First Landing

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Summary: Bob Zubrin is one of the great visionaries of our time!
Review: This is the first fiction book by Bob Zubrin, author of the highly acclaimed book "The Case for Mars". As with writers such as Isaac Asimov and Sir Arthur Clarke, Zubrin displays a huge talent for writing BOTH science AND science fiction, and First Landing is a great showcase for this talent! I would argue that Bob Zubrin is also one of the greatest visionaries of our time, someone whose work should NOT be missed.

First Landing tells the story of the first human landing on Mars. It's an intriguing tale, made all the more plausible and realistic by the fact that Zubin is one of the leading scientists working on plans to explore -- and settle -- the Red Planet.

After Hollywood trash such as "Red Planet", First Landing is a breath of fresh air! If only they had (or perhaps they will or should!) turn First Landing into a movie. It would be fabulous.

If you have any interest whatsoever in Mars or in human space exploration -- or even if you are just looking for a book that will portray a thought-provoking glimpse of the future, I can definitely recommend First Landing.

(I also highly recommend Bob Zubrin's other books, "The Case for Mars" and "Entering Space". If you haven't read those, pop those books in your Amazon cart along with First Landing!)

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Summary: Move Over, Heinlein!
Review: This is the first good, new sci-fi I've read in years; or I should say, finished reading. I like science fiction, mystery, adventure, and many other types of novels, and it is so very refreshing to find a sci-fi novel that's readable and doesn't take 100 pages to introduce the characters, plot, or name its characters after chemical elements and freezer bags. This is apparently Dr. Zubrin's first novel and he does an excellent job of "showing, not telling" and letting the characters move the story along. I previously read "Case for Mars" and "Entering Space" and when I learned the author was writing an SF novel about Mars, figured it would be an interesting read. It was. One of Dr. Zubrin's strengths is his ability to weave-in technical facts without mucking-up the story line by making it overly technical and boring. In my opinion, too many modern SF writers try to sound smart and only succeed in writing boring stories with characters named Benzicrome or Zip-Loc, that no one finishes. Anyone can go to the library and get a textbook. First Landing is not a textbook, but it could be used as one. I would like to see the author write novels about a space-fairing race that explores the solar system and beyond. Congratulations Dr. Zubrin! And keep writing!

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Summary: Accurate and Interesting Trip to Mars
Review: This year has been a great one for novels about expeditions to Mars-- first MARS CROSSING, and now FIRST LANDING; both excellent books with the incredible technical realism and interesting characters. Robert Zubrin's book follows a group of very different characters as they execute a difficult mission to Mars, and he does not skip out on either the technical details or on the character conflicts. And that's to be expected-- not only is he a writer, Robert Zubrin is also a top-rate space engineer-- he literally wrote the book on how to go to Mars. This book is great if, like me, you think that science fiction needs both science _and_ interesting characters.
Of the novels about Mars trips, I still think that Geoffrey A. Landis' book MARS CROSSING is my favorite, but FIRST LANDING runs a close second.

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Summary: You haven't lived until you've read First Landing
Review: You haven't! This book is the most incredible, best told story I have ever read. The book could have been quadrupled in length and I still would read it. The character development is this book is superb. Some characters go from seemingly useless to the best man on the mission, or from all tough to showing a good side. This is the best book in terms of character development that I have read in ALL genres.

Dr. Zubrin tells the story of 5 astronauts who travel to Mars- and get stranded there. Those of you who may read Dr. Zubrin's other books, you may ask how this happened. For those of you who haven't, you'll find out. This book shows what a 5-minute speech and the clapping of one person can do to the public opinion of the United States. If you like to read books, this deserves a permanent place on your bookshelf. If you don't, read it anyway! There is no excuse for not reading this book, so get it now. You should also pick up Dr. Zubrin's other 2 superb books- The Case for Mars ,and Entering Space.

READ THIS BOOK TODAY!!

Rating:
Summary: none
Review: Zubrin is a gifted and talented writer that can easily blend fact with fiction, and "First Landing" has all the right stuff: intrigue and wonder, clashing personalities and cold-hearted politicians, integrity and intellect, danger and the human will to survive despite the odds, dicovery and mystery both human and alien... Gary S. Potter Author/Poet

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Summary: Human Faith and the Martian Frontier
Review: Zubrin's story reaffirms optimism in the dreams and ideals of the Space Age, presenting Mars as the New Frontier that will keep our civilization alive and growing. One reviewer did not like Zubrin's characters, calling them cliches. I disagree. The characters Zubrin used are the right characters that should be in a story like this. I especially appreciate Zubrin's respectful and insightful handling of the clash of worldviews between the liberal agnoticism of the Radcliff-educated Rebecca (the biologist and physician), and the fundamentalist Christian coal-miner's daughter Gwen (the military-trained engineer). Zubrin dared to address the area of moral values, and showed their importance to human motivation. He allowed his characters to change and grow as they came to appreciate one another's differing views. The controlling, manipulative Rebecca came to regret and repent of the way she tried to "trample upon Gwen" and her conscientious convictions, and came to realize that Gwen's refusal to submit to an abortion was absolutely consistent with Rebecca's own love and adoration for life. Few writers in any genre dare to address this subject so boldly and profoundly. WARNING: The following reveals some features of the end of the story, and may be considered "plot spoilers" by some. But I was gleefully delighted with the triumph of all five of the the crew members presented in the epilogue. Rebecca got her Nobel Prize (more than one), the rule-bending, authority-defying leader of the crew, Colonel Townsend, wound up becoming President of the United States, and conservative Gwen got to be the founder of a true colony, along with the steadfast and level-headed Kevin. When they got married, Gwen's amazed thoughts, "I'm getting married in the sky! It's a marriage made in Heaven!" were wonderful. Even the super-Texan, Luke, got to have his own "spread" back in Texas, and made a fortune importing Martian gemstones (which also helped secure the financial success of the colony on Mars). The story contains such delicious moments as when Gwen is about to deliver her baby, and Rebecca orders all men "except the father" to leave the room, and Luke who got Gwen pregnant, and Kevin who had married Gwen after she became pregnant, both stand there looking at each other for a moment, and the women simply "watched curiously" to "see who stays."