Colony Two Mars (Colony Mars) (Volume 2) by Gerald M Kilby

Colony Mars #2

by Gerald M. Kilby

The sole survivor of the ill-fated ISA mission is now stranded on Mars. Having been designated a bio-hazard by Earth, any hope of returning home is all but gone. She is alone, isolated, and abandoned. That is, until another human shows up in the main colony airlock. However, he's barely alive and soon dies without regaining consciousness. More disturbing though, a DNA test identifies him as a colonist who has already died, several years earlier — impossible as that may be. Nevertheless, there is only one place he could have come from, the mine on the far side of the Jezero crater — Colony Two. An outpost they had presumed was long dead. But if he survived, maybe there are others still alive? She now has no choice but to attempt the dangerous journey across the crater to investigate. Because if she doesn’t find some answers soon, her only future is to die alone on Mars.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Thriller, Space, Horror

Paperback

First published August 9, 2016

Reviews

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book blurb probably tells you more than it should about this 2nd of four books in this Mars Colony series. This one wasn’t as good as the first, but I’m hooked well enough to finish the series.

3.5 Stars

[Jacqueline Langille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook: the reader of this sci fi adventure performs in a delightful way that keeps me listening. Enjoying this tale very much: onward to Part 3. Available to listen on the author's YouTube channel.

[Bon Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gizmo FTW. Lines that come out from AI characters are special opportunity to show off your own (writer's) intelligence and creativity, and they were very well put to use here.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jann is not alone on Mars after all. In the secret mining colony mentioned in the first book, it turns out that a great many of the original colonists have survived and they aren’t particularly friendly. Jann gets pulled into the politics of their strange society and finds herself in another fight for survival as competing factions go to war with each other. She also has to face an ethical dilemma about whether or not she can permit the research COM was doing on human beings—the research which resulted in all of the deaths of the first book—be brought back to earth. (She herself hasn’t returned to earth out of fear of bringing the disease with her.)

Again, the novel is fairly fast moving and has a lot of tension and conflict. And all the while that Jann is fighting to survive in this novel, she and her friends are under the threat of earth sending new ships to Mars to get something that they refuse to believe doesn’t really exist—a miracle cure for aging. It’s a good set up for the next book.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn’t have the same can’t put down quality as the first one. I really enjoyed the engineered biohazard theme, which wasn’t really continued here. There was plenty of action, but it went by a little too quick without the extra explanation. In fact, I kind of felt that way about the whole book, a little too much jumping around without a more in-depth look into how it fit into the story line. That said, I am now invested and am continuing to read about the further adventures of Dr. Jann Malbec.

[Welsh Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointment.

Despite the first book being kind of middle of the road it left me curious about what happened next. Once again this book had an intriguing premise but uninspired execution. At least the first book had an element of horror interwoven into it. This one had the beginnings of showing how horrible humans can truly be ... but then took a u-turn into something else.

Jann became unbearably oblivious. "I can't believe I was so stupid!" she said at least 3 times throughout the text when, surprise surprise, she only realised something too late.

The characters were kinda meh in this one. Even standouts from the first, like Gizmo, lost some of its charm. The antagonists weren't fleshed out at all. I would have liked to see into their psyche and why they do what they do but they're more moustache-twirling than I would have liked, and another just seemed thrown in for added drama that ultimately didn't go anywhere.

The structure of the writing shows what the antagonists are doing. We know the twists and turns that are coming to oppose the protagonist. This worked in the first one because their actions were still vague, but in this one it just took any away any tension that could have been built up because we knew the twists and were just waiting for the protagonist to catch up. And I saw one twist coming from miles away because it'd happened in the first one already - reusing a miraculous escape just took me out of the story and I stopped caring about whatever happened next.

I also didn't like how up till now the science has been pretty plausible, but then one element of the world building introduced something that's straight up fantasy and wasn't given any explanation. It didn't really click with me.

It's decent enough if you want a quick sci-fi excursion but ultimately I wasn't impressed. Annoyingly enough it left on a really interesting and kinda juicy ending ... but I honestly doubt that the next instalment will me any better so I'm torn about carrying on. If I do it'll be because the audiobooks are short (5-6 hours) and I can read quickly on 1.5x-2x speed.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even softer sci-fi

Sci-fi is very soft in this installment. Good story line makes it possible to suspend reality for awhile. Good enough that I'm going to finish the trilogy.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s self-published? Actually explains a lot.

[PresPetunia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read. Not super challenging but quite enjoyable. I'm on to Colony Three Mars with interest and anticipation. It's not filled with lots of technobabble. I'm not against techobabble but I'm actually more interested in how human the people are, including gizmo. And, I like how crappy government and big business are all on their own, without any supernatural forces. It's just people being people and business/government being people on steroids.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy these Colony Mars books, always a good read, nothing amazing, it won’t win prizes but it’s good fun, plenty of action with never a dull moment and an easy read too. I’ve not been rushing through these books but I reckon someone could do the whole trilogy over a quiet long weekend.

This, like the first one is scary but for a different reason, and when I say scary I don’t mean it kept me up at night in horror but nonetheless it’s not happy Mars-ing (can we make Mars-ing a word?)

This was, again like the first, an interesting read about the few people on Mars and the problems with it (I won’t go into detail and ruin anything!). We don’t get too involved with the science yet you feel like you know what is going on anyway so don’t let science put you off, it’s really not an issue with these stories.

My only problem with these books is that there are a few errors within the text, the proof reader or editor or whatever missed a few things, not enough to destroy the enjoyment but frustrating nonetheless. Oh and one more thing… I still think they could be more in-depth.

So overall a good fun read and looking forward to the next book already. I feel like these books would make for a very good film by the way. Anyway my score is a very solid 4, don’t think I can quite push it to 5, but it’s a very good 4+

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having read about the original lost colony in the 1600s (Roanoke, North Carolina), then a science article about how many people it would take to make a viable colony on mars (about 100), I was surprised to run across the 'Colony Mars series' from Gerald Kilby. Book #1 was a reasonable read so it drew me here to Book #2. It was a fairly well-written novel. The plot was pretty straightforward and predictable. But I quite liked the main character, Dr. Jann Malbec. Perhaps a strong female protagonist is part of the draw here.

Although it's not the epitome of science fiction, it's a pretty straightforward read, with a few surprises.

[Ana on the Shelves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gizmo will steal you heart.

[Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second novel in the series is, like the first, fairly entertaining. The writing is mediocre and the main character is oblivious. I think my 10 year old grandson would like it, but if you accept what it is (and the fact that the novels are pretty short), it is a nice distraction.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is surprisingly fun. The sequel has definitely gone into a whole new direction. Many big
reveals and surprises. I'm enjoying it a lot.

The science if pretty good, even though it goes in some odd genetic directions. Characters are enjoyable enough. I love Gizmo. He's my favourite. Ad I rather enjoyed the whole Martian Feral vibe at the beginning.

I am glad that there's a bunch of books in this series. I will certainly finish it over some time.

[Denise]

Quick reads that are drawing me in. I'm already 1/3 of the way through Colony Three.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series of books is a rip-roaring sci-fi adventure that would make a great "young adult" film, but the books lack the depth and sophistication required for novels.

I quite enjoyed the first book in the series but found the second to be very plot-driven with little characterisation, poor dialogue and glossed-over scientific explanations. There was action (fighting and explosions), a semi-sentient robot and some cookie-cutter evil genius baddies with very strange motivations. The ending felt rushed and a lot was left unexplained.

[Debora Dowda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mars Colony clones uprising

The fast pace continues as the story unfolds. Our heroine Jann, gets stronger and slowly smarter. Hurry Jann, we are going to need you even more in the next episode.

[Franquie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the first three books in these series. The fourth one ruined it for me. However, with that said, the first three books were so enjoyable that I'd recommend them anyway.

[David Salisbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good. I'm looking forward to the next book.

[goei.shimon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humans were designed for Earth, it was their planet, home.

“Well, Earth thinks we hold the key to immortality, that we possess the elixir of life and they all want it now. The people that come will be non-state, well funded and probably well armed. Any so-called Outer Space Treaty laws that exist will be torn up and burned. They will fight each other for this knowledge, they will fight us for it and if we don’t, or can’t, give it to them they will simply experiment on us until they find it—or we’re all dead. Make no mistake, Nills, a battle is coming. A battle for control of Mars.”, “But hey, it’s not going to happen anytime soon, so let’s enjoy the peace while we’ve got it.”

So day by day, slowly but surely, the colony had changed her and made Dr. Jann Malbec just another part of its enormous biological ecosystem. It needed a human to complete its collection of flora and fauna, so it entered deep into her psyche and sought out the essence of the animal that lay within. By now, she wore little clothing and went barefoot. Her food she hunted by spear and gathered by hand. She ate by the fire and slept in a tree. Her hair had become a long mass of matted dreadlocks. The colony had claimed her for itself—and it had done a good job.

Sometimes she would rise from her bed of straw and leaves and shake her fists at the heavens. She would rant and rage against her sense of insignificance and challenge the infinity of the void above her, like King Lear going mad on the mountain. “Screw you, space!” or words to that effect.

“What? I’m not staying here.” “That is not for you to decide. There are those on the Council who demanded you be recycled. But since you’re a biologist I think you will make a great addition to our team.” “Recycled? You mean… killed?” “Not a term we use here. We treasure life; it is a precious resource on Mars. We do not kill, we recycle. You see, our philosophy here is that the soul belongs to the person but their biology belongs to the colony.” “So, what are you saying?” “I’m saying that this is where you live now, until the time comes for you to be… recycled.”

Jann had to admit, he had a point. It would do nothing for the human race but sow the seeds of its own destruction. “But, why hide? Why not let them know you’re all alive and prospering, but keep silent on the genetic breakthroughs?” “Because if they know we’re here then they will find out. And then they will come and they will simply take it. Do not underestimate the greed of humanity. The lure would be irresistible. So we must wait until the time is right, when we alone can dictate the terms and keep control.”

“We have all toiled under the shared belief that we cannot let Earth have this technology: genetic manipulation, longevity, the ability to clone humans. The population would explode and ultimately destroy what’s left of the planet.”

In the time after conception, cells divide and multiply, growing exponentially more numerous. It is from this clump of living matter that all of which defines our biological makeup stems. Hence the term stem cells. They possess within them the power to become anything and everything. The genius of Vanji was not the ability to choose what was created, humanity already possessed this knowledge. Nor was it the ability to speed up this process, although that too was a major breakthrough. No, it was the ability to reverse engineer. How to take a clump of stem cells and turn them into an organ was known. But to take an organ and turn it into stem cells was knowledge of a totally different order of magnitude. This was the genetic alchemy that he controlled. This ability to biologically recycle.

[Fabrizio Poli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gerald M. Kilby absolutely nails it again with Colony Two Mars. As someone who thrives in fast-paced, high-stakes environments—whether in the cockpit or in business—I appreciate a story that launches hard and doesn’t let up. This one does exactly that.

The book picks up seamlessly from Colony One Mars, and if you thought the first installment had momentum, this one cranks it up a few notches. The tension, the unknowns, and the political undercurrents on Mars are brilliantly executed. Kilby keeps you on the edge of your seat—just like flying into uncertain airspace with a million-dollar payload and no room for error.

What I really enjoy is how Kilby blends hard sci-fi with a very human element—there’s tech, yes, but it’s never at the expense of character or narrative. You feel the isolation, the urgency, and the leadership decisions that echo the kind of pressure we face in real-world operations, albeit on an interplanetary scale.

If you're into stories about pioneering spirit, risk, and the drive to build something new in a hostile frontier, Colony Two Mars delivers. Think of it as a masterclass in leadership under pressure—only the “office” is millions of miles from Earth.

Looking forward to what comes next in the series. Kilby’s vision of Mars colonization is the kind of bold, forward-thinking storytelling we need more of.

[miha · Rating 4 out of 5]

No zdj pa vem kaj se je vmes zgodilo :)

Do njene baze pride človek, napol mrtev in se izkaže da je klon enega od prvotnih astronavtov... Ko gre raziskovat od kje je prišel odkrije prvotno rudniško kolonijo ki naj bi bla zapuščena - pa ni.
Ujamejo jo, testirajo, vendar jo potem izpustijo in ji doktor Vandji razkaže kako nastajajo njegovi kloni in kakšne eksperimente počne...
Ko jo nameravajo ubit, ker je prenevarna za klone Beta - ki jo idealizirajo skoraj kot boginjo - jo rešijo iz reciklirnega tanka in zbežijo nazaj v prvo bazo. Enmu od članov sveta da kode za vzletno vozilo, sama pa se odloči pomagat revoluciji klonov... pa se ne izide vse tako kot planirajo, dr. Vandji je vse to planiral že od začetka in mislita z unim lanom sveta ki je bil tud izdajalc pobegnit z Marsa sama...
In se doktorca zabije z roverjem v MAV in sta oba z Vandijem raztreščena...
Na koncu zmagajo kloni Beta ampak jih morjo spet mirit ker poskušajo vse znanstvenike pobit ker so poskuse na njih delal - čeprov bi znanstvenike rabli za druge stvari in bojo velik na slabšem če bodo sami - eksplozije, bombe, luknje v zgodbi in napoved prihoda novih odprav z zemlje ko zvejo da so na Marsu kloni...

Precej napeto je ratalo prot koncu.

[S · Rating 1 out of 5]

2/10

Well, I finished it, so it's got that going for it. I was also almost forced into skipping a lot of it. Writing has not improved, as it often does when one follows 2nd book in a collection. What's really bad about it, is that the story goes into a completely different direction from the first book. That one ended on a mild cliffhanger, with the villain unpunished, and our heroines' status unclear, stranded on Mars. You'd expect that villain story will be continued. Nope, the villain from the first book is completely ignored. Instead we get another villain, in another colony on Mars. Background story for it is outright absurd, almost comical. As we learned in the previous book, colonists of the first colony wanted to get away from the eyes of reality tv cameras, that were the prime financial source of a base on Mars... As it turns out they created a whole new colony to do just that. Then as the disaster with mad virus started, they closed themselves in it, and started to clone themselves.... Now they have a huge and massive base with thousands of clones in it, all under the dictatorship of a few surviving original colonists. Enter heroine, enter clone of her dead romantic interest from the first novel, enter spear throwing practice, and you get head scratching nonsense.

[Eric Blanco · Rating 2 out of 5]

TLDR: turn off your brain. Immerse yourself. You might enjoy it. Wasn’t for me.


Unfortunately not very good. I might’ve rated the 1st one too high. The glaring issues from book 1 were hard to dismiss in this one. It left me wanting more and simultaneously felt like it dragged on. I love the concept but execution wasn’t great. It felt like the author didn’t trust us to follow the characters feelings/thoughts so constantly narrated what could have been left to the brain of the reader if written better. Having said that it was extremely predictable. I never felt like I bought into the universe created so felt hard to connect.

I really wanted to love this series. I appreciate the vulnerability these artists put themselves in especially when it doesn’t reach their target audience. Like I said, I really wanted to love it so I think that’s why the review feels harsh. I’ll still finish the series.

The best way I can describe it is: If you read The Martian and then watched the movie, the feeling you had watching the movie is the feeling I had reading this book/series. The Martian book had an abundance of details while the movie sped run his plight. This book is the movie of a book that could’ve been way better.

[Leanna M Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The romp continues...

Steve Cole, Leanna's husband and fan of all things Mars, wrote this.

As a space romp it is a fun read. If you try to compare it to THE MARTIAN or DUNE this book will fall way short, but like I said, it is a fun space romp.

Jann, the survivor of book one, travels to the mining station to find a functional colony with 190 people and the secret of youth and perpetual life in a 25 year old body. But as is always the case, what seems like Utopia is a brutal dictatorship by a ruling elite.

SPOILER ALERT

This novel is ultimately about human clones and the kind of society that results from a mix of true born humans, clones of dead humans who left their DNA on file, and genetically engineered homo Ares supermen. It hangs on the absurdity of clones which can be produced in full adult size with the skills and knowledge and some of the memories of the originals.

But if you give the author that one, and the unproven theory that humans can live for years in 38% gravity, and don't try very hard to find the plot loopholes, it will be a fun book to read.

[Nicole Maxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light sci fi read but heavier plot elements (gene sequencing, genetic alterations, etc). It was a decent 2nd book. Not overly exciting, but kept my attention. The Beta’s could have had more character development in their relationship with Jann, but since the book is more of a light read I am not surprised that part is lacking. The book could also have used additional editing to clean up the typos/punctuation errors but they were few and far in between it wasn’t a huge deal. This series is not one I want to devour so I’ll probably take a break from it and come back to it eventually.

*Spoilers*

I find it weird the Betas view Jann as their diety of sorts, but I’m hoping that subsides as time goes on and the Beta’s run their own colony and become their own people. The Hybrids at the end switched sides super quickly, and I wish there was more background on why they were easy to flip the switch? They seemed deep in with the bad guys throughout the majority of the story so it seemed unrealistic they switched sides so fast.

[Judith Trail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe it. I finished Colony One Mars and immediately read the next in the series, Colony Two Mars. I loved it. Even better plotting, great suspense and a thrilling ending. I love Jann Malbec even more: she is ferocious! Gizmo gets even more endearing. Mankind is doomed to be its own worst enemy and even when given an opportunity to use science for the betterment of all mankind, greed and the lust for power turns good science into evil deeds. Jann, after basically doing very little to prepare for a possible return to Earth, gets her very limited world rocked when a man shows up at the Colony, ostensibly from the mining camp, and then dies. Jann decides to investigate and what she finds is pretty horrible. Pulled into the life of Colony Two, the mining community that was not destroyed as believed, Jann finds out that there are worse things than being alone on Mars, with a robot, waiting to die. The story is gripping and all to believable, and yet Jann's innate decency makes her fight for something better. A very good second book in a series.

[Ric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am pretty much hoping that this is the "middle of the trilogy is always the weakest" scenario.
The writing remains pretty strong, but there was a little bit of "jumped the shark" in this story. While still a rollicking good time; suspending disbelief got significantly harder in this one.

- The bad guys are not just bad, but somewhere in the "James Bond" level of super world domination with an army crazy bad. Why, when, how would that ever come to pass?
- Telemetry? Really?
- Clones who are 50% normal humans, and 50% religiously obsessed? Because why and how, and which? Fine, but be consistent.
- And how exactly was Colony Two kept hidden from the only other person on the planet?

Look...I'm being pissy. It's a fun enough book, well written, and it keeps the pace frantic enough you're not going to lose sleep. But it isn't the book its parents were. I hold out hope for book three.

[Brandon Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dialogue issues from the first book are better. I reassert my hypothesis that it is because the author has no idea what a conversation with Earthlings sounds like because the author is from Mars. This issue is rendered somewhat moot this time around because all the characters identify as Martian and, with the exception of the crazy geneticists, all sound more or less like full people and not the knee jerk caricature that dialogue turned the characters into in the first book. That said, the considerations of an independent Martian society are pretty cool. Nils and Gizmo are gems. Lastly, who goes to confront someone about to destroy the Earth with a biological weapon and brings no weapon?! Malbec literally just left a battle and had weapons. She has the time to consider the pros and cons of going alone but not to grab one of the many weapons lying around?

[Curt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a lunch-bag Letdown

Overall this is a pretty decent book, but it didn't quite satisfy. The story was somewhat cliche. We have a full colony living at Mars two combined clones (the betas) of the original colony, genetics enhancements to de-age people, and a maniacal original colony member (known as the Alphas) who manages to create a new species of human and wants to return to Earth. We also have a cute little side-kick robot named Gismo. It is starting to feel like a Disney movie. Elements of the story are also somewhat predictable and I found myself rushing through the details just to finish the book.

The book has a satisfying ending but there are still unresolved issues that need to be tended to in book 3. The series has lost its allure on me so I think I will stop at book 2.