The Martian Race, Gregory Benford
The Martian Race, Gregory Benford
1 Rating(s)
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The Martian Race

Author: Gregory Benford

Narrator: Gabrielle de Cuir

Unabridged: 15 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Skyboat Media

Published: 12/09/2014

Categories: Fiction, Science Fiction

Synopsis

From the Nebula Award–winning author of Timescape and Foundation's Fear comes a hard-science thriller about the race to Mars.When an explosion of the rocket launching the Mars Transit Vehicle kills four crewmen, the US decides to redirect its energies to near-Earth projects, killing the manned mission to Mars. But tycoon John Axelrod assembles a consortium to fund the project, and he expects to net billions. But a European-Asian airbus will make a similar expedition. Now, the race is on to get to the Red Planet first.

About Gregory Benford

Gregory Benford is a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. A Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, he received the Lord Prize for contributions to science in 1995 and the Asimov Memorial Award for popularizing science in 2007. He has written numerous works of science fiction, receiving a Nebula Award and a John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel Timescape.

About Gabrielle de Cuir

Gabrielle de Cuir, award-winning narrator, has narrated over three hundred titles and specializes in fantasy, humor, and titles requiring extensive foreign language and accent skills. She was a cowinner of the Audie Award for best narration in 2011 and a three-time finalist for the Audie and has garnered six AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her “velvet touch” as an actor’s director has earned her a special place in the audiobook world as the foremost producer for bestselling authors and celebrities.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Paul on April 28, 2024

Perhaps not fiction for too much longer ... we can but hope! Congress just couldn't stomach NASA's estimated $450 billion price tag to send a manned mission to Mars. So the USA and a group of other interested countries agreed on a different approach - a $30 billion prize to the first people that went......more

Goodreads review by Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) on September 03, 2021

3.5 Stars This was an interesting exploration of a near future scenario of the colonization of Mars. The story and characters were relatively simple, yet the envisioned future was interesting to imagine. ......more

Goodreads review by Ernest on February 24, 2013

You've got to hand it to Benford. If you want hard sf, go to a pro. Unfortunately, even with what should be a lot of human tension and drama, and the appearance of an alien the like of which we haven't seen since James White's Sector General series, it's still about as dry as the Martian air. The Ma......more

Goodreads review by nishant on April 01, 2025

i really enjoyed the realism and how this book was rooted in history. it was an interesting read that paints a possibility of future exploration but a lot of exposition throughout. oftentimes it was long and drawn out without much action happening until near the end. the way it cut back and forth be......more

Goodreads review by Charles on October 28, 2017

Given that initial human exploration (and eventual colonization) of Mars is seemingly close to becoming a reality in two decades, possibly less, there's considerable interest in vicariously experiencing what this might be like. After all, the prospects of civilization's survival on Earth itself seem......more

Quotes

“Benford is a rarity: a scientist who writes with verve and insight not only about black holes and cosmic strings but about human desires and fears.” New York Times Book Review, praise for the author

“Engaging and thorough.” Amazon.com

“Among the most believable in recent genre literature…Strange and beautiful.” Publishers Weekly

“One of the premier crafters of the genre.” Library Journal

“Adventure, relationships, discovery, and the pursuit of fame and fortune all add up to a page-turner for teens who like their science fiction rooted solidly in science.” School Library Journal

“Benford is as expert as ever at seamlessly melding characterization, technology, and narrative drive in an effective novel that takes its place near the front of the pack of Martian-yarn contenders.” Booklist

“Taut, plausible, and full of ideas.” Kirkus Reviews

“Narrator Gabrielle de Cuir takes listeners inside an exhilarating competition to explore Mars in this lively science-fiction production…De Cuir skillfully brings to life the multifaceted Aussie biologist and her international crew mates, with a multitude of authentic accents. She also keeps the necessary flashbacks of backstory wonderfully animated. The result is one satisfying Martian journey.” AudioFile

“Combines a realistic Mars mission plan with a dynamic plot and a sense of wonder to produce a real page-turner. One of the finest novels about human exploration of the Red Planet ever written.” Dr. Robert Zubrin, president of The Mars Society and author of The Case for Mars

“Both gritty and inspiring! Benford has a deep grasp of how the future might be seized, one bold move at a time.” David Brin, author of Foundation’s Triumph

Awards

  • Prometheus Award
  • Locus Award
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