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The Imperative Chronicles #1
The Mars Imperative: Book One of The Imperative Chronicles
From the author of the #1 bestselling Military Sci-Fi novel on Amazon (My Other Car is a Spaceship):
Mars is a frontier town, filled with prospectors and mining camps. It’s a place of deadly dust storms and near-vacuum atmosphere. And then there’s the terrorist.
When James McKie leaves for his first job in space, he has no idea what he’s getting himself into. Traveling to Mars is harrowing enough. Surviving once he gets there is another matter entirely. Yet there is a discovery waiting to be made, one that could open Mars to human colonization—if it doesn’t kill everyone first.
The Mars Imperative and The Tesserene Imperative can be read in either order, or individually. They are stand-alone stories, along the lines of McCaffrey's Brainship series or Saberhagen's Berserker series.)
For more about the author and his books, see his website at http://MarkTerenceChapman.com or his blog at http://tesserene.blogspot.com.
Mars is a frontier town, filled with prospectors and mining camps. It’s a place of deadly dust storms and near-vacuum atmosphere. And then there’s the terrorist.
When James McKie leaves for his first job in space, he has no idea what he’s getting himself into. Traveling to Mars is harrowing enough. Surviving once he gets there is another matter entirely. Yet there is a discovery waiting to be made, one that could open Mars to human colonization—if it doesn’t kill everyone first.
The Mars Imperative and The Tesserene Imperative can be read in either order, or individually. They are stand-alone stories, along the lines of McCaffrey's Brainship series or Saberhagen's Berserker series.)
For more about the author and his books, see his website at http://MarkTerenceChapman.com or his blog at http://tesserene.blogspot.com.
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 7, 2007
7 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Mark Terence Chapman
10 books27 followersI’m married, with two twenty-something daughters, two dogs, two cats—in fact, two of everything but wives, and only because she won't let me... I'm a scratch golfer (in my dreams) and a former Mensa member (not because I got stupid, but because I stopped paying my dues).
I've written five published novels and three nonfiction books about computer technology, as well as a nonfiction self-help book for writers called "Frequently Misused/Misspelled Words and Phrases (and how to use them correctly)." I also have two other novels in the works.
I've written five published novels and three nonfiction books about computer technology, as well as a nonfiction self-help book for writers called "Frequently Misused/Misspelled Words and Phrases (and how to use them correctly)." I also have two other novels in the works.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 5, 2009
Genre: Science Fiction; My Rating: 4.75 of 5
This is not the normal type of book for me but I am glad that I won this and got to read it! It is not a monster alien story but really a human story with action and murder mystery set in an unusual environment - Mars. Each chapter begins with a scientific entry from the "Encyclopedia Solaris 2176" or similar text, which I liked as a pretty simple way to present technical details to go along with the story!
In 2172, man has started explorations and mining of minerals on Mars to supply dwindling resources on an ever more crowded Earth. James McKie, is a 23 year old geologist, who sets off from his home in Winnipeg and travels to the Mars mining community for his first real job assignment. Traveling is new, strange and scary and gets quite a bit of detail. Then there is the challenge of surviving in the tough environment of Mars while trying to make great discoveries. On top of these day to day things, throw in a greedy murderer and you really get some action!
James makes new friends, Daniel Lim and Kim, who create their own little "im"crowd - Lim, Kim and "Jim" who can be impishly impractical and impossible. Get the picture?! When Kim is taken hostage by a bomber, James and Daniel set off on a pretty drastic rescue mission and that is just the start of James' adventures. James meets interesting bosses and co-workers and even gets a girlfriend. Ultimately James makes a wonderful discovery but it has to be determined if it will be dangerous, like a killing virus, or something that can be controlled and helpful to Mars and humanity. During all this, the murderer is striking out and impacting James' friends and co-workers.
I really liked the fact that the characters are so life-like: young people entering the work world full of excitement, nervousness, embarrassment, guilt, etc.. Lots of real normal emotions. They are just regular young adults seeking to establish themselves, although the rescue maneuvers are a bit on the edge of too much risk taking! Reminiscent of crazy acts from Lost in Space!)
The writing was easy to follow and the issues were not complex. The presentation of technical scientific jargon and issues was done simply and did not detract in any way from the story. Plot lines were wrapped up and nicely concluded. I really loved one phrase early in the book and just have to share it: "This was the final straw, the ultimate thread in a richly-woven tapestry of frustration." Now doesn't that just shout frustration of a 23 year old? It did for me - I just really liked that!
I recommend this book as a fun, action packed read!
This is not the normal type of book for me but I am glad that I won this and got to read it! It is not a monster alien story but really a human story with action and murder mystery set in an unusual environment - Mars. Each chapter begins with a scientific entry from the "Encyclopedia Solaris 2176" or similar text, which I liked as a pretty simple way to present technical details to go along with the story!
In 2172, man has started explorations and mining of minerals on Mars to supply dwindling resources on an ever more crowded Earth. James McKie, is a 23 year old geologist, who sets off from his home in Winnipeg and travels to the Mars mining community for his first real job assignment. Traveling is new, strange and scary and gets quite a bit of detail. Then there is the challenge of surviving in the tough environment of Mars while trying to make great discoveries. On top of these day to day things, throw in a greedy murderer and you really get some action!
James makes new friends, Daniel Lim and Kim, who create their own little "im"crowd - Lim, Kim and "Jim" who can be impishly impractical and impossible. Get the picture?! When Kim is taken hostage by a bomber, James and Daniel set off on a pretty drastic rescue mission and that is just the start of James' adventures. James meets interesting bosses and co-workers and even gets a girlfriend. Ultimately James makes a wonderful discovery but it has to be determined if it will be dangerous, like a killing virus, or something that can be controlled and helpful to Mars and humanity. During all this, the murderer is striking out and impacting James' friends and co-workers.
I really liked the fact that the characters are so life-like: young people entering the work world full of excitement, nervousness, embarrassment, guilt, etc.. Lots of real normal emotions. They are just regular young adults seeking to establish themselves, although the rescue maneuvers are a bit on the edge of too much risk taking! Reminiscent of crazy acts from Lost in Space!)
The writing was easy to follow and the issues were not complex. The presentation of technical scientific jargon and issues was done simply and did not detract in any way from the story. Plot lines were wrapped up and nicely concluded. I really loved one phrase early in the book and just have to share it: "This was the final straw, the ultimate thread in a richly-woven tapestry of frustration." Now doesn't that just shout frustration of a 23 year old? It did for me - I just really liked that!
I recommend this book as a fun, action packed read!
November 27, 2014
Grade-schoolish science fiction.
June 30, 2015
A very original version of life on Mars. I found the book unpredictable with believable characters.
September 29, 2007
(note -- an electronic edition was reviewed)
The ebook of The Mars Imperative presents as a readable and professional .pdf. Each chapter begins in Foundation style, with an extract from the 2176 edition of the Encyclopedia Solaris. This is no broad political tale, however, but rather the more personal story of areologist James McKie and his friends in the "im-crowd"—Daniel Lim and Kimberley Cappelletti.
The novel begins slowly, and not very engagingly, with McKie saying goodbye to people who will never appear in the book again, and then making his long, difficult way to the Space Elevator that will transport him to his new job on Mars. A lot is made of the obstacles McKie encounters, and the author does a good job of creating a sense of urgency, but there's no real sense of consequences if McKie fails to make any of his many flights. The fear that his employers may be a bit miffed with him doesn't create the tension the reader's looking for.
Unfortunately, the first seventy pages of the novel are much the same. Lots of great technical detail—the author clearly loves his subject, and has put in a great deal of research—but no sense of a story arc or of the characters having any particular goal apart from to get where they're going and do their jobs when they arrive. Then, seventy pages in, the novel picks up, with McKie and Lim going on an insane mission—bickering all the way—to rescue Cappelletti from a mad bomber. Easily the best part of the novel, this exciting sequence contains all the tension the previous pages lacked.
Up until this point, the story is told mostly from McKie's point of view. From here on, the story flickers between the heads of various people—some of whom, you've guessed it, never appear again. Although this enables the generation of further tension during the rescue bid, as it goes on, it has a tendency to diffuse the narrative. Further, there is a lack of differentiation between the viewpoint characters; they have a distressing tendency to think and sound the same.
Where this head-hopping does the most damage, however, is in identifying the person behind the various bombings. Coupled with the annoying tendency to have everyone just love the protagonist, and refuse to argue with him, fall out, or ever be unreasonable, this takes the feet from under the novel and leaves it lacking any conflict or tension. The resolution is exciting enough, but the story then drags on for several pages after it's effectively over, leaving an overall impression of a weak opening, a weak ending, and only a few highlights inbetween.
It's a shame. The author has put in a lot of work in the research—I only spotted one possible flaw, when the danger of CO2 poisoning is apparently overlooked—and the narrative is competently written. The protagonist is likeable, and the relationship between him and Lim is generally well balanced between friendship and rivalry. What this novel lacks is plot. The only imperative is in the title.
We can hope for better things from this author.
The ebook of The Mars Imperative presents as a readable and professional .pdf. Each chapter begins in Foundation style, with an extract from the 2176 edition of the Encyclopedia Solaris. This is no broad political tale, however, but rather the more personal story of areologist James McKie and his friends in the "im-crowd"—Daniel Lim and Kimberley Cappelletti.
The novel begins slowly, and not very engagingly, with McKie saying goodbye to people who will never appear in the book again, and then making his long, difficult way to the Space Elevator that will transport him to his new job on Mars. A lot is made of the obstacles McKie encounters, and the author does a good job of creating a sense of urgency, but there's no real sense of consequences if McKie fails to make any of his many flights. The fear that his employers may be a bit miffed with him doesn't create the tension the reader's looking for.
Unfortunately, the first seventy pages of the novel are much the same. Lots of great technical detail—the author clearly loves his subject, and has put in a great deal of research—but no sense of a story arc or of the characters having any particular goal apart from to get where they're going and do their jobs when they arrive. Then, seventy pages in, the novel picks up, with McKie and Lim going on an insane mission—bickering all the way—to rescue Cappelletti from a mad bomber. Easily the best part of the novel, this exciting sequence contains all the tension the previous pages lacked.
Up until this point, the story is told mostly from McKie's point of view. From here on, the story flickers between the heads of various people—some of whom, you've guessed it, never appear again. Although this enables the generation of further tension during the rescue bid, as it goes on, it has a tendency to diffuse the narrative. Further, there is a lack of differentiation between the viewpoint characters; they have a distressing tendency to think and sound the same.
Where this head-hopping does the most damage, however, is in identifying the person behind the various bombings. Coupled with the annoying tendency to have everyone just love the protagonist, and refuse to argue with him, fall out, or ever be unreasonable, this takes the feet from under the novel and leaves it lacking any conflict or tension. The resolution is exciting enough, but the story then drags on for several pages after it's effectively over, leaving an overall impression of a weak opening, a weak ending, and only a few highlights inbetween.
It's a shame. The author has put in a lot of work in the research—I only spotted one possible flaw, when the danger of CO2 poisoning is apparently overlooked—and the narrative is competently written. The protagonist is likeable, and the relationship between him and Lim is generally well balanced between friendship and rivalry. What this novel lacks is plot. The only imperative is in the title.
We can hope for better things from this author.
March 18, 2015
A rollicking adventure that takes a naive young man through numerous perilous adventures on the way to--and then down on the surface of--Mars. He is nearly killed numerous times, but eventually perseveres and makes a momentous discovery. In the process, he matures into a confident, self-reliant man, able to take whatever the universe (and mankind) throws at him.
Reviewers have described the beginning of the book as reading like early Heinlein and the ending like early Alan Dean Foster.
Reviewers have described the beginning of the book as reading like early Heinlein and the ending like early Alan Dean Foster.
May 11, 2016
Well done, I really enjoyed these two books. I thought the second book would be related to the first but was surprised that it was all new characters and a completely different story.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews