Rating: 
Summary: Gripping fiction
Review: I have been continually impressed by Randal Ingermanssen's (and John Olsen's) ability to draw me into stories. Here is the kicker I usually don't even like science fiction and I LOVED this book. A fabulous sequel to Oxygen, I was unable to put it down and devoured it in just two days. Whenever Mr. Ingermanssen comes out with a new book, I always try to take some time off work and just sink my teeth into it and escape. In addition to the way the stories keep you rivetted I find the books addressing some area of my spritual life that could use some fine tuning. Bringing me a spiritual drink of water while showing me in beautiful detail, the living out of the spiritual truth. I am grateful to the authors for a wonderful read.
Rating:
Summary: T H E F I F T H M A N
Review: I received the Olson / Ingermanson duo's first book, Oxygen, in Christmas of 2001. Regardless of the new Lord of the Rings trilogy I was also given (in a collector's edition platinum-issue cardboard box, plus The Hobbit!), I was inexorably drawn to Oxygen. I finished it quickly, loved the characters, and loved the story.So of course I was blessed to learn that chem/phys whizzes and word wranglers John B. Olson and Randall Ingermanson were already at work cranking out the sequel, The Fifth Man, subtitle: Will they find life on the Red Planet . . . before it finds them?. The Fifth Man could work as a standalone novel; there's no Batman-TV-show-like "We have already seen . . ." prologue near the beginning. Right away, we're on Mars, with the crew of the Ares 10, year 2014, but with today's technology in full action in an actual Mars mission. At first things might seem a little disappointing for Oxygen readers. We know that at the end of the first novel, all the psychological warfare and personal conflicts between the members of the Ares 10 crew was resolved. After all the chaos getting to the Red Planet, everyone had finally learned to cooperate, to trust each other . . . they had a bond. Not so in The Fifth Man. Things are getting a little tight again, and crew members Valkerie Jansen, Bob Kaganovski, Kennedy Hampton and Alexis Ohta are back to fighting. Perhaps they have a good reason. An apparent spacecraft saboteur, a bomb, seeming infections by meteorite bacteria and of course the oxygen shortages were bad enough on the way to Mars. Now it seems that something else inhabits the planet . . . a being, a presence. It's scratching the sides of their buildings, stalking them, it's just out there . . . somewhere. That alone causes enough misgivings for the crew. Then there's Valkerie's declining of Bob's on-Mars, live-on-international-TV marriage proposal. So both of them are at odds. But most disappointing is Kennedy-he's back to being an absolute jerk. Like the crew, I had just begun to like him at the end of Oxygen. But don't think I was disappointed in the novel altogether. Not so. The Fifth Man is undoubtedly even better than its prequel. The Olson / Ingermanson duo have done even more homework for this mission, weaving science facts in with a little knowledge of Martian geography; everything is incredibly realistic. But this is also science fiction with characters you want to like-and I just found Kennedy's behavior depressing. Like one other The Fifth Man reviewer, any readers who expect to see huge tentacles come snaking out of anyplace aren't necessarily going to find them. This is Christian fiction, after all, and many Christ-believers don't hold to the idea of life outside of Earth. (The theology for this is simple: the Earth is the center of God's focus. Postulations about other planetary civilizations and even Narnia-like parallel worlds are interesting, but the Bible says nothing about these. One could say that if there were Martians, for example, Christ would have to incarnate as a perfect Martian to die for their sins . . . this seems absurd, to say the least. But who's to say there isn't any "life" on Mars - not necessarily creatures with reasoning capability, but in the form of tiny organisms such as those Valkerie finds early in the novel? Evolution-believers would explain it as even more proof that life evolved there also. But as Bob explains to Valkerie, so what? All we would know is that the organisms are there; it doesn't prove any more evolution except to those who interpret it that way.) I found it difficult to locate The Fifth Man's exact climax, because it seems to encompass the entire latter half of the story! In addition to the unknown being, the crew has to deal with an apparent raving space loon . . . and of course the conspiracies on Earth threaten the mission even further . . . and will the crew even be affected by back-contamination from unknown Martian microbes? Everything is weaved together perfectly. Every circumstance has an explanation. The unanswered plot questions left over from the original Oxygen are also resolved perfectly. Regardless, we still don't have the Ares 10 crew safely on terra firma once again. Oxygen and The Fifth Man are spectacular enough, setting new standards in Christian fiction . . . but would The Oxygen Trilogy not sound even more impressive? I'm holding my breath.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Judge this Book by its Cover
Review: I was thrilled to see a sequel to "Oxygen." I'm not a big sci-fi fan (of course, my weight has nothing to do with this), but the first book in this series was full of real characters facing real dilemmas with real emotions. I loved it. I also enjoyed Ingermanson's "Transgression." "The First Man" has the most gripping premise yet. I dove in with bated breath, awaiting the inevitable encounters with the fabled Martian life-form that the catalogues and cover and write-ups hinted at. I plunked down hard cash for a peek at something new, even frightening. Recently, I had fun reading Shane Johnson's "Ice" (which also has a sequel on the way), and I had full confidence that this book would deliver the same level of creativity. From the start, the authors hook us with their familiar characters: Bob, Valkerie, Lex, and Kennedy. The story begins, naturally, where the last left off--with the intrepid team of four on Mars. Quickly, we begin to suspect that a fifth being, "the fifth man," is lurking about on the mysterious red planet. Suspicions and questions arise, romance fights for a foothold, tensions mount, and we move to the edges of our seats for the extraterrestrial showdown. Two hundred pages into it...still waiting. Three hundred...still waiting. Faith wavering. Ingermanson and Olson write with active verbage and tight storytelling. The scientific issues are handled deftly, without pretense. Though the authors occasionally sprinkle the mix with tired cliches and silly similes ("his heart quivering like a bowlful of Santa's belly"?!), the writing is above par for the Christian market. These small errors I can overlook. What I cannot overlook is the misleading title, cover, and premise. Yes, the book offers satisfactory, supposedly even startling, explanations for all the goings-on, but it fails to live up to the promised thrills. Yes, for the scientifically minded, the conclusion may be the most believable, but I bought this novel hoping for some good old-fashioned fun. "Alien" this is not. Who bears the blame for the marketing misdirection, the authors or the publisher? Either way, I feel let down. Was it worth the time and money? Yes, the story was intriguing, the characters still likeable as before. Was it close to meeting my expectations? No, not quite. I still trust this writing team's abilities, but next time I'll remember not to trust the marketing. Go into this with no expectations and enjoy it for what it is. And isn't.
Rating:
Summary: Strong follow-up to "Oxygen"
Review: If you haven't read or reread the authors' earlier "Oxygen", take the time to do so--it will help! "The Fifth Man" takes up where the other left off with no "As you remember..." filler. It doesn't waste any time, either. We start in the thick of it, and things get more and more complex as the novel progresses. There are several intertwined plots that work well, IMHO. And there are enough red herrings (well, whaddaya expect? It's set on Mars, fer cryin' out loud!) to lull the reader many times into the delusion that he or she has it all figured out--when the plot goes somewhere else. There are a number of events that seem flatly impossible, but that are explained well and do make sense when all is revealed. There are no sudden plot resolutions to strain the reader's trust in the authors. Everything hangs together quite well. As far as I can tell, there's only one minor plot hiccup, and it can't be avoided. It calls for a bit of suspension of disbelief, but isn't a problem (I won't say more because I hate spoilers). One of the real strengths is that there's no wasted writing at the end, either. The final plot elements don't come to light until close to the last page. And it works. A great read from a great team.
Rating:
Summary: Strong follow-up to "Oxygen"
Review: If you haven't read or reread the authors' earlier "Oxygen", take the time to do so--it will help! "The Fifth Man" takes up where the other left off with no "As you remember..." filler. It doesn't waste any time, either. We start in the thick of it, and things get more and more complex as the novel progresses. There are several intertwined plots that work well, IMHO. And there are enough red herrings (well, whaddaya expect? It's set on Mars, fer cryin' out loud!) to lull the reader many times into the delusion that he or she has it all figured out--when the plot goes somewhere else. There are a number of events that seem flatly impossible, but that are explained well and do make sense when all is revealed. There are no sudden plot resolutions to strain the reader's trust in the authors. Everything hangs together quite well. As far as I can tell, there's only one minor plot hiccup, and it can't be avoided. It calls for a bit of suspension of disbelief, but isn't a problem (I won't say more because I hate spoilers). One of the real strengths is that there's no wasted writing at the end, either. The final plot elements don't come to light until close to the last page. And it works. A great read from a great team.
Rating:
Summary: Keep breathing...I think
Review: Just as life on Mars is becoming routine, several suspicious incidents create chaos for the four astronauts. For one, Kennedy (who was never quite stable to begin with) appears to have a previously undiagnosed mental problem. Bob is growing rather worried since Valkerie is rethinking his proposal. Lex and Val are searching for microbial life on a barren planet. needless to say, the tension among the group is getting out of hand. After someone or something attempts to kill the crew, the paranoia from Oxygen returns full force. Suffice it to say that the killer is indeed real. I enjoyed getting a better look at some of minor characters from Oxygen. Josh, Crystal, Cathe, Nate, and EECOM play key roles in uncovering the killer...or is it one of them? Anyway, the authors competently explain the science behind much of the Mars mission. I greatly enjoyed this book. It tended toward being an action novel with enough introspection to be real. Definitely recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Keep breathing...I think
Review: Just as life on Mars is becoming routine, several suspicious incidents create chaos for the four astronauts. For one, Kennedy (who was never quite stable to begin with) appears to have a previously undiagnosed mental problem. Bob is growing rather worried since Valkerie is rethinking his proposal. Lex and Val are searching for microbial life on a barren planet. needless to say, the tension among the group is getting out of hand. After someone or something attempts to kill the crew, the paranoia from Oxygen returns full force. Suffice it to say that the killer is indeed real. I enjoyed getting a better look at some of minor characters from Oxygen. Josh, Crystal, Cathe, Nate, and EECOM play key roles in uncovering the killer...or is it one of them? Anyway, the authors competently explain the science behind much of the Mars mission. I greatly enjoyed this book. It tended toward being an action novel with enough introspection to be real. Definitely recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Fifth Man
Review: Just to let you know how much I enjoyed The Fifth Man, consider this...I am an avid reader, having read 48 books so far this year. Of these Oxygen and its sequel The Fifth Man have to be my favorites. There have been plenty others I have truly loved but there is a lot to recommend with these two books. Combine adventure, mystery, meticulous research that made the whole Mars mission believable, great character development and a bit of romance, no wonder Oxygen won the 2002 Christy Award. I believe The Fifth Man is better yet.
I particularily liked the very human characters, their thoughts revealing fears and insecurities that we all have while they displayed acts of courage. The suspense was intense and the action lively and unpredictable. It contained all the elements of a good story leaving the reader with a craving for more and thinking of the ending long after the final page.
Bravo to the two fine writers who are willing to create "real men" characters that are also sensitive and not afraid to reveal their emotions and females who are smart and independant. I look foward to future offerings by Randy Ingermanson and John Olson!
Rating:
Summary: great stuff - christian science fiction action suspense
Review: Loved it. It's not what I'd have done with the premise, but it's probably better than I could've done. The science was concrete, the suspense was marvellous, and frankly it was a good read. There's not as much evolution/ creation angst as there was in Oxygen, and certainly no conclusions drawn about it. (Which, if you think about it, is best -- this isn't a textbook; it's fiction dealing with the human element, not unprovable arguments. If I'd written it, I'd probably have made it into a theme-paper about creationism, whereas what they did was suspense sf, and a darn good job.)
I guess one problem I had with it was that the ending seemed less perfect than Oxygen; i.e. there were still questions left unanswered. I'm hoping for a third book from this talented team, because, even with my nit-picking, this is still the best book I've read all year. Kudos, dudes!
Rating: 
Summary: Oxygen Starvation?? or Madness?
Review: Picking up where "Oxygen" left off, this book continues a fascinating tale of near-future Science Fiction. The skill and brilliance of the writing of this pair of books more than compensates for a couple of technical, logistic oversights that become more glaring in this volume.
This is a rich and rewarding read with high drama, incredible risks, competing political and career goals for both individuals and for Multi-Billion Dollar industries. It combines competing ideologies, elements of romance, and a raw survival instinct in a harsh and completely unforgiving environment. It kept me reading in spite of some weaknesses.
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