Mariner, Viking, Pathfinder, Global Surveyor, Odyssey, Spirit and Opportunity; international research and mapping projects, preparing the way for human expeditions; meteorites from Mars, which seem to contain evidence of life there; this is a remarkable time of Mars exploration and discovery, and it's been a great time for Mars fiction, too.

Here are just some of the best of the more recent books — both fact-based fiction, and nonfiction with real vision — that offer fresh perspectives on Mars exploration, and the space program in general, and some great Web sites to top it off.

Fiction

Most of the science fiction writers are scientists who have been following Mars science passionately for years, and many have contributed significantly to the effort through the “Mars Underground,” an ongoing community of scientists on the Internet who share theories and discoveries. (Warning: Mars fiction can be addictive. If you read too many novels, you may begin to believe that you really have been there.)

Voyage by Stephen Baxter SF BAX.
What if the Apollo program hadn't been scuttled? In the epic tradition of Space, The Right Stuff, and Apollo 13 — but with a female astronaut in a leading role — this is the Big Story of an alternate-future space program, in which we went to Mars in 1986. Through funding battles, engineering disasters, and personal challenges, the vision is pursued. This is the story that could have been.

First Landing by Robert Zubrin SF ZUB.
In our own near future, we do it — but the landing is a nightmare, the scientific mission is derailed by serious mishaps, and the five astronauts are men and women with some serious differences. How they improvise their own survival on the dangerous planet, and turn their challenges to advantage, makes for a fast-moving, suspenseful, and inspiring tale rooted in the realities of Mars and our present engineering capabilities.

Return to Mars by Ben Bova SF BOV.
A sequel to Bova's popular Mars, which featured the likeable Navajo astronaut Jamie Waterman. The twists continue here as Waterman gets an unexpected opportunity to return to the planet — but this expedition is strictly for-profit; it's supported by online virtual realitytours, and threatens to turn Mars into a tawdry tourist attraction. As mission leader, Waterman has his work cut out for him — reconciling conflicting interests, fighting for his crew's survival, and (not least) fulfilling his own private vision.

The Martian Race by Gregory Benford SF BEN.
In this clever scenario, a huge reward is offered to the first successful expedition to Mars. As a private venture, this mission has been thrown together as quickly and cheaply as possible, and Mars proves it has a great many ways to undermine the fragile technology that keeps the international team alive. And the crew can't just snatch a piece of the planet and fly back, they are required to stay a while and do some real exploring. Great suspense, good characters, and fascinating science.

Mars Crossing by Geoffrey A. Landis SF LAN.
Another suspenseful, world-class adventure on the Red Planet: as this story begins, it is our third attempt — and probably last chance — to get to Mars in our time, and private capital joins with NASA's to make the heroic attempt. Landis does an outstanding job of making space travel and Mars geography real to the reader, and of conveying the dangers and engineering problems such alien environments present to humans.

Abandon in Place by Jerry Oltion SF OLT.
Oltion is a hard-science writer who creates a sense of wonder without getting bogged down in technical details. Though they aren’t set specifically on Mars, this novel and the next explore many issues related to the space program and space exploration. Abandon in Place is a cross between a ghost story and hard science fiction, is a sometimes madcap, sometimes thought provoking adventure set in the near future. What if the spirit of the great old days of the Apollo program came back?

The Getaway Special by Jerry Oltion SF OLT.
The Getaway Special is another romp, asking the question: what would happen if the secret to faster-than-light travel became available and affordable to everyone?

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson SF ROB.
Red Mars won just about every major science fiction award and launched a major new trilogy set on Mars. The sequels Green Mars and Blue Mars (both SF ROB)were also published to great acclaim, and complete this epic of human colonization on our neighboring planet. A short story collection, The Martians (SF ROB) explores further dimensions of Robinson's "Mars universe" in ways that contain some surprises for readers of the trilogy. (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars, all CAS SF ROB, are available on cassette.)

Nonfiction

Those who have read some of the recent fiction set on Mars will enjoy exploring the planet further in these nonfiction books:

Traveller’s Guide to Mars: The Mysterious Landscapes of the Red Planet by William K. Hartmann 523.43 H 2003.
The author, a Mars scientist, offers proof that the fiction writers got it right, in this exploration of Mars region by region. This is rich in insider information from one who has worked in space exporation; photos and digital images; and the sort of information any traveller would need such as weather, hazards, and geology.

Mars: Uncovering the Secrets of the Red Planet by Paul Raeburn and Matt Golulmbek 523.43 R 1998.
This National Geographic book also offers maps, photos, and good scientific information. A nice companion volume to the fiction, or a place to do more exploring.

The Case for Mars by Robert Zubrin 523.43 Z.
The Case for Mars outlines a feasible project for a human expedition, one which will be familiar to readers of much recent Mars fiction. The genius of Zubrin's plan is to emulate successful terrestrial expeditions of the past — those, like Lewis and Clark, which lived ingeniously off the land, rather than attempting to bring along all the resources needed for a return trip. Zubrin demonstrates convincingly how an affordable expedition could be carried out at our current level of technology, using materials known to be available on Mars. (When its first Mars proposal was found to be prohibitively expensive, NASA later adopted a modified version of Zubrin's simpler, cheaper plan.)

Managing Martians by Donna Shirley B SHIRLEY.
For an up close and personal view of how space missions work and the people who make them happen, this is a fascinating insider's view of the "faster, cheaper, better" Pathfinder project and the creation of its memorable rover,"Sojourner Truth." Shirley, an engineer and the first woman to lead a major space mission, tells her story with humor, insight, and enthusiasm.

Dark Life: Martian Nanobacteria, Rock-Eating Cave Bugs, and Other Extreme Organisms of Inner Earth and Outer Space by Michael Ray Taylor 575 T 1999.
The search for life on Mars is just part of an ongoing examination of the nature of life itself. This fascinating exploration of recent discoveries of “extremophiles” challenges many common assumptions about life, and casts a new light on anything we might find on Mars.

Web sites

There are a great many Web sites offering information on Mars. Here are some of the best:

The Mars Society: strong advocacy for Mars exploration.
http://www.marssociety.org/

Mars in the Mind of Earth: links to information on books, people, and much more. http://www.marsearth.com/home.html

National Aeronautics and Space Administration: go here for links to the many sites NASA offers including mission updates, latest press releases, educational materials, and more.
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/