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Ares
Amidst political turmoil on Earth, a rescue mission to ailing colonists on Mars becomes a battle for power and survival in the harsh realities of space.
As humanity explores space, political strife rips apart nations and increases social divides. US President Horton Willoughby III governs only Eastern America and is seen as a political farce. Industrialist Richfield Chan sees opportunity in the fractured government and plans to seize power.
Chan rallies allies to send a seventh colony ship to Mars, hoping to undermine the current president. The Ngu family, responsible for terraforming and mining on Pallas, realize that any rescue mission from Earth will arrive too late. Four siblings launch a rescue mission from Pallas to save the ailing colonists with their expertise and better chosen implements.
The Ngu siblings know their mission is one-way and must teach the colonists to survive on the inhospitable planet or find a way to endure until another rescue ship arrives. The “little people” refuse to be subject to incompetent governments any longer and must make their own stand.
As humanity explores space, political strife rips apart nations and increases social divides. US President Horton Willoughby III governs only Eastern America and is seen as a political farce. Industrialist Richfield Chan sees opportunity in the fractured government and plans to seize power.
Chan rallies allies to send a seventh colony ship to Mars, hoping to undermine the current president. The Ngu family, responsible for terraforming and mining on Pallas, realize that any rescue mission from Earth will arrive too late. Four siblings launch a rescue mission from Pallas to save the ailing colonists with their expertise and better chosen implements.
The Ngu siblings know their mission is one-way and must teach the colonists to survive on the inhospitable planet or find a way to endure until another rescue ship arrives. The “little people” refuse to be subject to incompetent governments any longer and must make their own stand.
- GenresScience Fiction
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 12, 2023
5 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
L. Neil Smith
39 books69 followersL. Neil Smith was a Libertarian science fiction author and gun rights activist.Smith was born in Denver, Colorado.
Smith began publishing science fiction with “Grimm’s Law” for Stellar 5 (1980). He wrote 31 books, including 29 novels, and a number of essays and short stories. In 2016, Smith received the Special Prometheus Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contributions to libertarian science fiction.
He was editor of LEVER ACTION BBS [now defunct], founder and International Coordinator of the Libertarian Second Amendment Caucus, Secretary and Legislative Director of the Weld County Fish & Wildlife Association and an NRA Life Member.
Smith passed away on August 27, 2021 in Fort Collins, Colorado at age 75 after a lengthy battle with heart and kidney disease. Smith is survived by daughter Rylla Smith and wife Cathy Smith.
Smith began publishing science fiction with “Grimm’s Law” for Stellar 5 (1980). He wrote 31 books, including 29 novels, and a number of essays and short stories. In 2016, Smith received the Special Prometheus Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contributions to libertarian science fiction.
He was editor of LEVER ACTION BBS [now defunct], founder and International Coordinator of the Libertarian Second Amendment Caucus, Secretary and Legislative Director of the Weld County Fish & Wildlife Association and an NRA Life Member.
Smith passed away on August 27, 2021 in Fort Collins, Colorado at age 75 after a lengthy battle with heart and kidney disease. Smith is survived by daughter Rylla Smith and wife Cathy Smith.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 29, 2024
I chose this because I am always up for a story about space colonies (the one here is on Mars). I won't spoil but this covered a lot in a relatively short page length. A billionaire is shadow-running East America (he literally hand picked the President). It is a bleak world. There have been six missions to Mars and each has ended terribly but a seventh is on the cusp of failure. The super-wealthy Ngu family that terraformed an asteroid and led a community really become the stars of this story as they mount a huge operation to avert disaster on the most recent Mars mission. Julie, a former sex worker who begins the story dispensing with the pimp who abuses her sister, joins the Marines to get off Earth. She's resourceful and wiley and those qualities come in handy on Mars. As does her penchant for helping the mistreated with bad odds. Rounding out the big players is a formerly Chechen couple who really shine. My favourite aspect of the story was seeing how things would turn out when the Martians decide they will have self-determination. What the powers on Earth do in response is no surprise and I really liked how that resolved itself in the end. I should also mention, this story had some brutal moments (probably to be expected given the situation) but if such situations bother you, just be aware. In book-likes this reminded me of
The Martians
by Kim Stanley Robinson, Red Mars in particular.
There's a lot of world-building and politics which sometimes wasn't terribly exciting reading (some felt like info dumps but vivid) but I liked understanding the place and how characters fit or didn't, in the world. This one will stay with me for a while.
This was my first read by Smith and I would read another.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgally for the Advance Reader's Copy. My thoughts are freely given.
There's a lot of world-building and politics which sometimes wasn't terribly exciting reading (some felt like info dumps but vivid) but I liked understanding the place and how characters fit or didn't, in the world. This one will stay with me for a while.
This was my first read by Smith and I would read another.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgally for the Advance Reader's Copy. My thoughts are freely given.
December 19, 2023
L. Neil Smith http://www.lneilsmith.org/ is the author of more than a dozen novels. Ares was published in mid-December. It is the 115th book I completed reading in 2023.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.
The United States of (East) America launches a colony ship to Mars. This is their seventh attempt at establishing a foothold on the red planet. Their earlier attempts ended in utter failure. The government of (East) America is a sham. The real person in charge is Industrialist Richfield Chan.
On the asteroid Pallas the Ngu family leads the very independent local population. Four of his eight children, Billy, Mirella, Brody, and Teal, don’t want to see the 50 new colonists die like their predecessors. With the help of their father, they secure a ship and head to Mars to rescue the colonists. With the ship they have, they know the trip will be oneway. The supplies that the four bring should enable the colonists to survive. Feeling abandoned by (East) America, the colonists rally to the Gnu children.
Julie Segovia is 17 and barely surviving in Newark. Her older sister is in the hospital. The result of a beating by her pimp. Julie avenges her sister and goes on the run. She ends up joining the Marine Corps to hide out. The skills she learned surviving on the streets of Newark set her apart from the rest of the cadets. She is sent to OCS to become an officer. Before she even finishes her training, she is assigned to a special company of Marines. They are sent to Mars to suppress the ‘rebellion’.
The independence of the colonists is seen as an outrage in (East) America. The (East) American government will go to whatever ends are necessary to bring the colonists back under control. Even returning Mars to its previous lifeless state is seen as a better solution than letting those on Mars think for themselves.
I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 271-page science fiction novel. I do like the selected cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.
The United States of (East) America launches a colony ship to Mars. This is their seventh attempt at establishing a foothold on the red planet. Their earlier attempts ended in utter failure. The government of (East) America is a sham. The real person in charge is Industrialist Richfield Chan.
On the asteroid Pallas the Ngu family leads the very independent local population. Four of his eight children, Billy, Mirella, Brody, and Teal, don’t want to see the 50 new colonists die like their predecessors. With the help of their father, they secure a ship and head to Mars to rescue the colonists. With the ship they have, they know the trip will be oneway. The supplies that the four bring should enable the colonists to survive. Feeling abandoned by (East) America, the colonists rally to the Gnu children.
Julie Segovia is 17 and barely surviving in Newark. Her older sister is in the hospital. The result of a beating by her pimp. Julie avenges her sister and goes on the run. She ends up joining the Marine Corps to hide out. The skills she learned surviving on the streets of Newark set her apart from the rest of the cadets. She is sent to OCS to become an officer. Before she even finishes her training, she is assigned to a special company of Marines. They are sent to Mars to suppress the ‘rebellion’.
The independence of the colonists is seen as an outrage in (East) America. The (East) American government will go to whatever ends are necessary to bring the colonists back under control. Even returning Mars to its previous lifeless state is seen as a better solution than letting those on Mars think for themselves.
I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 271-page science fiction novel. I do like the selected cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
August 15, 2024
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher and both Edelweiss and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review...
A quickly read science fiction novel set mostly on Mars in the 23rd century, I believe. Six groups have been sent to colonize Mars and have been lost. The government of (East) United States and the UN have decided to send another group. Luckily for them, some of those living in the asteroid belt have decided to help those colonists survive this time.
However, it just isn't that cut and dried. The (East) United States is now a dystopian country led by ambitious businessman and a figurehead president. Politics lead to Marines being sent to Mars; not really for humanitarian reasons. Our colonists, plus their Pallatian allies, are determined to make a go of their colony, so serious stuff occurs.
I enjoyed the novel overall. Since this was an ARC, I'm hoping some issues will be corrected before final publication. If not, the most distracting part of the book is that some information is repeated a number of times (sometimes in the same chapter) and this became tedious. But the basic story is entertaining.
One warning for potential readers, if it matters to you, the author was an active Libertarian and you can definitely see that in the novel. The book is not often kind to those that might have differing views, if that's a possible source of angst.
A quickly read science fiction novel set mostly on Mars in the 23rd century, I believe. Six groups have been sent to colonize Mars and have been lost. The government of (East) United States and the UN have decided to send another group. Luckily for them, some of those living in the asteroid belt have decided to help those colonists survive this time.
However, it just isn't that cut and dried. The (East) United States is now a dystopian country led by ambitious businessman and a figurehead president. Politics lead to Marines being sent to Mars; not really for humanitarian reasons. Our colonists, plus their Pallatian allies, are determined to make a go of their colony, so serious stuff occurs.
I enjoyed the novel overall. Since this was an ARC, I'm hoping some issues will be corrected before final publication. If not, the most distracting part of the book is that some information is repeated a number of times (sometimes in the same chapter) and this became tedious. But the basic story is entertaining.
One warning for potential readers, if it matters to you, the author was an active Libertarian and you can definitely see that in the novel. The book is not often kind to those that might have differing views, if that's a possible source of angst.
June 25, 2024
I liked the story well enough enjoyed the dystopian elements of life on Earth and on Mars (I would have liked more of the Eastern and Western United States material, but the the book is titled "Ares", so that was probably never going to happen). I wasn't a fan of the "quotes" at the beginning of each chapter (and yes I get why they are there. I'm just not a fan of it in fiction in general). The obligatory sex scene was thankfully tamer than in other books of the genre, but I still found it unnecessary.
Not sure a sequel is in the planning stages, but it would be interesting.
Not sure a sequel is in the planning stages, but it would be interesting.
February 9, 2024
Thanks to L. Neil Smith, ARC Manor, and Netgalley for access to the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Nice story on colonizing Mars while the earth is under political turmoil. The story is well told and moves quickly. The characters are likeable and engaging. For me, this was old school science fiction – which is a good thing.
Nice story on colonizing Mars while the earth is under political turmoil. The story is well told and moves quickly. The characters are likeable and engaging. For me, this was old school science fiction – which is a good thing.
May 31, 2024
I love science fiction that offers original and imaginative storytelling. Ares, by L Neil Smith, meets that standard. Earth has become a stagnant planet, people have moved to the asteroid belt. The asteroid belt is thriving. People start to move to Mars and problems start.
I received this book as an ARC and agreed to provide an honest evaluation.
I received this book as an ARC and agreed to provide an honest evaluation.
March 4, 2024
Strange book. I did not realize what the Prometheus Awards were. Overall the writing was naive and fanciful, lacking any edge or reality.
The author has a weird grasp on modern ballistics, and constantly asserts that modern weapons with their smaller caliber are somehow ineffective. There is so much stuff about large caliber weaponry that it verged on unsettling.
The plot is tenuous and unbelievable, and the story line filled with ill-fitting interjections about freedom and liberty, that you might expect from a 14 year old raised by a right wing cult.
I struggled to finish the book, despite that it was the only thing I had to read on my daily commute.
The author has a weird grasp on modern ballistics, and constantly asserts that modern weapons with their smaller caliber are somehow ineffective. There is so much stuff about large caliber weaponry that it verged on unsettling.
The plot is tenuous and unbelievable, and the story line filled with ill-fitting interjections about freedom and liberty, that you might expect from a 14 year old raised by a right wing cult.
I struggled to finish the book, despite that it was the only thing I had to read on my daily commute.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews