, and, of course, there was the nearly insane way the antagonist just wouldn't give up. I couldn't imagine balancing everything she faced, but the author did a fine job getting his principal character through it all.

My takeaway from Ares is how it demonstrates perseverance can take one a long way to deal with seemingly impossible situations.

Ares is a great story. I was fascinated and entertained all the way through. The action is pretty well non-stop through the entire book and there are several twists and turns in the plot to hold the reader's attention. The science, for the most part, is plausible, and the spaceflight depicted is also to be admired. There is intrigue involving both space agencies that exist now. I recommend Ares for anyone who enjoys a good, fast-paced sci-fi tale.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

At age sixteen, Jayson dreamed of starting a software company and retiring by twenty-five. He achieved his dream just before thirty, working for the likes of Steve Jobs and selling one of his start-ups along the way. Five years later, he returned to computers with another start-up. He currently works at Google.

Computers were always Jayson's creative outlet, the screen a "blank slate." He now channels his creative energies into writing compelling science-fiction.

Well, there it is...

Qapla!