Rating: 
Summary: Perfectly average shelf filler...
Review: ...writing-by-numbers, in other words. The plot is fairly straightforward, the combat scenes work quite well, especially when the machines join the fray, but the whole novel didn't quite work for me.Why writing-by-numbers? Let's start with the protagonist. Tau Wolfsinger is supposedly a brilliant scientist - the problem with this sort of declarations is that we should be shown some of that brilliance somewhere, to substantiate the claim (which, for instance, Kim Robinson did in creating Sax Russell). Nope. He's another event-propelled cardboard hero. The Navajo bit is transparently thrown in to make the guy different in some way (just the way it's done in most mass-produced thrillers today), and it never really works out. Sadly it's the machines who are the most "natural" and fresh personae in the novel, but we only see them for a short while, which is too bad. I just hope that this doesn't reflect the author's private life - the fact that machines are more "lifelike" than humans in his novel is somewhat worrisome... Other than Tau and the machines, we get Tau's significant other, his mentor (who - of course - gets offed), a Mad Russian (a very comic-book style villain, somewhat enjoyable), and a generic plot that didn't really engage this reader at any time. Good for a long bus ride, but I hope nobody bought the movie rights... PS. According to author's bio, he was previously involved in computer game development. This might explain some things...
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: A near-future speculative fiction novel with a fast pace, well-drawn characters, realistic science, shadow governments, conspiracy, and a sense of wonder. If you mixed Ray Bradbury with Kim Stanley Robinson, shook them together with a dash of Robert Ludlum and a twist of Tony Hillerman, you'd have a novel in the style of The Forge of Mars. I particularly enjoyed the character of Kate McCloud and her inner journey that reflected the trials and tribulations of her outer journey as she moved from a sedate existence in San Francisco to an amazing discovery on Mars. I also enjoyed the detailed Russian background of General Zhukov. This kind of character development is sadly lacking in much of the speculative fiction I've read over the last few years, so it's refreshing to see a skilled new author who takes as much time with the characters as he does with the plot. I got my hands on an advance copy, but I'm buying more for my friends.
Rating:
Summary: FOLKLORE, SCIENCE, IMAGINATION MIX IT UP ON MARS
Review: BALFOUR CREATES A SCENERIO THAT TAKES US FROM EARTH TO MARS IN A REALISTIC STORY BASED ON DEMONSTRATED NASA ACCOMPLISHMENTS. HE SUBTLY POKES FUN AT THE MILITARY ESTABLISHMENTS OF THE US AND RUSSIA AND THEIR EGOTISTICAL POLITICIANS AND MILITARY BRASS. THE BOOK IS EASY READING AND IS HARD TO PUT DOWN.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating spider web of intrigue and action!
Review: Balfour has composed another intelligent and intriguing work of science fiction. His complex heroes, Tao and Kate, return with a host of creative new characters. The novel calls to mind the grandeur of the great science fiction authors without being derivative. This book is a true page turner; once picked up it cannot be put down. I would recommend it both to long term science fiction fans, who will find it a breath of fresh air from the cliches of the genre, and to new readers, who will find it a fascinating introduction.
Rating: 
Summary: Impressive, but it leaves too many questions unanswered
Review: Bruce Balfour's The Forge of Mars is certainly an interesting, singular science fiction novel, but it seems to lack a certain oomph. The rousing adventure I was promised was not quite as rousing as I had expected (especially over the course of the first 200 pages), and the novel seems to me to lack just a little bit of cohesion. While Balfour's characterization of his protagonist is quite strong, I never came to adequately understand several of the secondary characters and their actions to my own satisfaction. Still, the novel represents science fiction well worth reading. Tau Wolfsinger is a brilliant NASA technician struggling to get his ideas taken seriously in the halls of bureaucracy. A man of Navajo descent, he has a way of looking at science and the world that does not fit the corporate mold of over-specialization, and like many an eccentric genius he does not have any desire to play the game that leads to rapid promotion within an organization. Wolfsinger's interest is in artificial intelligence. His pet proposal would have him designing an artificial intelligence capable of procreating itself, learning and advancing on its own through a form of coevolution as weak links in the nanotechnology development are weeded out, and eventually (albeit quickly) out-performing and out-analyzing human beings. Grant my proposal, he says, and I will create an AI that will begin with nanotechnology and build an entire human colony all by itself. No one at NASA wants to go along with his "dangerous" ideas, though. Enter the Davros Group and secret discoveries on Mars. The remains of an alien civilization have been discovered, among which is a portal that the Russian scientists in control of the base have been unable to figure out. Through a somewhat clumsy set of circumstances, Wolfsinger is suddenly given the money to pursue his dream but is coerced into doing his work on Mars. Here both he and his girlfriend become pawns of powerful factions who are never really fleshed out sufficiently for my liking. The work on the alien Martial portal is being conducted (and kept secret) by the Russian military, but alien intelligences on Mars contend with the Russians over control of Wolfsinger's contributions to pivotal events bearing possibly significant repercussions back on Earth. The science of this novel is detailed and impressive, as Balfour delights in theorizing on the practical uses of nanotechnology in the future. The weak link in the story, though, involves the political shenanigans working behind the scenes. The mysterious Davros Group is barely explained at all, making its cooperation with a Russian military officer hoping to restore Russia as a superpower seems rather tenuous. Even the actions of Wolfsinger's girlfriend oftentimes made little sense to me, although Wolfsinger himself is an impressively well-developed character. I was also a little surprised to learn that the alien artifact discovered at the very beginning is basically ignored throughout the first half of the novel. The Forge of Mars is a well-written science fiction novel, but it seems to pose a number of provocative questions that it fails to follow up on outside the main focus of the plot, and that fact served to limit the extent of my personal involvement with the story as a whole.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive, but it leaves too many questions unanswered
Review: Bruce Balfour's The Forge of Mars is certainly an interesting, singular science fiction novel, but it seems to lack a certain oomph. The rousing adventure I was promised was not quite as rousing as I had expected (especially over the course of the first 200 pages), and the novel seems to me to lack just a little bit of cohesion. While Balfour's characterization of his protagonist is quite strong, I never came to adequately understand several of the secondary characters and their actions to my own satisfaction. Still, the novel represents science fiction well worth reading. Tau Wolfsinger is a brilliant NASA technician struggling to get his ideas taken seriously in the halls of bureaucracy. A man of Navajo descent, he has a way of looking at science and the world that does not fit the corporate mold of over-specialization, and like many an eccentric genius he does not have any desire to play the game that leads to rapid promotion within an organization. Wolfsinger's interest is in artificial intelligence. His pet proposal would have him designing an artificial intelligence capable of procreating itself, learning and advancing on its own through a form of coevolution as weak links in the nanotechnology development are weeded out, and eventually (albeit quickly) out-performing and out-analyzing human beings. Grant my proposal, he says, and I will create an AI that will begin with nanotechnology and build an entire human colony all by itself. No one at NASA wants to go along with his "dangerous" ideas, though. Enter the Davros Group and secret discoveries on Mars. The remains of an alien civilization have been discovered, among which is a portal that the Russian scientists in control of the base have been unable to figure out. Through a somewhat clumsy set of circumstances, Wolfsinger is suddenly given the money to pursue his dream but is coerced into doing his work on Mars. Here both he and his girlfriend become pawns of powerful factions who are never really fleshed out sufficiently for my liking. The work on the alien Martial portal is being conducted (and kept secret) by the Russian military, but alien intelligences on Mars contend with the Russians over control of Wolfsinger's contributions to pivotal events bearing possibly significant repercussions back on Earth. The science of this novel is detailed and impressive, as Balfour delights in theorizing on the practical uses of nanotechnology in the future. The weak link in the story, though, involves the political shenanigans working behind the scenes. The mysterious Davros Group is barely explained at all, making its cooperation with a Russian military officer hoping to restore Russia as a superpower seems rather tenuous. Even the actions of Wolfsinger's girlfriend oftentimes made little sense to me, although Wolfsinger himself is an impressively well-developed character. I was also a little surprised to learn that the alien artifact discovered at the very beginning is basically ignored throughout the first half of the novel. The Forge of Mars is a well-written science fiction novel, but it seems to pose a number of provocative questions that it fails to follow up on outside the main focus of the plot, and that fact served to limit the extent of my personal involvement with the story as a whole.
Rating:
Summary: Sci-fi, political intrigue, action/adventure. Woo Hoo!
Review: Fun book! Balfour does a great job of explaining the issues surrounding nanotechnology and the autonomous artificial intelligence debate. His creation of a detailed not-too-distant future world is among the most plausible and intricately imagined that I've read. Filled with a must-have multitude of futuristic gizmos, gadgets, and gleaming skyscrapers, technobuffs will be in heaven imagining the possibilities that lie just a few years down the mag-lev tracks.
The characters are mostly well written, but the AI characterizations turned out to be the most entertaining and imaginative. A suped-up 'tamaguchi' named Aristotle that's smarter than we are, an ancient computer that's going insane, it's mortal enemy, and battle droids that live for thousands of years round out the AI character complement in this story and I couldn't get enough. I really wanted to see more focus on them and less whining about the NASA beauracracy though. The depiction of NASA department heads as little more than physically insecure, power-hungry idiots that can only shuffle paper and steal their subordinates' ideas MIGHT be completely accurate. However, it's way overplayed in the book and didn't add anything to the story. Large portions of the book resemble action/adventure. Secret underground Russian bases, assassinations directed from Capitol Hill, the evil corporation pulling strings in the background. Take out the sliding sidewalks and the trip to Mars and you'd get the makings of a political thriller. Mr. Balfour successfully blends the two genre's together and creates a great story that I've recommended to friends, family, and now YOU. Check it out!
Rating:
Summary: Sci-fi, political intrigue, action/adventure. Woo Hoo!
Review: Fun book! Balfour does a great job of explaining the issues surrounding nanotechnology and the autonomous artificial intelligence debate. His creation of a detailed not-too-distant future world is among the most plausible and intricately imagined that I've read. Filled with a must-have multitude of futuristic gizmos, gadgets, and gleaming skyscrapers, technobuffs will be in heaven imagining the possibilities that lie just a few years down the mag-lev tracks.
The characters are mostly well written, but the AI characterizations turned out to be the most entertaining and imaginative. A suped-up 'tamaguchi' named Aristotle that's smarter than we are, an ancient computer that's going insane, it's mortal enemy, and battle droids that live for thousands of years round out the AI character complement in this story and I couldn't get enough. I really wanted to see more focus on them and less whining about the NASA beauracracy though. The depiction of NASA department heads as little more than physically insecure, power-hungry idiots that can only shuffle paper and steal their subordinates' ideas MIGHT be completely accurate. However, it's way overplayed in the book and didn't add anything to the story. Large portions of the book resemble action/adventure. Secret underground Russian bases, assassinations directed from Capitol Hill, the evil corporation pulling strings in the background. Take out the sliding sidewalks and the trip to Mars and you'd get the makings of a political thriller. Mr. Balfour successfully blends the two genre's together and creates a great story that I've recommended to friends, family, and now YOU. Check it out!
Rating: 
Summary: Lacks Originality
Review: I did not buy this book, rather, I borrowed it from a workplace "book swap rack" and I am glad that I did. The writing is fair enough, but the lack of originality really drains your enthusiasm. Science fiction is a tough medium to write in as most of the truly great ideas have already been explored, but it's not an excuse to re-work works from Philip K Dick ("Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep?", i.e. the movie Total Recall) and Stanley Clarke ("2010, The Year We Make Contact"). Do yourself a favor and read those two books...and skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: Loved this book
Review: I just finished reading "The Forge of Mars" by Bruce Balfour in about three sittings. I couldn't put it down. The story takes place in the near future. Two scientists, Tau and Kate, get caught up in political intrigue involving discoveries on Mars and their implications. Normally I don't care much for hard science fiction because sometimes the plot is just an excuse to describe scientific principles that go right over my head, but in this case the plot is super interesting, the characters are complex, and the science makes complete sense. The bad guy is fascinating (I'd love to see more of HIM), and the women are capable and strong without being masculine. Balfour is a great writer and I'm sure we'll hear more from him.
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