Title: The Sands of Mars
Author: Arthur C. Clarke
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 208
Rating: 4/5
The Sands of Mars has all of the hallmarks of a classic Arthur C. Clarke novel, and that makes it well worth a read.
There are two things at the heart of this one, so let’s start with the most obvious. Author Martin Gibson, who’s essentially an Arthur C. Clarke self-insert, is the lucky man who’s able to take the first passenger trip to Mars. We get to see the entirety of the voyage there, as well as what Martian society is like thanks to the efforts of the colonists.
But it’s also a very human tale, mostly focusing on Gibson and his fatal flaws, as well as the various relationships he has with the other characters. There’s one character in particular who has an unusual link to Gibson, but that doesn’t get revealed until fairly late on in the novel.
Overall, the two elements come together nicely, making this a cracker of an adventure story with a lot of science and a lot of heart. Clarke has written better stories, but other than Rama and the Odyssey series, this is up there.
