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The Rainseekers
Burned out and looking to put her past behind her, a former addict and recovering influencer interviews her fellow travelers en route to witness the first rain on Mars.
Sakunja Salazar had it all. Money, toys, women, and all the drugs money could buy. A breakout Holo influencer, seemingly overnight she lifted her family out of their tiny Mexico City apartment and into the world of the rich and famous. That all changed when she hopped on a rocket and blasted into the cosmos, never to hawk lavender moisturizer again.
What goes up must come down, and when Sakunja finally crashed back down on Mars an alcoholic, addict, and has-been she thought her life was pretty much over. That is, until a magazine editor discovered her photography and offered her a job. Now, she’s the resident documentarian on a barebones expedition seeking to be the first humans to witness rain on Mars. For the first time in her life, Sakunja is turning the spotlight on someone else–interviewing her fellow travelers about what brought them to join this incredibly foolhardy crew of souls adrift in a world unseen.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Sakunja Salazar had it all. Money, toys, women, and all the drugs money could buy. A breakout Holo influencer, seemingly overnight she lifted her family out of their tiny Mexico City apartment and into the world of the rich and famous. That all changed when she hopped on a rocket and blasted into the cosmos, never to hawk lavender moisturizer again.
What goes up must come down, and when Sakunja finally crashed back down on Mars an alcoholic, addict, and has-been she thought her life was pretty much over. That is, until a magazine editor discovered her photography and offered her a job. Now, she’s the resident documentarian on a barebones expedition seeking to be the first humans to witness rain on Mars. For the first time in her life, Sakunja is turning the spotlight on someone else–interviewing her fellow travelers about what brought them to join this incredibly foolhardy crew of souls adrift in a world unseen.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
149 pages, Paperback
First published February 17, 2026
About the author
Matthew Kressel
69 books68 followers The short:
I’m a software developer and speculative fiction writer with three Nebula Award nominations, a World Fantasy Award nomination, and a Eugie Award nomination. I am the co-host of the Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series in New York City. And I created the Moksha submissions system, in use by some of the largest publishers in speculative fiction today.
The long:
I’m a software developer and writer of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. My fiction has been nominated three times for a Nebula Award and once for a Eugie Foster Memorial Award. And I’ve also been nominated for a World Fantasy Award for my former editorial and publishing work. My fiction has been translated into many languages, including Japanese, Spanish, French, Chinese, Romanian, Russian, Czech, Polish, and Farsi.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved hearing and telling stories. I spent a lot of time alone as a child, and I would entertain myself by creating entire worlds in my head and inhabiting them fully (sometimes to the chagrin of my parents and teachers). This world-building continued well into my adulthood, when, after a particularly vivid dream, I decided to write my stories down. Once I began writing seriously, I’ve never stopped.
My fiction tends to explore themes of loss, death, mourning and rebirth, but also hope and possibility. I consider myself a mindful optimist, even though my fiction can sometimes be very dark. I believe humanity is capable of great feats, but what we often lack is will, imagination, or foresight. Sometimes I tend my fiction to inspire. Sometimes I write cautionary tales. Sometimes I just follow my dream-id where it leads. I’m always surprised by what my subconscious brings up.
I work incredibly hard at my writing, and my only wish is that you enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoy creating it.
My short story “The Last Novelist” was a 2017 Nebula Award finalist as well a 2018 Eugie Award finalist. My short story “The Meeker and the All-Seeing Eye” was a 2014 Nebula Award finalist. And my short story “The Sounds of Old Earth” was a 2013 Nebula Award finalist. My work has also appeared in several year’s best anthologies and received numerous honorable mentions.
My many short stories have appeared in such publications as Lightspeed, Nightmare, Tor.com, Clarkesworld, Analog, io9.com, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Interzone, Electric Velocipede, Apex Magazine, and the anthologies Mad Hatters and March Hares, Cyber World, After,The People of the Book, and many other places.
My debut novel, King of Shards, was hailed as “Majestic, resonant, reality-twisting madness,” from NPR Books. I have a novella forthcoming in 2026 from Tordotcom / Reactor titled The Rainseekers. And a novel, Space Trucker Jess, coming in 2025 from Fairwood Press.
Every second Wednesday, I co-host the Fantastic Fiction reading series at the famous KGB Bar alongside veteran speculative-fiction editor Ellen Datlow.
In 2011 I was nominated for World Fantasy Award in the category of Special Award, Non-Professional for my work editing Sybil’s Garage. The magazine’s website has been archived here.
In 2003 I started the speculative fiction magazine Sybil’s Garage, and the stories and poetry therein have received multiple honorable mentions in the Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror. Under the rubric of Senses Five Press, I published Paper Cities, which won the 2009 World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology.
I have been a long-time member of Altered Fluid, a Manhattan-based writing group which has many successful past and present members, including N.K. Jemisin, Sam J. Miller, Alaya Dawn Johnson, E.C. Myers, Mercurio D. Rivera, and many others. I am also obsessed with Blade Runner (both films).
When I’m not writing, I design websites and write software. I am probably best known for the Moksha submissions system, which I created, and which is currently used by some of the largest SF markets including The Magazine of Fantasy
I’m a software developer and speculative fiction writer with three Nebula Award nominations, a World Fantasy Award nomination, and a Eugie Award nomination. I am the co-host of the Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series in New York City. And I created the Moksha submissions system, in use by some of the largest publishers in speculative fiction today.
The long:
I’m a software developer and writer of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. My fiction has been nominated three times for a Nebula Award and once for a Eugie Foster Memorial Award. And I’ve also been nominated for a World Fantasy Award for my former editorial and publishing work. My fiction has been translated into many languages, including Japanese, Spanish, French, Chinese, Romanian, Russian, Czech, Polish, and Farsi.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved hearing and telling stories. I spent a lot of time alone as a child, and I would entertain myself by creating entire worlds in my head and inhabiting them fully (sometimes to the chagrin of my parents and teachers). This world-building continued well into my adulthood, when, after a particularly vivid dream, I decided to write my stories down. Once I began writing seriously, I’ve never stopped.
My fiction tends to explore themes of loss, death, mourning and rebirth, but also hope and possibility. I consider myself a mindful optimist, even though my fiction can sometimes be very dark. I believe humanity is capable of great feats, but what we often lack is will, imagination, or foresight. Sometimes I tend my fiction to inspire. Sometimes I write cautionary tales. Sometimes I just follow my dream-id where it leads. I’m always surprised by what my subconscious brings up.
I work incredibly hard at my writing, and my only wish is that you enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoy creating it.
My short story “The Last Novelist” was a 2017 Nebula Award finalist as well a 2018 Eugie Award finalist. My short story “The Meeker and the All-Seeing Eye” was a 2014 Nebula Award finalist. And my short story “The Sounds of Old Earth” was a 2013 Nebula Award finalist. My work has also appeared in several year’s best anthologies and received numerous honorable mentions.
My many short stories have appeared in such publications as Lightspeed, Nightmare, Tor.com, Clarkesworld, Analog, io9.com, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Interzone, Electric Velocipede, Apex Magazine, and the anthologies Mad Hatters and March Hares, Cyber World, After,The People of the Book, and many other places.
My debut novel, King of Shards, was hailed as “Majestic, resonant, reality-twisting madness,” from NPR Books. I have a novella forthcoming in 2026 from Tordotcom / Reactor titled The Rainseekers. And a novel, Space Trucker Jess, coming in 2025 from Fairwood Press.
Every second Wednesday, I co-host the Fantastic Fiction reading series at the famous KGB Bar alongside veteran speculative-fiction editor Ellen Datlow.
In 2011 I was nominated for World Fantasy Award in the category of Special Award, Non-Professional for my work editing Sybil’s Garage. The magazine’s website has been archived here.
In 2003 I started the speculative fiction magazine Sybil’s Garage, and the stories and poetry therein have received multiple honorable mentions in the Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror. Under the rubric of Senses Five Press, I published Paper Cities, which won the 2009 World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology.
I have been a long-time member of Altered Fluid, a Manhattan-based writing group which has many successful past and present members, including N.K. Jemisin, Sam J. Miller, Alaya Dawn Johnson, E.C. Myers, Mercurio D. Rivera, and many others. I am also obsessed with Blade Runner (both films).
When I’m not writing, I design websites and write software. I am probably best known for the Moksha submissions system, which I created, and which is currently used by some of the largest SF markets including The Magazine of Fantasy
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
February 18, 2026
I don't know how you make a 150 page story about storm-chasers on Mars boring but that's kind of an achievement in and of itself.
August 5, 2025
I was provided an advanced copy of this book for review.
Mars’s terraforming has advanced far enough that it can rain again. A group is chosen to try and experience the rain. One of the members, Sakunja Salazar, a former influencer on Earth, documents the trip and her fellow travelers. They all have interesting life stories and the voyage to seeks rain provides an interesting background.
Mars’s terraforming has advanced far enough that it can rain again. A group is chosen to try and experience the rain. One of the members, Sakunja Salazar, a former influencer on Earth, documents the trip and her fellow travelers. They all have interesting life stories and the voyage to seeks rain provides an interesting background.
June 17, 2026
I loved the lived in, full-view feel of a Mars well-settled and on the cusp of terraforming.
An ambitious book, to combine a number of viewpoints, to tell through individual backstories the various ways a person may end up on a quixotic quest. The main character is a journalist, doing the interviews in a desultory way, and she is interesting, too. Almost every character seen in depth is not doing what they started out doing in life.
The best part is the character backstory that isn't narrated, but compiled via sources by the journalist character.
I would have liked one more point of view? I don't know. I felt this odd feeling at the end, like the book had reached far, and come just short? Still, it was pleasant to read, easy to grab one chapter at a time before bed.
An ambitious book, to combine a number of viewpoints, to tell through individual backstories the various ways a person may end up on a quixotic quest. The main character is a journalist, doing the interviews in a desultory way, and she is interesting, too. Almost every character seen in depth is not doing what they started out doing in life.
The best part is the character backstory that isn't narrated, but compiled via sources by the journalist character.
I would have liked one more point of view? I don't know. I felt this odd feeling at the end, like the book had reached far, and come just short? Still, it was pleasant to read, easy to grab one chapter at a time before bed.
March 10, 2026
Short, and a good story, but names were so hard to pronounce. At times, I would find my mind wandering off because I was not able to stay interested. Probably because this is not what I would normally find myself reading, a novella about Mars and a group living there waiting for the first rainfall.
September 1, 2026
A very quick scifi Canterbury Tales. Quite entertaining and fun, plus weather on Mars! Always fun to imagine.
February 22, 2026
I’m always a sucker for character-centric sci fi. this book is intimate, personal, and very human, and I loved getting to discover the world of the story through the eyes of the people who inhabit it
March 8, 2026
2.75 ⭐️ rounded up
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I wanted to like this and I just don’t, but I also don’t dislike it either. The synopsis of this book had so much promise, but I don’t think it was executed in the best way. The science-fiction aspect took a back seat to the character stories, which was disappointing, though the stories were definitely tragic.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I wanted to like this and I just don’t, but I also don’t dislike it either. The synopsis of this book had so much promise, but I don’t think it was executed in the best way. The science-fiction aspect took a back seat to the character stories, which was disappointing, though the stories were definitely tragic.
February 22, 2026
Sakunja Salazar (Saki) was born on Earth, traveled to Mars, which some consider fortunate given Earth's current chaotic state caused by humanity (believable). However, what they lack is water—rain. She and 46 others have decided to risk everything to see rain on Mars. as it may be their last chance due to the harsh planet's terrain and the requirements to sustain their life.
Saki's background is in photography and blogging, which brought her fame but also misfortune. She fell into drugs and hit rock bottom, but eventually she managed to recover and became a journalist. This journey led her to this mission—a documentation of her interviews with fellow travelers. Through their stories, readers gain insight into each person's reasons, hardships, choices, and motivations as they risk their lives, including Saki.
The characters embody themes of redemption and resilience—proof to themselves that they can make a difference or even earn love and pride again. The story uses the rain as a central motif, but ultimately, it shifts focus to the personal struggles and growth of each character, highlighting the author's exploration of perseverance and hope.
Saki's background is in photography and blogging, which brought her fame but also misfortune. She fell into drugs and hit rock bottom, but eventually she managed to recover and became a journalist. This journey led her to this mission—a documentation of her interviews with fellow travelers. Through their stories, readers gain insight into each person's reasons, hardships, choices, and motivations as they risk their lives, including Saki.
The characters embody themes of redemption and resilience—proof to themselves that they can make a difference or even earn love and pride again. The story uses the rain as a central motif, but ultimately, it shifts focus to the personal struggles and growth of each character, highlighting the author's exploration of perseverance and hope.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.25
This novella is essentially a series of connected short story vignettes of the lives of the people on the trip and how/why they have undertaken this dangerous mission. Despite having such short glimpses into the travelers lives, each story is touching and poignant in its own way. I also liked the main character and the framing narrative of her writing an article. Definitely a worthwhile read, one of the better novellas I've read.
This novella is essentially a series of connected short story vignettes of the lives of the people on the trip and how/why they have undertaken this dangerous mission. Despite having such short glimpses into the travelers lives, each story is touching and poignant in its own way. I also liked the main character and the framing narrative of her writing an article. Definitely a worthwhile read, one of the better novellas I've read.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
This wants to be a lot more profound than it is, sadly. The main character doesn't have a strong voice which I would argue is critical for this kind of writing (and is very funny given that a plot point is that she's offered a job at a magazine on the strength of her voice). Additionally none of the people profiled in the book really feel like real people to me (their voices are not strongly conveyed either). If you've already read To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers and want something like that but not as good, pick this up, if you haven't read the Chambers just read that instead.
October 23, 2025
A compelling collection of stories and the importance of experiences to humanity, although I did feel that in the stories in the first half, it felt very judgy about people who are poor or addicts. The second half really was what sold me on this book.
August 8, 2026
Join us for a live PKD hangout and interview about this novel on 9/15/26 at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST.
For most of Science Fiction’s history, novels were short and didn’t have to be a Stephen King-sized doorstop or an arm workout to carry. It is funny that books that have 50 pages more than Of Mice and Men and would’ve been considered a novel in the golden age of SF are just novellas these days. Enter this classic-feeling short novel, The Rainseekers by Matthew, that feels like a warm blanket for lovers of classic SF. Don’t get me wrong, it is a modern novel, but the things that make it feel classic are subtle, in the same way that the best world-building is built on tiny moments.
While some recent Martian novels have taken the route of a retro Mars, like The Strange by Nathan Balligrud or Song My Enemies Sing by James Reich, they do a wonderful job of invoking the Mars of the imagination. The Rainseekers is closer to a hard SF take on Mars, although the details of terraforming get fantastical.
The book has several POV characters, and the narrative jumps POV often; for such a short book, it has a mosaic feeling. We mostly follow Earth-born Sakunja Salazar, who is an influencer trying to document the first natural rain on the terraformed Mars.
The Martian-born character was a bit more interesting to me. “I was born on Mars and, unfortunately, I'm a brittle bone. I get bimonthly injections to boost my bone density and muscle mass. One day I hope to walk the same Japanese hills of Earth that mom did. But right now I can't walk in full Earth gravity without risking my spine. I flew to Luna once, and let me tell you there was no fucking masseuse on the crowded boats.”
Saki’s adventures around the solar system hint at a wider universe and more experiences.
“On Enceladus, I leaped like a bird from a tall frozen Cliff into an enormous crevice, artificial wings spread wide, and no orgasm nor drug will ever approach that feeling spiraling down in low gravity on that shimmering and frigid alien world while Saturn’s majesty loomed over me.”
I like that Kressel is fully using all the colors of the rainbow of SF to paint a picture of amazing travels around the solar system. Wouldn’t Saturn ring diving for influencers be a part of this future?
Kressel takes the Martian setting seriously. He seems to have researched and thought out how this Martian culture would work while humans worked to change it. Consider how they thought about the deaths of the people trying to see this first rain on Mars.
“The old Mars tradition, going back to the first landings, was to put the dead body in cold storage until it could be flown back to Earth for burial. But that proved difficult and absurdly expensive. So most of the early settlers buried their dead in the Martian sand. There's a fair amount of graveyards spread around Mars; if you look hard enough, some have become shrines, with plinths, and obelisks, and monuments to those brave early pioneers. But you can't bury folks on Mars anymore. The NDC forbids it, doling out huge fines and penalties for any infraction. You might contaminate the protosoil with invasive human microbes and ruined decades of careful planetary engineering. So most folks are cremated now, or their bodies get donated to the ag farms, where you're slowly composted and turned into fertilizer. You can never have enough nitrogen if you live on Mars long enough; chances are you've eaten a meal containing matter from at least one recycled person. Number one rule of life away from Earth is that nothing goes to waste, not even waste."
A novella with this scope, nothing goes to waste either, and I love it for that. The Rainseekers is an excellent SF novel that sells the harsh Martian environment without sacrificing the characters. I believe these characters desire to see this first rain, and I was invested. 24 chapters in a short novel, and the story felt like it expanded to the wider Solar System.
You have a few weeks to read it before I interview the author on a live Dickheads. This is A+ modern science fiction in my opinion.
For most of Science Fiction’s history, novels were short and didn’t have to be a Stephen King-sized doorstop or an arm workout to carry. It is funny that books that have 50 pages more than Of Mice and Men and would’ve been considered a novel in the golden age of SF are just novellas these days. Enter this classic-feeling short novel, The Rainseekers by Matthew, that feels like a warm blanket for lovers of classic SF. Don’t get me wrong, it is a modern novel, but the things that make it feel classic are subtle, in the same way that the best world-building is built on tiny moments.
While some recent Martian novels have taken the route of a retro Mars, like The Strange by Nathan Balligrud or Song My Enemies Sing by James Reich, they do a wonderful job of invoking the Mars of the imagination. The Rainseekers is closer to a hard SF take on Mars, although the details of terraforming get fantastical.
The book has several POV characters, and the narrative jumps POV often; for such a short book, it has a mosaic feeling. We mostly follow Earth-born Sakunja Salazar, who is an influencer trying to document the first natural rain on the terraformed Mars.
The Martian-born character was a bit more interesting to me. “I was born on Mars and, unfortunately, I'm a brittle bone. I get bimonthly injections to boost my bone density and muscle mass. One day I hope to walk the same Japanese hills of Earth that mom did. But right now I can't walk in full Earth gravity without risking my spine. I flew to Luna once, and let me tell you there was no fucking masseuse on the crowded boats.”
Saki’s adventures around the solar system hint at a wider universe and more experiences.
“On Enceladus, I leaped like a bird from a tall frozen Cliff into an enormous crevice, artificial wings spread wide, and no orgasm nor drug will ever approach that feeling spiraling down in low gravity on that shimmering and frigid alien world while Saturn’s majesty loomed over me.”
I like that Kressel is fully using all the colors of the rainbow of SF to paint a picture of amazing travels around the solar system. Wouldn’t Saturn ring diving for influencers be a part of this future?
Kressel takes the Martian setting seriously. He seems to have researched and thought out how this Martian culture would work while humans worked to change it. Consider how they thought about the deaths of the people trying to see this first rain on Mars.
“The old Mars tradition, going back to the first landings, was to put the dead body in cold storage until it could be flown back to Earth for burial. But that proved difficult and absurdly expensive. So most of the early settlers buried their dead in the Martian sand. There's a fair amount of graveyards spread around Mars; if you look hard enough, some have become shrines, with plinths, and obelisks, and monuments to those brave early pioneers. But you can't bury folks on Mars anymore. The NDC forbids it, doling out huge fines and penalties for any infraction. You might contaminate the protosoil with invasive human microbes and ruined decades of careful planetary engineering. So most folks are cremated now, or their bodies get donated to the ag farms, where you're slowly composted and turned into fertilizer. You can never have enough nitrogen if you live on Mars long enough; chances are you've eaten a meal containing matter from at least one recycled person. Number one rule of life away from Earth is that nothing goes to waste, not even waste."
A novella with this scope, nothing goes to waste either, and I love it for that. The Rainseekers is an excellent SF novel that sells the harsh Martian environment without sacrificing the characters. I believe these characters desire to see this first rain, and I was invested. 24 chapters in a short novel, and the story felt like it expanded to the wider Solar System.
You have a few weeks to read it before I interview the author on a live Dickheads. This is A+ modern science fiction in my opinion.
February 19, 2026
The first half of this scifi novella about a group of people who travel to Mars to see the rain are recollections of peoples pasts that are collected from Sakunja, a former addict and influencer-turned-photographer. We see how capitalism, ecocide and vanity almost destroyed humanity. We see how AI destroys the future beyond our current understanding. We see how people will go to great lengths to help humanity, when humanity still badgers those same people into thinking they’re worthless.
The later half is the build up to finally seeing rainfall on Mars, and how everything has led to this beautiful moment. About the losses that occurred on this strange planet, and how everyone recoups after the harsh climate and experience.
Really a unique book, and I appreciated how it covered a wide range of topics in a novella.
The later half is the build up to finally seeing rainfall on Mars, and how everything has led to this beautiful moment. About the losses that occurred on this strange planet, and how everyone recoups after the harsh climate and experience.
Really a unique book, and I appreciated how it covered a wide range of topics in a novella.
April 11, 2026
2.5 stars
Thank you Tor for a review copy
RTC
Thank you Tor for a review copy
RTC
July 30, 2026
Not really science fiction...more like a novella about lost souls trying to find their purpose in the world, on Mars.
July 31, 2026
3.75/5
This book began as a 5 star read. It was atmospheric, thoughtful, and entrancing. I felt like I was there. It was a relaxing read with lovely prose.
But slowly, some issues revealed themselves.
The pacing was uneven - the book would be going along at a nice meditative pace, and then all of a sudden something really dramatic/cliffhanger-y would happen or there would be a paragraph of a someone being out-of-character crude/overusing profanity. This works for some narratives, I have nothing against it, but when it happened in this one it felt really out of register.
There were too many similes. It was noticeable.
The author tried way too hard to be multicultural and inclusive, to the point it became a distraction - like he was seeking social credit for attempting to cover every kind of marginalized person: the protagonist is a Mexicana, there is a xe/xer pronoun character, a Nigerian, a Native American, a female Muslim with a very unlikely story, a former Hasidic Jew, etc. etc. I did appreciate some of these perspectives - at first they seemed unique - but after a certain number I hit emotional fatigue. It's a short book. The identities (and how over-the-top tragic they were written) became forefront and buried the overarching story. I wish the author had picked just one POV to solidly focus on and develop.
I just wanted to feel like I was on Mars some more. By the time the rain came, I was tapped out.
3.75/5 because for a while I did feel like I was there.
This book began as a 5 star read. It was atmospheric, thoughtful, and entrancing. I felt like I was there. It was a relaxing read with lovely prose.
But slowly, some issues revealed themselves.
The pacing was uneven - the book would be going along at a nice meditative pace, and then all of a sudden something really dramatic/cliffhanger-y would happen or there would be a paragraph of a someone being out-of-character crude/overusing profanity. This works for some narratives, I have nothing against it, but when it happened in this one it felt really out of register.
There were too many similes. It was noticeable.
The author tried way too hard to be multicultural and inclusive, to the point it became a distraction - like he was seeking social credit for attempting to cover every kind of marginalized person: the protagonist is a Mexicana, there is a xe/xer pronoun character, a Nigerian, a Native American, a female Muslim with a very unlikely story, a former Hasidic Jew, etc. etc. I did appreciate some of these perspectives - at first they seemed unique - but after a certain number I hit emotional fatigue. It's a short book. The identities (and how over-the-top tragic they were written) became forefront and buried the overarching story. I wish the author had picked just one POV to solidly focus on and develop.
I just wanted to feel like I was on Mars some more. By the time the rain came, I was tapped out.
3.75/5 because for a while I did feel like I was there.
Read
January 4, 2026Told as a series of life stories about a group on mars looking to be the first to see rain on the terraformed planet, this is more a story of what it means to be human than a plot driven sci-fi. Super quick to read so perfect for a weekend read. Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy
November 24, 2025
Excellent book!!!
September 29, 2025
For 160 short pages you will truly go on a journey. This book follows Sakunja who is on a trip with a very different group to see the first rainfall on Mars. This book reminded me of the book Hyperion quite a bit and that is a complement. I have also seen references to Canterbury Tales. We truly see how an unlikely group full of religious and cultural differences can coexist and how they all want to experience the rain amongst everything else happening in the world. This is a solid 160 pages and I highly recommend.
Thank you to Tor Publishing and Macmillan for my review copy!
Thank you to Tor Publishing and Macmillan for my review copy!
November 19, 2025
Despite taking place on Mars and in the future, this book barely felt like Science Fiction to me, as it focused on the stories of the characters more than the plot of seeking rain on Mars. It was well-written and edited into a nice short novel, but it read more like a series of vignettes lacking real-time character development, so I struggled to become fully immersed. Solidly 3.5 stars but I wasn't really wowed enough to bump my rating up to 4.
Thank you Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. :)
Thank you Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. :)
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
The blurb isn’t exactly wrong, but the emphasis is on the wrong person. Not that Sakunja Salazar doesn’t tell her own story in this story, but it’s not about her. It’s about all of them, collectively. A somewhat motley crew of characters in search of the ineffable, surprisingly like Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales – and isn’t that a bit of a surprise?
The story takes place in a future that is close enough that we recognize the past they look back at as our present. More or less. Still, it’s far enough out that Mars has not just been colonized, but has been terraformed just long enough that the success of THAT enterprise is starting to show.
There’s water on Mars. Water that mostly falls in the form of snow, because it’s still DAMN cold, but water is starting to flow. And the oxygen level is rising – not enough to survive long term without an oxygen mask, BUT, enough that there are a few spots where it’s possible for a few hours on occasion – if one is very, very lucky.
Which this bunch hasn’t been, at least not so far. Because the ineffable that they have trekked far away from Mars’ safe and settled underground cities to see, the thing that they are seeking, is rain. Not snow, not merely free flowing water, but actual rain falling from a sky full of clouds. Something that has not happened on Mars since before humans evolved into, well, humans.
But it’s about to. It really is. The expedition hopes to be the first people to see it happen, to literally be in the place where it happens – even if that’s the biggest room in the world.
This could have been the story of the expedition, its planning, its execution, the minutiae of driving away from civilization to a remote location where something wondrous will appear. But that’s not the important bit.
This is a story about the journey – not the trek itself, but the journey that this group of seekers has taken, not just this single trip but the journey of their lives and the journeys that brought them to Mars in the first place. Even when those journeys are not theirs but their parents’ or grandparents’.
Very much like The Canterbury Tales, this is journalist Sakunja Salazar interviewing her fellow travelers, hearing their stories in their own words, painting a portrait of what brought each of them to this singular time and place – and what motivates them to keep going in the face of multiple disasters and setbacks – and not just on this particular trip.
Along the way she gets to tell her own story, to become part of this fascinating and surprising whole. And what comes after.
Escape Rating A-: As is frequently the case, I didn’t exactly know what I was getting into with this one – but I was sure it was short and sometimes that’s enough to start with. I was definitely misled just a bit by the blurb, because that description left me expecting a kind of redemption story, that Sakunja had hit rock bottom and was going to come out better for this experience – or possibly not.
This isn’t that story, and it’s better for it. For one thing, Sakunja has already reinvented herself. Not that she didn’t hit rock bottom, but that sorry state is in her rearview and has been for years. She doesn’t need the money for doing the article, what she’s looking for here is the experience of looking outward instead of inward. She doesn’t want to be the star this time around, because she recognizes that the part of her life where she was was empty.
So the story is about her being just like everyone else on the trip. They each have a story. They’ve each done stupid things and glorious things. They are each in pursuit of something indefinable, something that they find – not in the water, but in their bonding with each other.
This isn’t exactly a light story – although it has light moments. Each of the travelers has survived life’s tragedies, each has experienced something less than a happy ending. But each has also found a kind of peace within themselves – even as they frantically hold each other up as their trek faces setbacks that cut their odds of either seeing what they came to see or surviving the journey.
But their individual stories, and their collective story, do a marvelous job of representing the human experience – even in a place that is far from where our species began. I’m glad I read this one., and I’ll certainly look for this author again.
Originally published at Reading Reality
The story takes place in a future that is close enough that we recognize the past they look back at as our present. More or less. Still, it’s far enough out that Mars has not just been colonized, but has been terraformed just long enough that the success of THAT enterprise is starting to show.
There’s water on Mars. Water that mostly falls in the form of snow, because it’s still DAMN cold, but water is starting to flow. And the oxygen level is rising – not enough to survive long term without an oxygen mask, BUT, enough that there are a few spots where it’s possible for a few hours on occasion – if one is very, very lucky.
Which this bunch hasn’t been, at least not so far. Because the ineffable that they have trekked far away from Mars’ safe and settled underground cities to see, the thing that they are seeking, is rain. Not snow, not merely free flowing water, but actual rain falling from a sky full of clouds. Something that has not happened on Mars since before humans evolved into, well, humans.
But it’s about to. It really is. The expedition hopes to be the first people to see it happen, to literally be in the place where it happens – even if that’s the biggest room in the world.
This could have been the story of the expedition, its planning, its execution, the minutiae of driving away from civilization to a remote location where something wondrous will appear. But that’s not the important bit.
This is a story about the journey – not the trek itself, but the journey that this group of seekers has taken, not just this single trip but the journey of their lives and the journeys that brought them to Mars in the first place. Even when those journeys are not theirs but their parents’ or grandparents’.
Very much like The Canterbury Tales, this is journalist Sakunja Salazar interviewing her fellow travelers, hearing their stories in their own words, painting a portrait of what brought each of them to this singular time and place – and what motivates them to keep going in the face of multiple disasters and setbacks – and not just on this particular trip.
Along the way she gets to tell her own story, to become part of this fascinating and surprising whole. And what comes after.
Escape Rating A-: As is frequently the case, I didn’t exactly know what I was getting into with this one – but I was sure it was short and sometimes that’s enough to start with. I was definitely misled just a bit by the blurb, because that description left me expecting a kind of redemption story, that Sakunja had hit rock bottom and was going to come out better for this experience – or possibly not.
This isn’t that story, and it’s better for it. For one thing, Sakunja has already reinvented herself. Not that she didn’t hit rock bottom, but that sorry state is in her rearview and has been for years. She doesn’t need the money for doing the article, what she’s looking for here is the experience of looking outward instead of inward. She doesn’t want to be the star this time around, because she recognizes that the part of her life where she was was empty.
So the story is about her being just like everyone else on the trip. They each have a story. They’ve each done stupid things and glorious things. They are each in pursuit of something indefinable, something that they find – not in the water, but in their bonding with each other.
This isn’t exactly a light story – although it has light moments. Each of the travelers has survived life’s tragedies, each has experienced something less than a happy ending. But each has also found a kind of peace within themselves – even as they frantically hold each other up as their trek faces setbacks that cut their odds of either seeing what they came to see or surviving the journey.
But their individual stories, and their collective story, do a marvelous job of representing the human experience – even in a place that is far from where our species began. I’m glad I read this one., and I’ll certainly look for this author again.
Originally published at Reading Reality
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My thanks to both NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of this novella that takes place on Mars featuring a diverse cast of adventurers, seekers, dreamers and the lost, waiting for the first natural occurence of weather on the planet they now call home.
I was blessed to have a strong library in our town that had numerous book sales when I was growing up, probably the only way my parents could afford my book habit. We had bag sales where one could pack a bag for a buck or two, so I would go nuts. I was young when I scored a bunch of books about Mars, A John Carter book, War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. The John Carter was basically Conan in space, War of the Worlds had aliens, battles and well aliens. The Martian Chronicles though was different. Mars was just a place, a place of wonder yes, but the stories were about people. People lost, missing things, looking for things, trying to make sense of things. I think this is when I realized that science fiction was about more than cool aliens, laser beams and strange worlds. This is something I think is lost in much that is published now. So it was refreshing to find the human factor an important part of this novella, along with a story that was both wondrous and magical. The Rainseekers by The Rainseekers, by Matthew Kressel is a novella about the future, about people, technology, the small moments, the momentous, and trying to make sense of it all.
Sakunja Salazar was once one of the biggest influencers in the future. A skill that Salazar developed early to get her family out of their dire circumstances, and into the world of wealth, power and safety. Until Salazar realized what is was costing her, pushing things she couldn't care less about, addicted to things that were destroying her, and lost in the spotlight of social acceptance. Salazar hit the spaceways, traveling among the planets that had been settled, and finding a skill that Salazar had no idea she had. An editor for a feature media group saw the photos that Salazar was creating and offered Salazar a job. On Mars a diverse group of amateur adventurers were setting up an expedition to see the first natural rain fall on Mars. Salazar job is to go with them, get a story, and lots of photos. For Salazar this is new. Salazar is used to showing every part of herself, to push things she didn't care for. Now she was to win trusts, her stories, and not judge. Even when the expedition finds unexpected things, things that cold change everything.
A really strong novella, one that hits with the impact of a bigger novel. Kressel does a good job of setting up Salazar, dropping hints on why Salazar got out of the influencer game. Kressel builds the world carefully, sharing bits in stories, in comments, and in speeches that Salazar shares with us. The other characters are just as interesting. A mix of Martian Chronicles, something that is hard to avoid, Canterbury Tales, and a bit of Kim Stanley Robinson, especially showing the changes brought to Mars by the humans. Kressel has a very sure hand creating this story, and again for a novella offers a very rich story.
A science fiction book for those who love stories about humans and the future. As with the best of genre fiction this might be of the future, but deals with the now, the problems we have with social media, the environment, and with human interaction, something that is getting stranger everyday. A really interesting novella, from an author I will be following.
I was blessed to have a strong library in our town that had numerous book sales when I was growing up, probably the only way my parents could afford my book habit. We had bag sales where one could pack a bag for a buck or two, so I would go nuts. I was young when I scored a bunch of books about Mars, A John Carter book, War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. The John Carter was basically Conan in space, War of the Worlds had aliens, battles and well aliens. The Martian Chronicles though was different. Mars was just a place, a place of wonder yes, but the stories were about people. People lost, missing things, looking for things, trying to make sense of things. I think this is when I realized that science fiction was about more than cool aliens, laser beams and strange worlds. This is something I think is lost in much that is published now. So it was refreshing to find the human factor an important part of this novella, along with a story that was both wondrous and magical. The Rainseekers by The Rainseekers, by Matthew Kressel is a novella about the future, about people, technology, the small moments, the momentous, and trying to make sense of it all.
Sakunja Salazar was once one of the biggest influencers in the future. A skill that Salazar developed early to get her family out of their dire circumstances, and into the world of wealth, power and safety. Until Salazar realized what is was costing her, pushing things she couldn't care less about, addicted to things that were destroying her, and lost in the spotlight of social acceptance. Salazar hit the spaceways, traveling among the planets that had been settled, and finding a skill that Salazar had no idea she had. An editor for a feature media group saw the photos that Salazar was creating and offered Salazar a job. On Mars a diverse group of amateur adventurers were setting up an expedition to see the first natural rain fall on Mars. Salazar job is to go with them, get a story, and lots of photos. For Salazar this is new. Salazar is used to showing every part of herself, to push things she didn't care for. Now she was to win trusts, her stories, and not judge. Even when the expedition finds unexpected things, things that cold change everything.
A really strong novella, one that hits with the impact of a bigger novel. Kressel does a good job of setting up Salazar, dropping hints on why Salazar got out of the influencer game. Kressel builds the world carefully, sharing bits in stories, in comments, and in speeches that Salazar shares with us. The other characters are just as interesting. A mix of Martian Chronicles, something that is hard to avoid, Canterbury Tales, and a bit of Kim Stanley Robinson, especially showing the changes brought to Mars by the humans. Kressel has a very sure hand creating this story, and again for a novella offers a very rich story.
A science fiction book for those who love stories about humans and the future. As with the best of genre fiction this might be of the future, but deals with the now, the problems we have with social media, the environment, and with human interaction, something that is getting stranger everyday. A really interesting novella, from an author I will be following.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Hopeful. Optimistic. Beautifully human.
The Rainseekers takes place 200ish years in the future and is told from the POV of a washed-up influencer trying to find meaning in life after becoming wholly disillusioned (when the world- and the solar system- is at your feet, what else is there to give a shit about? "In a hundred years, would anyone give a fuck that I once hawked lavender-scented moisturizing cream?"). They do this by strapping themselves with their infinite dollars to a rocket bound for Mars, which is undergoing terraforming processes, to join a crew on the hunt for the first Martian rainfall. Our protagonist describes the trek across the sparsely-grassed planet while she and 45 other pilgrims hunt for a weather system that just might be the first to produce rain. Oh, we have snow already, and frozen water is common enough now. We even have clouds on Mars! But liquid rain falling from the sky? To be the first to behold it, the first to feel it, in the Mount Everest-thin newly-oxygenated air? Well, now, that is truly rarified.
Protagonist Sakunja Salazar isn't in it for herself though. Well, not entirely. She spends the quest for rain interviewing her fellow travelers, asking them simply, "How'd you get here?" where "here" means "Mars". Sakunja looks to answer the question "Who are we, these forty-six fools bumbling across this ancient desert?" Chapters switch between travelling companions backstories and Sakunja (Saki to her friends, if she has any) describing the terrain, her history, the difficulties the red planet throws at them, and at one point, the tragic accidental death of a travelling companion.
Through these vignettes, readers get multiple stories in one: we get, of course, the big and obvious FIRST RAIN ON MARS (hell yeah), and through casual conversation there's some worldbuilding (Saturn and Jupiter are tourist destinations, Mars has beautiful gardens under huge domes, and all the while the Mars Development Council is the bureaucracy from superhell.) but we also get the small human moments, the ones that reveal that all life is important, that every story is worth telling and worth hearing. "Inside every person is a story worth telling, and we have only ourselves to blame if we don’t perk up our ears and listen."
A short book, clocking in at 160 pages, but well worth the read. Highly, highly recommend.
The Rainseekers takes place 200ish years in the future and is told from the POV of a washed-up influencer trying to find meaning in life after becoming wholly disillusioned (when the world- and the solar system- is at your feet, what else is there to give a shit about? "In a hundred years, would anyone give a fuck that I once hawked lavender-scented moisturizing cream?"). They do this by strapping themselves with their infinite dollars to a rocket bound for Mars, which is undergoing terraforming processes, to join a crew on the hunt for the first Martian rainfall. Our protagonist describes the trek across the sparsely-grassed planet while she and 45 other pilgrims hunt for a weather system that just might be the first to produce rain. Oh, we have snow already, and frozen water is common enough now. We even have clouds on Mars! But liquid rain falling from the sky? To be the first to behold it, the first to feel it, in the Mount Everest-thin newly-oxygenated air? Well, now, that is truly rarified.
Protagonist Sakunja Salazar isn't in it for herself though. Well, not entirely. She spends the quest for rain interviewing her fellow travelers, asking them simply, "How'd you get here?" where "here" means "Mars". Sakunja looks to answer the question "Who are we, these forty-six fools bumbling across this ancient desert?" Chapters switch between travelling companions backstories and Sakunja (Saki to her friends, if she has any) describing the terrain, her history, the difficulties the red planet throws at them, and at one point, the tragic accidental death of a travelling companion.
Through these vignettes, readers get multiple stories in one: we get, of course, the big and obvious FIRST RAIN ON MARS (hell yeah), and through casual conversation there's some worldbuilding (Saturn and Jupiter are tourist destinations, Mars has beautiful gardens under huge domes, and all the while the Mars Development Council is the bureaucracy from superhell.) but we also get the small human moments, the ones that reveal that all life is important, that every story is worth telling and worth hearing. "Inside every person is a story worth telling, and we have only ourselves to blame if we don’t perk up our ears and listen."
A short book, clocking in at 160 pages, but well worth the read. Highly, highly recommend.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First, thanks to NetGalley and TorDotCom for the eARC. This will be available on February 17th!
The Rainseekers has a pretty simple premise: in a future where solar system exploration is possible and Mars is colonized, a group of Mars residents go out on a trip to try to be the first to stand under the first rainfall on Mars. Along the way, a former influencer turned journalist writes about the stories of her fellow travelers for an article about the experience.
This feels like a book of interconnected short stories at times, but with a cohesive narrative framework putting them together. We get to learn about this version of humanity's future through the lens of a few very different individuals, and I thought the variety of stories did really well to not only explore different people, but to piece together the world for us through their eyes.
Our journalist and narrator Sakunja ties everything together, her sections telling the story of this trip to find the first rainfall and her own past as a former influencer. (For anyone who may be like me and may tire of Influencer storylines/tropes/etc., Sakunja tells her story from a place of reflection and introspection, we don't actually experience her in current time as an influencer.)
I very much enjoyed my time with this, though I felt there was just a touch of something missing that kept the entire story at arm's length for me. It's evident that Kressel wrote this with care and I commend him for that. I think I could have used a bit more length to it, especially with Sakunja's present journey on Mars. We do get her briefly interacting with the characters whose stories she tells, but only one or two show any real emotional connection with her in the present day and I wish there had been much more of that all around.
If you want something a little different, a bit introspective, showing off various walks of life, then check out The Rainseekers.
Content warnings: domestic abuse, child abuse, cancer.
The Rainseekers has a pretty simple premise: in a future where solar system exploration is possible and Mars is colonized, a group of Mars residents go out on a trip to try to be the first to stand under the first rainfall on Mars. Along the way, a former influencer turned journalist writes about the stories of her fellow travelers for an article about the experience.
This feels like a book of interconnected short stories at times, but with a cohesive narrative framework putting them together. We get to learn about this version of humanity's future through the lens of a few very different individuals, and I thought the variety of stories did really well to not only explore different people, but to piece together the world for us through their eyes.
Our journalist and narrator Sakunja ties everything together, her sections telling the story of this trip to find the first rainfall and her own past as a former influencer. (For anyone who may be like me and may tire of Influencer storylines/tropes/etc., Sakunja tells her story from a place of reflection and introspection, we don't actually experience her in current time as an influencer.)
I very much enjoyed my time with this, though I felt there was just a touch of something missing that kept the entire story at arm's length for me. It's evident that Kressel wrote this with care and I commend him for that. I think I could have used a bit more length to it, especially with Sakunja's present journey on Mars. We do get her briefly interacting with the characters whose stories she tells, but only one or two show any real emotional connection with her in the present day and I wish there had been much more of that all around.
If you want something a little different, a bit introspective, showing off various walks of life, then check out The Rainseekers.
Content warnings: domestic abuse, child abuse, cancer.
February 27, 2026
Ahoy there me mateys! This book was beautifully written but I had disconnect when it came to the characters. The story is about a Mars expedition going into the wildness of the planet hoping to experience the first rain on Mars. It is written as a series of short stories tied together by the mission.
Based on the blurb, I thought I was going to get a documentary reporter getting stories about the expedition members life on Mars and why they want to feel the rain. Instead, only a few people are interviewed and they talk about how they came to live on Mars. Those stories were interesting too but ultimately was not what I expected. The tone kept the characters emotions and opinions at a remove.
The other issue was the reporter. She is an ex-influencer who gave up the spotlight for life on Mars as a photographer. Even with the change of both occupation and planet, she just comes across as self-absorbed and uninterested in those around her. Honestly, it felt almost like I was reading a coming-of-age story about how an unhappy adult finds her purpose and inner calm. Again, well written but sometimes hard to like.
It is a slow paced thoughtful read but focused more on the past than on the present mission for rain. There are lots of flashbacks. I didn't necessarily need high impact adventure but I wanted a different focus for the novella. The parts that did talk about the rain or landscape or life on Mars were lovely. I also liked the hints about technology and terraforming.
This may not be what I wanted or expected but I have no regrets reading it or recommending it as long as expectations are adjusted. I would read something else by this author because the writing at times could be extremely evocative and insightful. Arrr!
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Based on the blurb, I thought I was going to get a documentary reporter getting stories about the expedition members life on Mars and why they want to feel the rain. Instead, only a few people are interviewed and they talk about how they came to live on Mars. Those stories were interesting too but ultimately was not what I expected. The tone kept the characters emotions and opinions at a remove.
The other issue was the reporter. She is an ex-influencer who gave up the spotlight for life on Mars as a photographer. Even with the change of both occupation and planet, she just comes across as self-absorbed and uninterested in those around her. Honestly, it felt almost like I was reading a coming-of-age story about how an unhappy adult finds her purpose and inner calm. Again, well written but sometimes hard to like.
It is a slow paced thoughtful read but focused more on the past than on the present mission for rain. There are lots of flashbacks. I didn't necessarily need high impact adventure but I wanted a different focus for the novella. The parts that did talk about the rain or landscape or life on Mars were lovely. I also liked the hints about technology and terraforming.
This may not be what I wanted or expected but I have no regrets reading it or recommending it as long as expectations are adjusted. I would read something else by this author because the writing at times could be extremely evocative and insightful. Arrr!
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
November 15, 2025
This novel operates as a series of short stories. It's a good premise and the structure works, although I didn't love the journalist/narrator's voice.
The characters are with each other only for a few days, so there isn't time for them to have the develop the relationships necessary for the social-focused sci-fi, but this doesn't really fit any other standard sub-genre: they're on a journey, but only for a few days; they are on Mars and there's some world-building, but that's really not the focus, even if it's the reason for their trip; they encounter trouble with their vehicle and have to survive on the surface, but for a time best measured in hours.
The pacing is slower and there's not much in the way of adventure or space swashbuckling; sci-fi readers who tend to enjoy spaceship battles probably won't connect to this. Although there isn't a mystery element in this, maybe suggest to readers who liked The Spare Man or other space-set sci-fi?-- the widely-varied cast of characters is the book's main focus and strength.
eARC from NetGalley.
The characters are with each other only for a few days, so there isn't time for them to have the develop the relationships necessary for the social-focused sci-fi, but this doesn't really fit any other standard sub-genre: they're on a journey, but only for a few days; they are on Mars and there's some world-building, but that's really not the focus, even if it's the reason for their trip; they encounter trouble with their vehicle and have to survive on the surface, but for a time best measured in hours.
The pacing is slower and there's not much in the way of adventure or space swashbuckling; sci-fi readers who tend to enjoy spaceship battles probably won't connect to this. Although there isn't a mystery element in this, maybe suggest to readers who liked The Spare Man or other space-set sci-fi?-- the widely-varied cast of characters is the book's main focus and strength.
eARC from NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I picked up The Rainseekers because the premise completely sold me — rain on Mars??? Say less. I was expecting something expansive and science-heavy, maybe diving deep into the mechanics and implications of that discovery.
But this ended up reading much more like literary fiction than sci-fi.
The novella is structured as interconnected short stories, each exploring the personal journeys of the characters who eventually become part of this first mission to experience rain on Mars. The focus is very much on their internal worlds — their memories, motivations, and emotional baggage — rather than on the science or world-building itself.
There are hints of a larger futuristic setting, but it’s never fully fleshed out. I kept waiting for the sci-fi elements to be explored more deeply, and they just… weren’t. If you’re going in hoping for rich planetary detail or strong speculative themes, you might feel a little underwhelmed.
That said, I did appreciate the character-driven approach, and the ending really worked for me. It felt wholesome and quietly hopeful, which left me with a warm feeling even if the journey there wasn’t quite what I expected.
Thank you Tor Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange of my honest review.
But this ended up reading much more like literary fiction than sci-fi.
The novella is structured as interconnected short stories, each exploring the personal journeys of the characters who eventually become part of this first mission to experience rain on Mars. The focus is very much on their internal worlds — their memories, motivations, and emotional baggage — rather than on the science or world-building itself.
There are hints of a larger futuristic setting, but it’s never fully fleshed out. I kept waiting for the sci-fi elements to be explored more deeply, and they just… weren’t. If you’re going in hoping for rich planetary detail or strong speculative themes, you might feel a little underwhelmed.
That said, I did appreciate the character-driven approach, and the ending really worked for me. It felt wholesome and quietly hopeful, which left me with a warm feeling even if the journey there wasn’t quite what I expected.
Thank you Tor Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange of my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
A really good book if you enjoy adventure mixed with sci fi.
In a not too far future,space travel is possible and people have been living on Mars for a few decades. Due to a project that created the right atmosphere there will be the first rain on Mars. In a sort of first people to reach the top of Everest .
The protagonist is Sakunja a former influencer from Mexico ,who became disillusioned with the life it brought especially after her estranged friend dies. She goes on a soul searching journey of space and Earth tourism leading her to become a photojournalist on Mars
She us approached to write the story of the first rain on Mars and the expedition to get to it.
We meet the participants and all their stories are so poignant . A reformed Persian/French criminal who made a career for herself in mechanics,the ancestor whose great great great grandfather created the technology to travel to Mars ,and a man who beat the foster system to become a success in engineering.
There is a struggle to get to the destination but I found more interest in the stories of the characters to get to this moment. This surprised me because I was expecting more a general adventure.
It is a short read too good for a rainy weekend or a flight .
In a not too far future,space travel is possible and people have been living on Mars for a few decades. Due to a project that created the right atmosphere there will be the first rain on Mars. In a sort of first people to reach the top of Everest .
The protagonist is Sakunja a former influencer from Mexico ,who became disillusioned with the life it brought especially after her estranged friend dies. She goes on a soul searching journey of space and Earth tourism leading her to become a photojournalist on Mars
She us approached to write the story of the first rain on Mars and the expedition to get to it.
We meet the participants and all their stories are so poignant . A reformed Persian/French criminal who made a career for herself in mechanics,the ancestor whose great great great grandfather created the technology to travel to Mars ,and a man who beat the foster system to become a success in engineering.
There is a struggle to get to the destination but I found more interest in the stories of the characters to get to this moment. This surprised me because I was expecting more a general adventure.
It is a short read too good for a rainy weekend or a flight .
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
This reminds me of another book I recently read and loved, Orbital, in that it is science fiction but it's really about the people. Some time in the future a group of humans on a terraformed Mars are on an expedition searching to see the first rain. But this book is really about the life stories of several of the group, told to another member of the group. What brought them to this place? Their stories are poignant and utterly believable.
That said, I had a big issue with the world building here.There is talk of the "Climate Wars" and social chaos in the past, and it seems to have been several hundred years ago. Yet the lives of the group seem to be 21st century lives in terms of technology, pop culture, etc. There is nothing to show any sort of change. I found that jarring. None the less there is enough here to win the book 4 stars.
That said, I had a big issue with the world building here.There is talk of the "Climate Wars" and social chaos in the past, and it seems to have been several hundred years ago. Yet the lives of the group seem to be 21st century lives in terms of technology, pop culture, etc. There is nothing to show any sort of change. I found that jarring. None the less there is enough here to win the book 4 stars.
March 25, 2026
As a teenager, Sakunja Salazar was a famous holostar and influencer. But after the fame went away, she found herself traveling the solar system, and finally landing on Mars. There she started teaching herself photography, and has been hired as a journalist to cover a small group trying to be the first humans to experience rain on Mars. She’s documenting the journey, but also the different people who are on the trip, from descendants of famed scientists who worked on the terraforming of Mars to recovered addicts starting a new life on Mars. But there is something that connects them all on this dangerous trip to experience something extraordinary.
An interesting novella about the various people who have settled on Mars. It’s interesting because you get five different life stories interspersed in the short story of the journey; and the world-building is very excellent. But overall, I sadly felt “meh” about it.
Content warning: abusive parents, foster system, addiction, abusive husband, cancer.
An interesting novella about the various people who have settled on Mars. It’s interesting because you get five different life stories interspersed in the short story of the journey; and the world-building is very excellent. But overall, I sadly felt “meh” about it.
Content warning: abusive parents, foster system, addiction, abusive husband, cancer.
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