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The year is 2187. Crucial Larsen, a veteran of the brutal Consolidation Wars, is working as a labor cop on Earth. The planet is a toxic dump and billions of people are miserable, but so what? It’s none of his business. He’s finally living a good life, or good enough. But then Essential, his beloved kid sister, disappears on Mars. When Halo—the all-powerful artificial-intelligence overseeing Earth and Mars on behalf of the ruling Five Families—can’t (or won’t) locate his sister, Crucial races up-universe to find her.
PRAISE FOR GATES OF MARS:
“An indelible introduction to an interplanetary saga and its sublime characters.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The authors’ imaginations again run wild, this time a science fiction/detective series looking at what our lives may hold in the not too distant future if everything that can go wrong does go wrong. And they’ve done it with their trademark undercurrent of humor that lifts an otherwise dreary future into something resembling—do I dare say?—hope. Their best work to date. And the giraffes? You’ll have to read Gates of Mars to find out. I’m already wishing they could write faster.” —Renee Struthers, East Oregonian newspaper
“With twists and turns true to some of the best noir detective pieces—but with an other-world setting and futuristic society—along with psychological insights and connections, Gates of Mars is a riveting, unexpected story, filled with intrigue and change. Sci-fi and detective story readers alike with find Gates of Mars one of a kind, worthy of avid pursuit.” —Midwest Book Review
Science Fiction at its finest, Gates of Mars by Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays is chock full of entertainment, mystery, suspense, and a high dose of humor mixed with the sobering truth of the societal imbalance between the mega rich and the poorest of the poor. Even if you are not a fan of Sci-Fi, Gates of Mars will still grab your attention because the human element is identifiable and all too timely in today’s global landscape.
Crucial Larsen lives on Earth, and his little sister Essential lives on Mars but has recently gone missing. The story takes place in the year 2187 and flips back and forth between Crucial’s debrief/interrogation with AI-based Halo and the madcap events that happened on Mars a few weeks prior. The entire world building is exciting and well thought out, providing a fabulous backdrop that really is not that unbelievable. Existence on Earth is in the proverbial hand basket, and building a society on Mars is no longer that far-fetched. In Gates of Mars, Earth is blighted from years of plague and climate change, and the super rich and highly influential Five Families have taken over pretty much everything and everyone, on both Earth and Mars. When Crucial, who is on the labor security force on Earth, travels to Mars to find out what happened to his sister, he falls headlong into more trouble than he ever bargained for, which is a lot because he is always in some sort of jam.
With Gates of Mars, McFall and Hays have kicked off yet another brilliant trilogy that delivers non-stop action and great characterization. Crucial is the main character and is quite likable and quirky, and my other favorite character is Sanders Veetoo, who may just steal your heart as well. Romance is somewhat low key in Gates of Mars, but familial love between brother and sister is high, and the Bromance between Crucial and Sanders is off-the-chart charming and quite hilarious.
Whether you are a fan of Sci-Fi or not, dive into Gates of Mars to see what all the fuss is about, especially about those giraffes on the red planet and the rise of the Resistance against the Five Families, the AI surveillance/monitor called Halo, and the status quo. If your interest is piqued after reading Gates of Mars, another Sci-Fi series with some similar elements may interest you: Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown. Lots of action and resistance to the unfair/unbalanced status quo there as well.
In today’s reality, where resistance seems to be taking center stage, Gates of Mars will hit you in the gut and the heart, with an ending that brilliantly sets the stage for book two.
Enter the giveaway below on or before July 8, 2020, for a chance to win a some interesting prizes.
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
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June 29-July 8, 2020
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Another outstanding review. I can’t wait to get started on this series. Thanks for the post!
Thanks! I read it in less than two days. Can’t wait for Book 2!