Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst sci-fi books I've ever read...
Review: Don't let Geoffrey Landis' claims of being a "NASA insider" fool you into thinking that this book is even remotely based on science fact. I AM A NASA INSIDER and I assure you that most of the book is based on complete bunk. The astronauts in this book seem like out-of-control gang-bangers who shrug off death like it happened every day. The reality of WALKING or DRIVING from the southern hemisphere to the north pole of Mars? I think not. Astronauts having sex in the space station? No. And don't even get me started on the ending... It's horrible. Do yourself a favor and read another book. I will never, repeat, never read another book by Landis.
Rating: 
Summary: The finest in Mars exploration novels
Review: Even at 434 pages, I read "Mars Crossing" in two sittings over a 12-hour period. It is an amazingly strong debut novel from NASA engineer Landis, who deftly balances compelling characters with a thoroughly realistic and scientifically intriguing early trip to Mars. We start out with the third human crew ever to reach the surface of Mars, a mission more palpably dangerous than in many comparable novels, not least because the first two missions had no survivors. The novel opens with a successful landing on Mars, only to learn that a Herculean challenge stands between the astronauts and a functioning ride home. Landis's Mars is a truly alien environment that forces its visitors to confront their inner selves, showing their best or worst sides in the process. The characters are realistic, compelling, conflicted, and human. Each one is given fairly equal "screen time" of first-person perspective, with an exception for one red-shirt. Each character is also explored in brief vignettes from their earlier lives interchanged with the current story. The constant back-and-forth flashbacks would be an awkward device in many writers' hands, but Landis uses it to great advantage in painting his characters, making it seem just as natural as anyone reflecting on poignant memories at odd moments. Fans of hard science fiction will be thrilled at Landis's imaginative constructs, although his bias as an engineer rather than a scientist seems apparent - in the interests of spoiler-avoidance, you'll just have to see what I mean. The plot includes a decent string of clues and surprises ending in a satisfying plot twist. Best of all, "Crossing" demands realistic, and grave, consequences for the choices and missteps of its characters, that are unpredictable but become crystal clear in hindsight - sort of like real life. In this way, it joins higher fiction in reflecting compelling truths rather than just telling a story. To compare with other Mars Pioneering novels, "Crossing" is on par with Zubrin's "First Landing," superior to Benford's "Martian Race," and miles ahead of Robinson's dismal "Red Mars." "Crossing" conveys the unforgiving harshness and emotional rigors of the alien world, as well as the honorable heroism of those who are committed to challenge it.
Rating: 
Summary: Most Realistic Mars Exploration Novel I've Come Across
Review: Geoffrey Landis does a fine job portraying the dusty, desolate Martian landscape in his first novel, "Mars Crossing". Alas it lacks much of the lyricism present in his best Hugo Award-winning short story fiction, but nonetheless, Landis does a fine job recounting a story which could be seen as "Captain Robert F. Scott on Mars" (Scott was the ill-fated commander of the British expedition that arrived at the South Pole after the successful visit by fellow explorer Roald Amundsen and his team.). The characters are credible, behaving realistically during a desperate trek across most of Mars. To be frank, the ending is a bit too neat, and disappointing, with a surprising revelation or two by one of the characters. Still, this is the most realistic novel I've come across describing a manned expedition to Mars. Hopefully Landis will fuse some of his lyrical writing with scientific detail in his next novel.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good effort for a first novel.
Review: Geoffrey Landis has been known in SF circles for his short fiction. For his first novel, he visits a place that has been visited many, many times, from Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom to Kim Stanley Robinson's Red, Green, and Blue Mars. I should include Ben Bova's Mars and Return to Mars as well as Greg Bear's Nebula Award winning Moving Mars. There have been others, but those above, with their varying perspectives of the Red Planet deserve reading. So does Mars Crossing. This is about the third attempt to send humans to Mars. The first two attempts were successful in getting humans there; but, in both cases, disaster struck and no one returned. The third mission, crewed by 4 men and 2 women, makes it to the red planet. Their initial euphoria at being on Mars is quickly quashed. I don't want this to be a spoiler, but there is an early death and the return ship is damaged. The remaining 5 begin a 4000-kilometer trek to the Martian North Pole in hopes of being able to use the abandoned return vehicle from the first mission. The story is not so much about Mars, though there is plenty of solid description of Mars, as about the people and their motivations for being on Mars and for getting to the hopefully useable return vehicle. The short, 2- to 3-page chapters flip back and forth describing the present story and the crew's pasts. The knowledge of the crew's earlier lives provides insight into their motivations, ambitions, and frailties as they trek across Mars. The short chapters, ala Arthur C. Clarke, work. Mars Crossing is an easy read. The Martian landscape is easy to visualize; Mr. Landis' expertise is obvious. The people are, for the most part, likeable, although all too human. If you like realistic stories of Mars, of people in dire straights who have a hope of survival, read Mars Crossing.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting tale of disaster on Mars
Review: Geoffrey Landis' first novel is _Mars Crossing_. The setup for this book is kind of depressing: the world is going to pot. Two expeditions, one Brazilian and one American, have made it to Mars but have failed to return. There is only one more chance: the backup American expedition can go, though only with gimmicky financing (a lottery for a chance to accompany the expedition). An international crew (one Thai, one Canadian, one Brazilian, and three Americans including the lottery winner) successfully lands on Mars, but almost immediately disaster again strikes. The vehicle that was sent in advance, to brew up the fuel for the return, fails spectacularly, killing one member of the expedition and losing all the return fuel. They realize that their only hope for return is to trek to the North Pole, where the Brazilian return vehicle was left, and try to find a way to adapt that vehicle to their needs. The trek is exciting and dangerous and very well described. Landis has great fun with putting obstacles (literally and figuratively) in his characters' way. The landscape of Mars is extremely interestingly described and so is the technology. The characterization is a bit less successful. Landis works very hard at trying to portray each character -- to give each character a set of tics and problems, and in so doing I felt that he protested too much, and that the effort showed, the sweat showed. They did not not come alive for me. Still, their conflicts and personal problems, if sometimes a bit artificial-seeming, were still interesting to read about. The novel is told in short chapters, and the pacing is sometimes choppy, but it's a fast, exciting, read. I should say that in the final analysis I quite enjoyed reading _Mars Crossing_. Relative to the best of Landis' short fiction (which is excellent) it's a bit of a disappointment, but looked at as a first novel, and as a piece of hyper-hard SF, it's pretty good.
Rating:
Summary: Quick and Easy
Review: I actually read this book a few months ago and was surprised to see it on the Nebula nomination list. It was a good fast read, but it was not original. Nothing too challenging, not too much science, lots of emphasis on the people and their personal motivation. It takes place on Mars, but it really could have been anywhere. This book is more a whoduit. I must admit that I am a Mars freak and it is hard to find a new story about Mars that has not been done better by someone else, like Bova. I mean, how excited can we get about yet another group trek across Mars to an escape vessel only to find everyone cannot be accommodated. Who will survive? This is a good read, I recommend it. Not because it is new, but because it is well done and I did not guess the ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as his short fiction
Review: I bought this book on the strength of Landis's short stories. "Ripples on the Dirac Sea" stands out in my memory as a particularly wonderful story full of interesting ideas and characterization. Mars Crossing, by contrast, has few interesting ideas and little characterization. The reviews and endorsements at the beginning of the book, when read carefully, make it clear that this is a "hard SF" novel. Sadly, that particular subgenre is often characterized by subpar writing even when the technical explanation of the story elements is superb. Such is the case with this book. If you like authors such as Allen Steele, you won't mind the writing at all, but I'm a fan of more "writerly" authors like Kim Stanley Robinson, Gene Wolfe, and Terry Bisson. Note that Robinson and Bisson have both also written Mars books, and that they are far superior in my opinion to this effort by Landis. [POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOLLOW] In addition, if technical rigor is a benchmark for the quality of a novel, then I have to question a lot of the elements of this book. The plot is driven by a malfunction in the refueling process, and the team's traveling equipment gives out under the hard conditions, but other equipment from previous expecitions that has been subjected to the same or worse stresses works whenever the plot requires it. And how about the guy that caused all of the trouble by trying to fix a piece of sophisticated NASA equipment by pounding on it with a rock, with the tacit approval of the smartest guy on the expedition, and without discussing the malfunction in their mission critical gear with the rest of the crew? The cast of characters manages to be not only improbable but stereotypical at the same time. Not one but two people from impoverished urban backgrounds, not one but two concealed/mistaken identities,the kid, the technically brilliant and morally pure scientist hero, etc. There is a real poverty of invention here. Don't get me wrong-- Landis has been writing for a long time and it isn't quite painful to read, as some SF can be, but at the same time I feel this book has very little to offer.
Rating:
Summary: If this is "Hard Science" then I don't like it
Review: I can't say I enjoyed this book. As is epoused in the sleeve-notes, the writer has a significant amount of real NASA-related experience. I found the book far too reliant upon actual scientific details than having any real story. Page after page of technical-details does not constitute the type of Science-fiction to keep the reader (or me at least) involved. There are no actual mind-bending ideas in this novel, it is simply a modern-day pseudo-thriller padded out with too many references to details like 'UV-energized sulfur radicals'. If you like sci-fi based around unique and previously untried concepts (such as a Philip K Dick novel) I would suggest you will find this book somewhat stale.
Rating:
Summary: It was a good reading!
Review: I had just finished reading the awfull dissapointing shelters of stone (Auel)(by the way do not buy that stupid book of AUel shelters of stone, do not waste your money.) and had no intentions of reading another long, long stupid book, so I grabbed this one and I got into it, caught my attention, and game me the enjoyable time I was looking for. I know nothing about Mars or space travel. so everything was pretty credible for me, as any scfi story, the reader most learn to accept certain things that are humanly impossible as possible So based on that, everything sounded credible to me. I am waiting for the sequel to see what happened with them all on the different paths the choose. Good, entretainig and easy to read.
Rating:
Summary: Just plain BAD!
Review: I have tried to read every Mars book to hit the market and I was excited by this new one coming out. Unfortunately, the author only has enough Mars story to fit about 50 pages so he feels the need to alternate chapters between Mars and flashbacks. Not only does this get annoying, but it would seem that every person on this Mars mission had some horridly freakish childhood. Also, Mr. Landis' personal obsession with the cesspool city of Cleveland shows as multiple characters "coincidentally" went to college in Cleveland. Anyway, if you want a Mars book pick up the Kim Stanley Robinson or Ben Bova series'... this one is terrible.
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