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The Ruins of Mars #2
Waking Titan
ASIN moved from less recent edition here
Picking up the saga directly where The Ruins of Mars left off, Waking Titan continues the narrative of Harrison Raheem Assad and the Mars Mission as they explore the caves beneath the Martian ruins. Underground in the great statue chamber, Harrison and his team struggle to come to terms with the discovery of two apparently different alien races depicted in stone. However problematic this new revelation may be, it is Braun, the team's AI, who truly sees just how far the influence of the mysterious race has reached. Echoing through time and space, a force drives Braun far from his programmed limitations and into a reality that is fractured and broken. Meanwhile, Harrison and the Mars team push ever deeper into the caves propelled by discovery, tragedy, and blind human perseverance. They search for answers they hope will be worth the price they paid to find them. Attacks from outside forces, both physical and metaphysical, descend upon Mars and Earth with devastating effects. These events come like cosmic tsunamis, giving credence to the warnings Braun so blindly followed and shift the direction the team takes to uncover the truth. Death, enlightenment, betrayal, and love texture the backdrop upon which Waking Titan is projected. The second novel in the Ruins of Mars Trilogy is about more than just a simple mission to Mars. The events in this installment grow to encompass not only the fate of the crew but that of all life in the solar system.
Picking up the saga directly where The Ruins of Mars left off, Waking Titan continues the narrative of Harrison Raheem Assad and the Mars Mission as they explore the caves beneath the Martian ruins. Underground in the great statue chamber, Harrison and his team struggle to come to terms with the discovery of two apparently different alien races depicted in stone. However problematic this new revelation may be, it is Braun, the team's AI, who truly sees just how far the influence of the mysterious race has reached. Echoing through time and space, a force drives Braun far from his programmed limitations and into a reality that is fractured and broken. Meanwhile, Harrison and the Mars team push ever deeper into the caves propelled by discovery, tragedy, and blind human perseverance. They search for answers they hope will be worth the price they paid to find them. Attacks from outside forces, both physical and metaphysical, descend upon Mars and Earth with devastating effects. These events come like cosmic tsunamis, giving credence to the warnings Braun so blindly followed and shift the direction the team takes to uncover the truth. Death, enlightenment, betrayal, and love texture the backdrop upon which Waking Titan is projected. The second novel in the Ruins of Mars Trilogy is about more than just a simple mission to Mars. The events in this installment grow to encompass not only the fate of the crew but that of all life in the solar system.
- GenresScience Fiction
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2013
100 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Dylan James Quarles
17 books81 followersBorn in Portland OR, Dylan moved to Washington state as a young boy. Growing up in a small town on the Olympic Peninsula, he spent most of his youth involved in various creative projects.
With a passion for films, music and writing, Dylan even had the honor of being featured in the Port Townsend Film Festival for his short film "La Niut Des Vampires".
After high school, he attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia where he directed two more films, "Resurrected", and "House On The Borderland".
Graduating a year early with a BA in film, he moved to South Korea and taught English in an after school academy. Deeply impacted by the experience, he returned to the States a much different person than when he left.
Shortly there after, work began on The Ruins Of Mars Trilogy and the next chapter of Dylan's life opened wide.
With a passion for films, music and writing, Dylan even had the honor of being featured in the Port Townsend Film Festival for his short film "La Niut Des Vampires".
After high school, he attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia where he directed two more films, "Resurrected", and "House On The Borderland".
Graduating a year early with a BA in film, he moved to South Korea and taught English in an after school academy. Deeply impacted by the experience, he returned to the States a much different person than when he left.
Shortly there after, work began on The Ruins Of Mars Trilogy and the next chapter of Dylan's life opened wide.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 30, 2020
I am loving this series!
December 14, 2014
Book 2 in the Ruins of Mars series. A good read once again. I really like the direction and the way the characters are coming together.
Where is number 3 already?
Where is number 3 already?
May 16, 2017
Two and a half stars. The protagonist is still Harrison Raheem Assad, even after reading two books we can't call him by his first name. Inconsistencies abound in this second book. While Braun plays a major roll in one scene; the AIs who were the best characters of the first book are largely absent in the second. The AIs themselves seem to be restricted to following commands only when it is convenient for the author. Harrison Raheem Assad while technically born in Egypt to an Egyptian father was raised in North America, he his culturally North American (as the author described him in the first book). Despite this culture, Quarles picks the second book to continually refer to Harrison Raheem Assad as Egyptian. There have been plenty of talented Egyptian archeologists and I am sure there will be more in the future. I don't understand why the author didn't just make Harrison Raheem Assad culturally Egyptian to start with if he wanted an Egyptian archeologist in the story.
I have followed the authors example and padded the word count of this review by not referring to the Harrison Raheem Assad as just "Harrison", but by using Harrison Raheem Assad. If it was annoying after this short review, just imagine what a WHOLE book worth is like....
I have followed the authors example and padded the word count of this review by not referring to the Harrison Raheem Assad as just "Harrison", but by using Harrison Raheem Assad. If it was annoying after this short review, just imagine what a WHOLE book worth is like....
March 2, 2023
Well… This book was something.
After the first book I was intrigued with a slight ambivalence about the mystic parts of this story. After this second part of the series I have to say I’m done.
There is just too much inter-human drama (like love-island on mars) that is so unhelpful to the story and the feel of the book. The characters were downright crazy and highly unstable and unprofessional, I mean this is supposed to be the first human mission to Mars, I trust NASA to pick people a little more stable and focused on their survival than mystic hocus-pocus…..
I could go on, but I don’t think my time is worth this. Sorry book, but this one is too far out in the left field.
After the first book I was intrigued with a slight ambivalence about the mystic parts of this story. After this second part of the series I have to say I’m done.
There is just too much inter-human drama (like love-island on mars) that is so unhelpful to the story and the feel of the book. The characters were downright crazy and highly unstable and unprofessional, I mean this is supposed to be the first human mission to Mars, I trust NASA to pick people a little more stable and focused on their survival than mystic hocus-pocus…..
I could go on, but I don’t think my time is worth this. Sorry book, but this one is too far out in the left field.
August 19, 2023
Waking Titan continues the story of Harrison Raheem Assad and his fellow Mars explorers. Braun, the crews' artificial intelligence, learns of different races that inhabited Mars in the past and is able to travel back through the fabric of space and time to watch parts of Mars history unfold.
The plot was confusing at times and the relationships between the crew members made much of this feel like a soap opera set in space. Main characters are killed off or lost and in truth I felt detached from those that remained. After two books in the series, I have little interest in continuing.
The plot was confusing at times and the relationships between the crew members made much of this feel like a soap opera set in space. Main characters are killed off or lost and in truth I felt detached from those that remained. After two books in the series, I have little interest in continuing.
May 22, 2017
this continues the story right on.. and really without having all three books I almost see no need to read this one. The first one.. I think you could put it to the side and be ok.. but after getting to the end of this one.. you will HAVE to have the third one to move right into.
There are a bunch more twist and turns in this second installment of the series and I have still very much enjoyed the story as it unfolds.
There are a bunch more twist and turns in this second installment of the series and I have still very much enjoyed the story as it unfolds.
August 23, 2022
I totally enjoyed this super sci fi second story! In a future society on Earth, Harrison makes an awesome discovery on land then he gets to be the archeologist on a venture to the ruins found on Mars.It is a great story! As they delve further they encounter evidence of 2 different species having past lives here. Steven Cooper was a really good narrator. was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
October 9, 2019
4 stars and done
August 5, 2025
3.9 stars. Enjoying the evolution of the series
January 1, 2016
This book picks up right where Book 1 (The Ruins of Mars) left off. The crew has many questions about the statues they discovered. Braun is mesmerized by the chamber and other readings he is picking up. Meanwhile, a crew member has an unexpected secret that could damage the dynamic of the crew and their mission. Remus and Romulus continue to explore the Construct, learning more about the ancient Martians.
I really enjoyed Book 1 and Book 2 does not disappoint. In fact, I enjoyed it even more. First, the ladies have many more responsibilities and page time in this book than in Book 1. It’s good to see the author taking advantage of these characters he took the time to create. Second, we finally have some death going on in this installment. That definitely added weight to the story. Now it’s that much more important to me as the reader that at least some of my heroes make it out of this adventure in tact.
The mystery definitely gets bigger. First, the statues found in the underground chamber clearly depict two kinds of beings. Since Remus and Romulus are still in the Construct (a kind of full sensory recording of Martian history that only they currently have access to), we readers know who the native Martians are and who the technologically advanced visitors are. But archaeologist Harrison Assad and the rest don’t know and can only speculate. In Book 1, they did some ground-penetrating radar and other scans, so they know there must be a way past this statue chamber into the larger underground complex. That becomes their main focus.
Meanwhile, Braun, the space ship’s AI, has become fascinated with the statue chamber. There are readings there that he can’t explain because he doesn’t have anything to compare them to. The senior officers of the expedition have the ability to override Braun’s internal orders, and one of those officers does just that. Unfortunately, this causes Braun some woe and some damage and that might explain, in part, some of his actions later on. These conflicting readings and orders have profound effects on Braun that no one anticipated.
The crew is starting to splinter apart as personal agendas and outside forces exert their influences. One of the crew members definitely has personal gain and prestige on her mind and that adds to negativity floating about in the crew quarters. Meanwhile, things are afoot back home on Earth. The politicians back home want to stay in charge of the mission, which is becoming more and more difficult as the crew make decisions that fit the circumstances and not necessarily their orders. And then this solar-system wide event happens that disrupts everything. Watching how both Earth and the Mars crew bounce back from that was quite entertaining.
This was an excellent read. There’s plenty going on and the characters are well developed. It was great to see that the ladies weren’t shelved and ignored as with Book 1. Definitely ready to jump into Book 3!
I really enjoyed Book 1 and Book 2 does not disappoint. In fact, I enjoyed it even more. First, the ladies have many more responsibilities and page time in this book than in Book 1. It’s good to see the author taking advantage of these characters he took the time to create. Second, we finally have some death going on in this installment. That definitely added weight to the story. Now it’s that much more important to me as the reader that at least some of my heroes make it out of this adventure in tact.
The mystery definitely gets bigger. First, the statues found in the underground chamber clearly depict two kinds of beings. Since Remus and Romulus are still in the Construct (a kind of full sensory recording of Martian history that only they currently have access to), we readers know who the native Martians are and who the technologically advanced visitors are. But archaeologist Harrison Assad and the rest don’t know and can only speculate. In Book 1, they did some ground-penetrating radar and other scans, so they know there must be a way past this statue chamber into the larger underground complex. That becomes their main focus.
Meanwhile, Braun, the space ship’s AI, has become fascinated with the statue chamber. There are readings there that he can’t explain because he doesn’t have anything to compare them to. The senior officers of the expedition have the ability to override Braun’s internal orders, and one of those officers does just that. Unfortunately, this causes Braun some woe and some damage and that might explain, in part, some of his actions later on. These conflicting readings and orders have profound effects on Braun that no one anticipated.
The crew is starting to splinter apart as personal agendas and outside forces exert their influences. One of the crew members definitely has personal gain and prestige on her mind and that adds to negativity floating about in the crew quarters. Meanwhile, things are afoot back home on Earth. The politicians back home want to stay in charge of the mission, which is becoming more and more difficult as the crew make decisions that fit the circumstances and not necessarily their orders. And then this solar-system wide event happens that disrupts everything. Watching how both Earth and the Mars crew bounce back from that was quite entertaining.
This was an excellent read. There’s plenty going on and the characters are well developed. It was great to see that the ladies weren’t shelved and ignored as with Book 1. Definitely ready to jump into Book 3!
September 23, 2014
Not disappointed
I couldn't wait to read the second book in this series. I finished it in less than 24 hours. I was enthralled. Although a little darker in content than the first book, the emotions elicited were well worth it. The character development was superb. With the Martian crew and Earth alike in peril I am chomping at the bit to read the third book.
I couldn't wait to read the second book in this series. I finished it in less than 24 hours. I was enthralled. Although a little darker in content than the first book, the emotions elicited were well worth it. The character development was superb. With the Martian crew and Earth alike in peril I am chomping at the bit to read the third book.
November 2, 2014
Another well thought out book by Mr. Quarles.
This book starts where book 1 left off. What will be the fate of the crew as they search for answers?
This book will keep you entranced until the end, and leave you wanting more. I was left wanting to find out the fate of the rest of the crew immediately.
This book starts where book 1 left off. What will be the fate of the crew as they search for answers?
This book will keep you entranced until the end, and leave you wanting more. I was left wanting to find out the fate of the rest of the crew immediately.
January 26, 2017
This is an interesting series. Ruins have been found on Mars and are being investigated by humans and AIs. The narrative perspective changes frequently and we get to see things from the AIs' perspectives as well. There are a number of questions that come up during the first two books that haven't been answered yet. A whole lot of guessing so far. I'm looking forward to the 3rd.
July 14, 2025
I feel like I'm reading an interplanetary version of Game of Thrones. Major characters are being killed off right and left ... and there weren't that many to begin with. However, I'm hooked now; on to the third book!
December 27, 2019
Just not enough detail and over use of some strange group mind stuff. Still a good story.
After reading volume 3 and disliking the ending more than anyother book in can remember I have come back to reduce the rating from 3 stars to 2 stars.
After reading volume 3 and disliking the ending more than anyother book in can remember I have come back to reduce the rating from 3 stars to 2 stars.
May 22, 2014
I am eagerly awaiting Book 3
January 2, 2017
Interesting
So much destruction. All sorts of interesting things happened and I can't see the path the book is taking. There is a path though, and I look forward to following it.
So much destruction. All sorts of interesting things happened and I can't see the path the book is taking. There is a path though, and I look forward to following it.
March 27, 2014
I wrote it! Ask me anything you want..
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews