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Mars in Retrograde
Marshall is on his vigilante shit and everyone else is uncomfortably aware of it. It’s a poorly kept secret in his small Georgia town that if you ask Marshall to kill your abusive parent he’ll do it and hardly ask any questions. He’s too focused on the end of the world to ponder the ethics—though if you ask him directly, surviving the apocalypse isn’t really the priority. It’s just good to be prepared.
When a twelve year old kid named Beaver approaches Marshall to inquire his services, Marshall makes the dual mistake of getting attached to the kid and thinking himself untouchable. When the consequences of his careless actions finally catch up to him, Marshall is forced to skip town with Beaver, the selectively mute unrequited love of his life, Jamie, and their mutual friend, Lana, who has inexplicably decided to quit cold turkey and choose sobriety on the open road.
Searching for free will amidst the silent collapse of surveillance state America, a series of seemingly random events will challenge each of their understanding of what it means to be good, which choices are ours and which are made for us. From a convenience store run by children to a strange diner ready to collapse into the earth to an eco-sustainable cult they each swear they’re too smart to get indoctrinated into, Marshall and his friends must decide who they are, what they’d like to cling to at the end of the world—and most importantly, if it’s even worth surviving.
Equal parts irreverent, challenging and heartfelt, Mars in Retrograde is a hard, honest look at generational trauma, what binds us as humans, the things a person will do to acquire a sense of safety, and if it’s possible to atone for our most awful mistakes and become something better than we were before. Mars in Retrograde maybe the world’s gotta end before anyone can be good again.
When a twelve year old kid named Beaver approaches Marshall to inquire his services, Marshall makes the dual mistake of getting attached to the kid and thinking himself untouchable. When the consequences of his careless actions finally catch up to him, Marshall is forced to skip town with Beaver, the selectively mute unrequited love of his life, Jamie, and their mutual friend, Lana, who has inexplicably decided to quit cold turkey and choose sobriety on the open road.
Searching for free will amidst the silent collapse of surveillance state America, a series of seemingly random events will challenge each of their understanding of what it means to be good, which choices are ours and which are made for us. From a convenience store run by children to a strange diner ready to collapse into the earth to an eco-sustainable cult they each swear they’re too smart to get indoctrinated into, Marshall and his friends must decide who they are, what they’d like to cling to at the end of the world—and most importantly, if it’s even worth surviving.
Equal parts irreverent, challenging and heartfelt, Mars in Retrograde is a hard, honest look at generational trauma, what binds us as humans, the things a person will do to acquire a sense of safety, and if it’s possible to atone for our most awful mistakes and become something better than we were before. Mars in Retrograde maybe the world’s gotta end before anyone can be good again.
268 pages, Paperback
Published September 24, 2025
2 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
James Worth
2 books7 followersJames Worth is an author and artist living in Boston, Massachusetts. He is a devotee to the craft of storytelling and a lover of plants. Mars in Retrograde is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 20, 2025
Going into Mars in Retrograde I thought I knew what to expect. The problem is that while the synopsis provides you with the bare bones of the novel, it does not brace you for the raw, honest brutality that the characters are about to face, be the challenges subtle or shocking.
The character work is what really shines in MiR, each of the characters so complex and layered that they stick in your soul as you see bits of them that remind you of people you know in real life—Maybe even seeing a bit of yourself in their strife. You want the best for them despite watching them make bad decision after bad decision, justifying their means as they approach the end by whatever fucked up logic they have garbled together along the way. They may come from horrible circumstances but I think most people can relate to some of the trauma they have experienced on some level. Abusive or absentee parents that hand down their trauma with silence or fists; addiction and substance abuse to avoid reality; homophobia and prejudice; and the looming pressures of a broken world teetering on the brink of societal and ecological collapse, all while trying to find any manner of guidance in navigating such a reality.
I’d honestly pitch this book to so many different people that I don’t really know how to properly recommend it. Is it a thriller? Yes. A queer romance? Kind of, yeah. Is it an introspective look into the fragility and adaptability of the human psyche? Yep. What about a dark comedy? Yes sir, that too. Something of a coming of age story? Mmhmm. There are too many ways to describe Mars in Retrograde, a story with so many facets, and you’re just going to have to grab a copy and go on the trip yourself.
What I will say for certain is that Mars in Retrograde is a challenging read. Not in structure, as Worth’s prose paints a picture effortlessly and without restraint. The descriptions of the weird, wonderful, mundane, and morose aspects of our world are one thing, but Worth also leaps seamlessly between not only inner and outer beauty but also inner and outer repulsion. No, the challenging part of MiR is in the finer details, as any earnest work tends to be. There are a lot of hard scenes where no gritty, mean details are spared as each wound, scar, and bruise is laid bare, be they self-inflicted or otherwise. It’s not a story for the faint of heart but it’s worth every gut punch along the way. I guarantee it.
Full review available on my Substack: The Word Dump
The character work is what really shines in MiR, each of the characters so complex and layered that they stick in your soul as you see bits of them that remind you of people you know in real life—Maybe even seeing a bit of yourself in their strife. You want the best for them despite watching them make bad decision after bad decision, justifying their means as they approach the end by whatever fucked up logic they have garbled together along the way. They may come from horrible circumstances but I think most people can relate to some of the trauma they have experienced on some level. Abusive or absentee parents that hand down their trauma with silence or fists; addiction and substance abuse to avoid reality; homophobia and prejudice; and the looming pressures of a broken world teetering on the brink of societal and ecological collapse, all while trying to find any manner of guidance in navigating such a reality.
I’d honestly pitch this book to so many different people that I don’t really know how to properly recommend it. Is it a thriller? Yes. A queer romance? Kind of, yeah. Is it an introspective look into the fragility and adaptability of the human psyche? Yep. What about a dark comedy? Yes sir, that too. Something of a coming of age story? Mmhmm. There are too many ways to describe Mars in Retrograde, a story with so many facets, and you’re just going to have to grab a copy and go on the trip yourself.
What I will say for certain is that Mars in Retrograde is a challenging read. Not in structure, as Worth’s prose paints a picture effortlessly and without restraint. The descriptions of the weird, wonderful, mundane, and morose aspects of our world are one thing, but Worth also leaps seamlessly between not only inner and outer beauty but also inner and outer repulsion. No, the challenging part of MiR is in the finer details, as any earnest work tends to be. There are a lot of hard scenes where no gritty, mean details are spared as each wound, scar, and bruise is laid bare, be they self-inflicted or otherwise. It’s not a story for the faint of heart but it’s worth every gut punch along the way. I guarantee it.
Full review available on my Substack: The Word Dump
October 31, 2025
If you only have enough in the ol' bank account to pick up one book, let this be the book you snag. James is on another level. This book has so much heart. I can't recommend James Worth's Mars in Retrograde enough. Read it and tell me I'm wrong.
May 30, 2025
A fantastic and unforgettable read. Why more people aren't tearing down Amazon and Goodreads to get hold of this wonderful text is a mystery, as it is genuinely one of the finest devut novels to come out in many a year.
Read it - you won't be disappointed!
Read it - you won't be disappointed!
December 8, 2025
2 parts, first a comment on writing fiction. I recently made it 60% through a substack novel which I didn't like - no names, no need for unnecessary negativity. It took me some parsing to figure out why. I think the best fiction combines thoughts/opinions/convictions within excellent writing. On either side of this you have either a superbly written vacuous piece, or a poorly written piece of propaganda. The book I chose not to finish was fraught with convictions but the story didn't hold it. It felt like the convictions were more important than the actual story, which I didn't care for. So, for me, an excellent story needs the marriage of conviction with content – good writing and deep thought.
Part 2, the review. Mars In Retrograde by James Worth is a novel that balances these two things so harmoniously, the entire novel sings. This is the novel equivalent of a movie where “every shot is a painting”. A Denis Villeneuve or Ari Aster film with a Wes Anderson soul. The dialogue is perfect. The prose is perfect. The speed, the layout, the story, the length. Everything. It's all beautiful, it's all meaningful. Characters flower, the story blossoms. I opened it and knew before I finished the first page that I would love this book. I was right. By the halfway point I knew this would be my book of the year, if I did such a thing. I did myself a huge disservice by not reading this sooner. Don't make the same mistake I did.
Part 2, the review. Mars In Retrograde by James Worth is a novel that balances these two things so harmoniously, the entire novel sings. This is the novel equivalent of a movie where “every shot is a painting”. A Denis Villeneuve or Ari Aster film with a Wes Anderson soul. The dialogue is perfect. The prose is perfect. The speed, the layout, the story, the length. Everything. It's all beautiful, it's all meaningful. Characters flower, the story blossoms. I opened it and knew before I finished the first page that I would love this book. I was right. By the halfway point I knew this would be my book of the year, if I did such a thing. I did myself a huge disservice by not reading this sooner. Don't make the same mistake I did.
September 5, 2025
Heartbreakingly beautiful, immaculately crafted, brave and brilliant writing by author James Worth. I read this magnificent odyssey of a book twice because I fell in love with its main characters. A little bit like the best of Cormac McCarthy in its lucid portrayal of the dystopian back country, a little bit like the film Jesus’ son with its empathetic and wildly enthralling portrayal of a tragic band of misfits who unite in their search for meaning amid a collapsing and decaying postmodern world. A heroic journey, a testament to the power of true love, a critique of our failing society as we confront the current tragedies of our times, this beautiful book will capture the reader’s imagination on page one. I highly recommend reading this powerful story of real love, tender heartbreak, and unending beauty. James Worth is undeniably the voice of our generation. One of my favorite books of all time.
October 8, 2025
The main character is a murderer. No, not that kind. He’s the Robin Hood grim reaper of the trailer park. And he has a sense of humor.
After it’s captured your attention, this book will capture your heart. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, it’ll make you sit back in awe. James has so many damn good one liners.
This book will make you think. It tackles what we face in modern times: social, economic, and ecological collapse. Addiction, homophobia, you name it. Like the band of misfits in the story, we likewise need guidance.
Mars in Retrograde doesn’t have the answers (no honest novel does), but it asks the right questions. Who do you want to be at the end of the world?
After it’s captured your attention, this book will capture your heart. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, it’ll make you sit back in awe. James has so many damn good one liners.
This book will make you think. It tackles what we face in modern times: social, economic, and ecological collapse. Addiction, homophobia, you name it. Like the band of misfits in the story, we likewise need guidance.
Mars in Retrograde doesn’t have the answers (no honest novel does), but it asks the right questions. Who do you want to be at the end of the world?
August 3, 2025
Came for the prose, was impressed by the character development. In all honesty, the book was on the darker end of the spectrum for me (shows like "Breaking Bad" are too violent and dark for me, and the book brought that show to mind for me a few times--fans of 'grittier' fiction will like this one), but Worth kept me engaged with the redemptive qualities of his characters and the quality of his writing. I'll continue to follow Worth's career!
August 31, 2025
A wonderful read from beginning to end. The character work in this absolutely elevates this story into the stratosphere of an all time classic for me. James' writing carries a timeless energy that perfectly bounces between beautiful prose and character work which flows so effortlessly. Everyone and everything feels so utterly human, and that is ONLY because of the way James uses his words to paint every single scene from front to back. What a lovely read.
August 7, 2025
This is actually the best novel I have read since 2021 or 2022. James Worth’s character work is subtle and clever and makes you care SO deeply about these poor messed up kids. Five isn’t enough stars. Can’t recommend this highly enough.
October 3, 2025
If you’re attracted to wonderful prose, this book is for you.
If you’re attracted to sweet, imperfect characters, this book is for you.
If you love found family, unlikely friendships and road trips, read this book.
If you’re attracted to sweet, imperfect characters, this book is for you.
If you love found family, unlikely friendships and road trips, read this book.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews