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Sun Dragon
2012: NASA's Curiosity Rover lands on Mars to search for signs of whether microbial life existed on the planet.
2018: The first alien lifeform, a simple wormlike creature is discovered, gripping the world's imagination.
2022: The first manned mission to Mars begins the longest and most dangerous journey ever undertaken by humankind.
From hundreds of potential candidates, six astronauts from countries around the world are selected to crew the historic mission. Led by Commander Samantha Collins, they must travel across the gulf of interplanetary space, over 150 million miles from home and help. Their mission is to investigate alien life, but what they discover is far beyond what anyone ever imagined...
2018: The first alien lifeform, a simple wormlike creature is discovered, gripping the world's imagination.
2022: The first manned mission to Mars begins the longest and most dangerous journey ever undertaken by humankind.
From hundreds of potential candidates, six astronauts from countries around the world are selected to crew the historic mission. Led by Commander Samantha Collins, they must travel across the gulf of interplanetary space, over 150 million miles from home and help. Their mission is to investigate alien life, but what they discover is far beyond what anyone ever imagined...
- GenresFictionScience Fiction
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2014
3 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
Michael Brookes
15 books211 followersMichael Brookes is a Game Consultant with Frontier Foundry so rather than making games he now helps publish other people's games. He is also a volunteer and committee member with the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund assisting mostly with their online activities. And because he decided that he isn't busy enough has various other projects on the go including a website attempting to chronicle the history of his local village and using AI art tools to illustrate a new edition of John Milton's Paradise Lost.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 5, 2014
This is the story of a visit to Mars in the near future and of the six astronauts who undertake the trip. The first half of the book is necessarily heavy on explanation but some of this is cleverly given in the form of press interviews with the crew. We are shown the ship and what it can do, and follow the crew to the International Space Station where their ship is launched. Apart from a couple of unexplained accidents which trigger the reader to expect further poblems, the first half of the book is uneventful. It was at just after the half way mark that the book suddenly took off for me and I found the rest of it very exciting, heart-hammering stuff. The crew went to Mars to find a small worm, evidence of life outside of earth. What they found was amazing. I love this premise and the uncompromising way it played out for the rest of the book.
I wish I could give four and a half stars because this is a stunning story but I really found the beginning a little slow. There’s no denying, however, that the impact of this ‘first contact’ story will stay with me for quite some time. A really good read.
I wish I could give four and a half stars because this is a stunning story but I really found the beginning a little slow. There’s no denying, however, that the impact of this ‘first contact’ story will stay with me for quite some time. A really good read.
October 17, 2016
I'd previously read a techno-philosophy mix, Church of Virtual Saints, by this author. I was interested enough to try Sun Dragon. As before I found that the author seems most at home describing the nuts and bolts of how rather than developing the who.
A crew of female and male astronauts are heading for Mars. They are all aged 45 - 55 as it's thought that the time in space will expose them to radiation and could cut short a lifespan. Don't get too attached to anyone.
The story is dry for the first third - no interpersonal tensions except that our main female character is miffed that the last guy she slept with on Earth isn't all romantic on calls. Look, she'll be away for three years. We get much the same kind of voyage as in Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, except that the odd damage seems definitely to have originated with something other than a stowaway.
Then as the crew approach Mars the instruments pick up odd phenomena and it's clear that something unexplained is moving against them. Now it all goes wrong.
The author gives us rather more of a horror-type story than I'm comfortable with at times, so others may enjoy that more. And worse is to come as Earth suffers. I think the author is very pessimistic when he says that, Nightfall-like, the loss of power on Earth in one of those EMP type events commonly written into books just now, will lead to mass rioting and deaths in America on the first day. He's British and I can only say that in Ireland we'd have people organising themselves, going around knocking on doors and asking neighbours if they were okay and would they like some hot soup from the camping gas stove.
With the central character undergoing several major depression events, this isn't your shoot-em-up story but a thoughtful look at how interplanetary travel, of more than one kind, could be accomplished and what might do it besides humans. As with The Martian we have someone trying to fix problems constantly, but I found less to cheer for and no humour. On the plus side we find careful looks at space travel, orbital mechanics and more.
A crew of female and male astronauts are heading for Mars. They are all aged 45 - 55 as it's thought that the time in space will expose them to radiation and could cut short a lifespan. Don't get too attached to anyone.
The story is dry for the first third - no interpersonal tensions except that our main female character is miffed that the last guy she slept with on Earth isn't all romantic on calls. Look, she'll be away for three years. We get much the same kind of voyage as in Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, except that the odd damage seems definitely to have originated with something other than a stowaway.
Then as the crew approach Mars the instruments pick up odd phenomena and it's clear that something unexplained is moving against them. Now it all goes wrong.
The author gives us rather more of a horror-type story than I'm comfortable with at times, so others may enjoy that more. And worse is to come as Earth suffers. I think the author is very pessimistic when he says that, Nightfall-like, the loss of power on Earth in one of those EMP type events commonly written into books just now, will lead to mass rioting and deaths in America on the first day. He's British and I can only say that in Ireland we'd have people organising themselves, going around knocking on doors and asking neighbours if they were okay and would they like some hot soup from the camping gas stove.
With the central character undergoing several major depression events, this isn't your shoot-em-up story but a thoughtful look at how interplanetary travel, of more than one kind, could be accomplished and what might do it besides humans. As with The Martian we have someone trying to fix problems constantly, but I found less to cheer for and no humour. On the plus side we find careful looks at space travel, orbital mechanics and more.
January 30, 2015
Watching a TED talk recently from Chris Hadfield, he used the phrase “There is no problem so bad that you can’t make it worse”.
Sun Dragon is a proper rollercoaster of “things getting worse”. With Mars exploration very much in the public’s imagination at the moment, the discovery that Beagle 2 did actually land and probably didn’t open and with a company actively recruiting and fund raising for one way trips to the Red Planet, this book starts with a subject around which we’re familiar.
Fiction relating to Mars is almost as old as science fiction writing itself, from little green men in comic strips, Edgar Rice Borroughs’ John Carter (please, not the film!) to Totall Recall (the Arnie version, not the other one).
Michael explores the very simple “what would happen if something went wrong” premise. There’s no ambulance, no rescue truck, no escape capsule that would get you back. Simply your own ingenuity.
I’m not going to post spoilers up here other than to say it’s dark, unforgiving and doesn’t leave you in your “happy place”. There aren’t little green men, ray guns or heroic space combat sequences (after all, Newtonian physics apply in space).
Cover to cover, from the point it kicks off the action, it flicks between the personal and global impact of events in the story. There are sequences as exciting as the docking sequence from Interstellar (in fact, one reminded my very much of that…), brutality as harsh as perpetrated by George R R Martin to his characters and the terrible isolation of being millions of miles away from home and reliant upon your own wits.
A slow burning start, kicking off into a crescendo of action at the halfway point and keeping it going right to the finish. Good job, Michael.
Sun Dragon is a proper rollercoaster of “things getting worse”. With Mars exploration very much in the public’s imagination at the moment, the discovery that Beagle 2 did actually land and probably didn’t open and with a company actively recruiting and fund raising for one way trips to the Red Planet, this book starts with a subject around which we’re familiar.
Fiction relating to Mars is almost as old as science fiction writing itself, from little green men in comic strips, Edgar Rice Borroughs’ John Carter (please, not the film!) to Totall Recall (the Arnie version, not the other one).
Michael explores the very simple “what would happen if something went wrong” premise. There’s no ambulance, no rescue truck, no escape capsule that would get you back. Simply your own ingenuity.
I’m not going to post spoilers up here other than to say it’s dark, unforgiving and doesn’t leave you in your “happy place”. There aren’t little green men, ray guns or heroic space combat sequences (after all, Newtonian physics apply in space).
Cover to cover, from the point it kicks off the action, it flicks between the personal and global impact of events in the story. There are sequences as exciting as the docking sequence from Interstellar (in fact, one reminded my very much of that…), brutality as harsh as perpetrated by George R R Martin to his characters and the terrible isolation of being millions of miles away from home and reliant upon your own wits.
A slow burning start, kicking off into a crescendo of action at the halfway point and keeping it going right to the finish. Good job, Michael.
November 23, 2015
As a boy, I was mesmerized by the Apollo missions and dreamed of being an astronaut, reaching beyond the grip of Earth's gravity and venturing through space to explore new worlds. Sun Dragon recaptures that spirit of exploration beautifully as it traces the adventures of an international crew of astronauts bound for the first manned landing on Mars. Their mission is triggered by the discovery of a primitive form of life on the red planet, confirmed by robotic probes. What the heroic members of the Mars Voyager craft ultimately encounter is much stranger, more alien, and more dangerous than anything they could have imagined.
I thought the novel really hit high gear as the craft approached Mars and as the clues gathered along the way hint that the crew are poised to confront a mystery far greater than any in human history. Solving that mystery is critical not just to the fate of the astronauts themselves but has dramatic implications for the billions of people left behind on planet Earth.
This book will appeal to anyone who grew up idolizing astronauts and loving what the space program represents. It takes the reader on a cosmic adventure where no outcome is predictable and no one's safety is guaranteed. Not a journey for the faint of heart!
I thought the novel really hit high gear as the craft approached Mars and as the clues gathered along the way hint that the crew are poised to confront a mystery far greater than any in human history. Solving that mystery is critical not just to the fate of the astronauts themselves but has dramatic implications for the billions of people left behind on planet Earth.
This book will appeal to anyone who grew up idolizing astronauts and loving what the space program represents. It takes the reader on a cosmic adventure where no outcome is predictable and no one's safety is guaranteed. Not a journey for the faint of heart!
December 13, 2014
If they made a hollywood movie of this, the first half of the book would occupy no more than 15 minutes. Sure it's interesting in a geeky kind of way, and the interplay between the characters is good, but very little actually happens. Then at the 50% mark, the fan gets well and truly shat on. From here on, we're on a roller coaster ride with the excitement meter pegged at 11 right up to the last page.
November 19, 2014
There is a deliberate nature to Sun Dragon, the new scifi novel by Michael Brookes. Like the demeanor of scientists and engineers at Mission Control, the writing is cold and efficient, as if an invisible observer has been given the task to document the procedure and challenges that six astronauts face on the first manned mission to Mars.
It’s clear that Brookes has done his research. His methodical and realistic portrayal of space reminded me of the movie, Europa Report (NASA was a consultant on that film) and the events that occur during Sun Dragon are inspired. There is no way a reader will predict where the story is headed.
But the same efficiency that sets the mood (and lends authenticity) keeps us at arms length with the characters. With their interactions and thoughts, many times it’s a “show versus tell” scenario, where we are told what has occurred (or been discussed) without witnessing it first hand, either through dialogue or immediate action.
Spaceship fantasy can be dressed up as science fiction, but Michael Brookes has written a novel that stays true to the genre – and even in the theoretical – makes us think. If you like realistic science fiction, and are ok not diving too deeply into the characters’ thoughts and emotions, you’ll enjoy this book.
It’s clear that Brookes has done his research. His methodical and realistic portrayal of space reminded me of the movie, Europa Report (NASA was a consultant on that film) and the events that occur during Sun Dragon are inspired. There is no way a reader will predict where the story is headed.
But the same efficiency that sets the mood (and lends authenticity) keeps us at arms length with the characters. With their interactions and thoughts, many times it’s a “show versus tell” scenario, where we are told what has occurred (or been discussed) without witnessing it first hand, either through dialogue or immediate action.
Spaceship fantasy can be dressed up as science fiction, but Michael Brookes has written a novel that stays true to the genre – and even in the theoretical – makes us think. If you like realistic science fiction, and are ok not diving too deeply into the characters’ thoughts and emotions, you’ll enjoy this book.
January 2, 2015
Sun Dragon by Michael Brookes
Either Michael Brookes spends an awful lot of time watching sci-fi movies or he did a lot of research, perhaps both. Either way, he has created a very realistic view of what life would be like on a spaceship to Mars. Not only does he give us technology that I can only assume is correct, but certainly sounds it, he also gives us a great cast of characters. They are very believable, and he skilfully taps into their psyches.
Added to this is a great roller coaster of a story, with plenty of highs and lows to keep you reading.
Initially, the story is slow enough, as the scene is set. However to be fair to the author, it’s far from boring and I don’t see how it could been given greater tempo based on the actual plot.
Half way through the book, (carefully avoiding any spoilers here) the story explodes into life as all the hard work of the cast prepares to reap rewards.
The book then continues to surprise right up until the final page. A great read and well worth a 5 star reviewing in my opinion.
Either Michael Brookes spends an awful lot of time watching sci-fi movies or he did a lot of research, perhaps both. Either way, he has created a very realistic view of what life would be like on a spaceship to Mars. Not only does he give us technology that I can only assume is correct, but certainly sounds it, he also gives us a great cast of characters. They are very believable, and he skilfully taps into their psyches.
Added to this is a great roller coaster of a story, with plenty of highs and lows to keep you reading.
Initially, the story is slow enough, as the scene is set. However to be fair to the author, it’s far from boring and I don’t see how it could been given greater tempo based on the actual plot.
Half way through the book, (carefully avoiding any spoilers here) the story explodes into life as all the hard work of the cast prepares to reap rewards.
The book then continues to surprise right up until the final page. A great read and well worth a 5 star reviewing in my opinion.
July 6, 2015
In the near future a spaceship sets off to Mars, its 6 person crew made up of more mature members. They are all capable of doing each other's jobs. It is planned to be a long mission there and back.
The first half of this book is the journey there. A few things go wrong, but nothing too bad. This part of the story is interesting enough in a travelling across the universe kind of way. I liked finding out the "boring" jobs they had to do to keep themselves alive and on track.
The second half is what happens when they get there and the consequences of what happened. This then turned into a tense journey. I liked this half even better than the first. I didn't expect what happened to happen. I don't read much sci-fi, but this was a great story. I was very much gripped with wanting to just keep on reading and hoping for "my" ending to happen.
The first half of this book is the journey there. A few things go wrong, but nothing too bad. This part of the story is interesting enough in a travelling across the universe kind of way. I liked finding out the "boring" jobs they had to do to keep themselves alive and on track.
The second half is what happens when they get there and the consequences of what happened. This then turned into a tense journey. I liked this half even better than the first. I didn't expect what happened to happen. I don't read much sci-fi, but this was a great story. I was very much gripped with wanting to just keep on reading and hoping for "my" ending to happen.
January 14, 2015
The beginning of this book bowled me over with TWO female astronauts on the first page. Way to go!
I then spent a good chunk of the book wishing that Michael Brookes and Andy Weir would go for coffee and get their stories straight about what's happening on Mars because, having spent some time with Mark Watney, I felt I already knew, and was now completely disorientated :-)
This might be the third sci-fi book I've read (after an Arthur C Clarke I found on holiday in 2006, and The Martian), so I don't know the genre. But I found the ambitious storyline a wacky, fun read. The ending was unexpected and satisfying.
I then spent a good chunk of the book wishing that Michael Brookes and Andy Weir would go for coffee and get their stories straight about what's happening on Mars because, having spent some time with Mark Watney, I felt I already knew, and was now completely disorientated :-)
This might be the third sci-fi book I've read (after an Arthur C Clarke I found on holiday in 2006, and The Martian), so I don't know the genre. But I found the ambitious storyline a wacky, fun read. The ending was unexpected and satisfying.
January 30, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this. The level of detail about space flight is astounding and for someone, like me, who has fantasised about being an astronaut since I was a lad it's riveting. For me I didn't think was overdone though or too complex for any reader. It set the scene wonderfully for what comes next.
We're thrown headfirst into a proper exploration of the characters by means of their coping mechanisms. Coping with things going wrong in space can't be an easy ride and that's exactly what happens here. I think that's why I struggled to put the book down, particularly towards the end when things go up another notch.
Top stuff!
We're thrown headfirst into a proper exploration of the characters by means of their coping mechanisms. Coping with things going wrong in space can't be an easy ride and that's exactly what happens here. I think that's why I struggled to put the book down, particularly towards the end when things go up another notch.
Top stuff!
January 27, 2015
Slow to come to the boil but then all hell breaks loose and it becomes I real page turner. I literally couldn't put down for the last 100-pages.
Lots of technical detail, which is necessary in any story about space exploration, but I didn't find it overwhelming or 'info-dumpy'. Just enough to support the story and move it forward.
The main character was very likeable, I was really rooting for her. Don't expect a Hollywood ending, it doesn't fit and the author stuck to the logical conclusion - although it's sad.
Some really clever, well thought out ideas. I really enjoyed it.
Lots of technical detail, which is necessary in any story about space exploration, but I didn't find it overwhelming or 'info-dumpy'. Just enough to support the story and move it forward.
The main character was very likeable, I was really rooting for her. Don't expect a Hollywood ending, it doesn't fit and the author stuck to the logical conclusion - although it's sad.
Some really clever, well thought out ideas. I really enjoyed it.
Read
December 23, 2014Sun Dragon is definitely a different kind of book. At about the half way point of the book the story took a sharp turn I really didn't expect. while I had a hard time reconcileing the change in the story, I did enjoy the book.
I received this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads program.
I received this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads program.
October 17, 2015
While the writing was amateurish, the story about the first manned mission to Mars was unique and captivating.
January 27, 2016
what a great story! Love every single page!
July 31, 2017
Interesting but tangled
Story begins routinely enough with the interplanetary mission, but changes to something completely unexpected and possibly somewhat unbelievable....but that will be a matter of the reader's taste. I found too many "emotional" passages that, for me, broke up the story and disrupted the reading...and seemed somewhat juvenile in the portrayal. Overall, though, kept me reading to the end.
Story begins routinely enough with the interplanetary mission, but changes to something completely unexpected and possibly somewhat unbelievable....but that will be a matter of the reader's taste. I found too many "emotional" passages that, for me, broke up the story and disrupted the reading...and seemed somewhat juvenile in the portrayal. Overall, though, kept me reading to the end.
November 11, 2017
Also available here: https://www.starfleetcomms.com/review...
Sun Dragon. Before reading the book the name conjured up a variety of images in my mind ranging from the name of the ship travelling to Mars to some sort of reference to the bravery the crew must exhibit. If you have read the book you will know exactly what the name means and for those that haven’t you certainly have a treat in store.
Being a fan of the “let’s go to Mars” sub-genre of Science Fiction I couldn’t wait to see what detail Michael had put into his writing and the particular angle he would tackle when it came to the colonisation. Would it feature the level of detail in Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson? Would the interplay be as good between characters? What form would the colonisation take?
The first part of the book sweeps us into the characters rather well. You get to know them, like them and maybe dislike others. Tidbits of information keep you interested until suddenly, something happens that knocks you out of your seat! My original questions are forgotten and are indeed unnecessary. I found myself riveted by the authors take on the antagonist. It is both refreshing and uncaring which makes it extremely powerful once you comprehend it.
The scientific elements of this story require some special consideration in this review. Some sequences are described with such seemingly accurate detail, right down to the time lag of communications which is handled skilfully and one extraordinary sequence reminiscent of Gravity. If I were to be asked what the worst thing about the book was I’d have to answer that the particular scene around Mars and some subsequent scenes were just a little too short. I wanted more.
In the book, we deal with some loss which is almost George R R Martin in its deliverance. In my opinion, dealing with depression and loneliness as a writer is intensely difficult. You have the task of keeping the reader entertained while maintaining the interest and sense of belief in a matter most people would want to pull away from. I found myself wondering if some of this was real experience being drawn upon as it was so convincing and carried off rather well. Further along, the second time we experience the fugue I got a sense of deja vu and did wonder if this was actually intentional. There were some cases where phrases seemed to get repeated a little but not enough to break the immersion.
The story takes on some very exciting and dramatic twists and turns leading to a gripping conclusion. This is one of those books where you can feel that the author really has made an effort to tell you a story to you that feels real, you can sense the passion poured into it. Worth a read.
Sun Dragon. Before reading the book the name conjured up a variety of images in my mind ranging from the name of the ship travelling to Mars to some sort of reference to the bravery the crew must exhibit. If you have read the book you will know exactly what the name means and for those that haven’t you certainly have a treat in store.
Being a fan of the “let’s go to Mars” sub-genre of Science Fiction I couldn’t wait to see what detail Michael had put into his writing and the particular angle he would tackle when it came to the colonisation. Would it feature the level of detail in Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson? Would the interplay be as good between characters? What form would the colonisation take?
The first part of the book sweeps us into the characters rather well. You get to know them, like them and maybe dislike others. Tidbits of information keep you interested until suddenly, something happens that knocks you out of your seat! My original questions are forgotten and are indeed unnecessary. I found myself riveted by the authors take on the antagonist. It is both refreshing and uncaring which makes it extremely powerful once you comprehend it.
The scientific elements of this story require some special consideration in this review. Some sequences are described with such seemingly accurate detail, right down to the time lag of communications which is handled skilfully and one extraordinary sequence reminiscent of Gravity. If I were to be asked what the worst thing about the book was I’d have to answer that the particular scene around Mars and some subsequent scenes were just a little too short. I wanted more.
In the book, we deal with some loss which is almost George R R Martin in its deliverance. In my opinion, dealing with depression and loneliness as a writer is intensely difficult. You have the task of keeping the reader entertained while maintaining the interest and sense of belief in a matter most people would want to pull away from. I found myself wondering if some of this was real experience being drawn upon as it was so convincing and carried off rather well. Further along, the second time we experience the fugue I got a sense of deja vu and did wonder if this was actually intentional. There were some cases where phrases seemed to get repeated a little but not enough to break the immersion.
The story takes on some very exciting and dramatic twists and turns leading to a gripping conclusion. This is one of those books where you can feel that the author really has made an effort to tell you a story to you that feels real, you can sense the passion poured into it. Worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews