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Mars Year One #1
Marooned!
There's no turning back.
The year is 2085, and a new teen has arrived at Mars Experimental Station One, a colony built to test humans' ability to live self-sufficiently in an alien and hostile environment. Already in existence for ten years, "Marsport" is a functioning city of two thousand people -- with only twenty teenagers. These teens, part of the controversial Asimov Project, were hand selected from the billions on Earth and are always under the watchful eyes of the adults.
The newcomer, Sean, is a fifteen-year-old orphan who acts tough but secretly thinks he can't measure up to the others. His companions are Jenny, also fifteen, an ethereal blond whose frail looks belie her fierce intelligence, and Alex, a fourteen-year-old pilot in training who doesn't always know his boundaries. They each have reasons to doubt themselves...and distrust each other. But one thing is Mars offers them something Earth never could. When the existence of Marsport is suddenly threatened, the group must overcome their fears and join forces, for their survival depends on nothing less.
The year is 2085, and a new teen has arrived at Mars Experimental Station One, a colony built to test humans' ability to live self-sufficiently in an alien and hostile environment. Already in existence for ten years, "Marsport" is a functioning city of two thousand people -- with only twenty teenagers. These teens, part of the controversial Asimov Project, were hand selected from the billions on Earth and are always under the watchful eyes of the adults.
The newcomer, Sean, is a fifteen-year-old orphan who acts tough but secretly thinks he can't measure up to the others. His companions are Jenny, also fifteen, an ethereal blond whose frail looks belie her fierce intelligence, and Alex, a fourteen-year-old pilot in training who doesn't always know his boundaries. They each have reasons to doubt themselves...and distrust each other. But one thing is Mars offers them something Earth never could. When the existence of Marsport is suddenly threatened, the group must overcome their fears and join forces, for their survival depends on nothing less.
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 25, 2004
2 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Brad Strickland
135 books107 followersWilliam Bradley Strickland (b. 1947) is the author (or co-author) of over 60 novels and over 60 pieces of short fiction and poetry.
Born in New Hollard, Strickland earned his Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Georgia. He has taught English courses at the University of Georgia, Oglethorpe University, Truett-McConnell College, and, since 1987, at Gainesville State College.
His first novel was 1986's To Stand Beneath the Sun, followed quickly by the books in the Jeremy Moon trilogy.
Strickland has shared co-author credit on many of his books: with his wife, Barbara, on stories in the Star Trek and Are You Afraid of the Dark? properties; and with the late author Thomas Fuller, books in the Wishbone series, involving the popular Jack Russell Terrier from the Public Television series of the same name. Strickland and Fuller also collaborated on numerous original works, including the Pirate Hunter series, the Mars: Year One series, and the comedic mystery for adults, The Ghost Finds a Body.
After the death of John Bellairs, Strickland was approached by John’s son, Frank, to complete the two books his father had already started; these unfinished manuscripts became The Ghost in the Mirror and The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder. Strickland also wrote two books based on brief plot outlines left by Bellairs: The Drum, the Doll and the Zombie and The Doom of the Haunted Opera. Beginning in 1996, Strickland has kept Bellairs' legacy alive by writing the further adventures of Johnny Dixon and Lewis Barnavelt. Books in the corpus include The Hand of the Necromancer (1996); The Tower at the End of the World (2001); The House Where Nobody Lived (2006); and his most recent title, The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer (2008).
In 2001, Strickland won received the Georgia Author of the Year Award, Children's/Young Adult Division, for When Mack Came Back, set in WWII-era Georgia. Strickland says the story "is based on the farm owned by [his] grandfather, where [I] often visited when [I] was a child." Kong: King of Skull Island was released in 2005, an illustrated tale by Strickland, author John Michlig, and fantasy artist Joe DeVito that serves as both a prequel and sequel to the epic story of the legendary ape.
Strickland is an active member of the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, where he writes and performs in numerous audio drama projects. He was awarded the ARTC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He is married to the former Barabara Justus and has two grown children.
Born in New Hollard, Strickland earned his Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Georgia. He has taught English courses at the University of Georgia, Oglethorpe University, Truett-McConnell College, and, since 1987, at Gainesville State College.
His first novel was 1986's To Stand Beneath the Sun, followed quickly by the books in the Jeremy Moon trilogy.
Strickland has shared co-author credit on many of his books: with his wife, Barbara, on stories in the Star Trek and Are You Afraid of the Dark? properties; and with the late author Thomas Fuller, books in the Wishbone series, involving the popular Jack Russell Terrier from the Public Television series of the same name. Strickland and Fuller also collaborated on numerous original works, including the Pirate Hunter series, the Mars: Year One series, and the comedic mystery for adults, The Ghost Finds a Body.
After the death of John Bellairs, Strickland was approached by John’s son, Frank, to complete the two books his father had already started; these unfinished manuscripts became The Ghost in the Mirror and The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder. Strickland also wrote two books based on brief plot outlines left by Bellairs: The Drum, the Doll and the Zombie and The Doom of the Haunted Opera. Beginning in 1996, Strickland has kept Bellairs' legacy alive by writing the further adventures of Johnny Dixon and Lewis Barnavelt. Books in the corpus include The Hand of the Necromancer (1996); The Tower at the End of the World (2001); The House Where Nobody Lived (2006); and his most recent title, The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer (2008).
In 2001, Strickland won received the Georgia Author of the Year Award, Children's/Young Adult Division, for When Mack Came Back, set in WWII-era Georgia. Strickland says the story "is based on the farm owned by [his] grandfather, where [I] often visited when [I] was a child." Kong: King of Skull Island was released in 2005, an illustrated tale by Strickland, author John Michlig, and fantasy artist Joe DeVito that serves as both a prequel and sequel to the epic story of the legendary ape.
Strickland is an active member of the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, where he writes and performs in numerous audio drama projects. He was awarded the ARTC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He is married to the former Barabara Justus and has two grown children.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 13, 2018
I did not like this book. I didn't remember there really being any climax or intense moments in this book. I thought that the characters were hard to relate to, and that the book could have been a bit better. It would have been nice if the author had included what was happening on earth to tell us why they would stay at mars. I didn't really enjoy this book.
March 22, 2018
1.5 Stars
So this text begs a few questions:
1. Was this a debut author with a debut book? (I am going to bet on no, but don't care enough to look it up).
2. Why, oh why, did it take the whole book, lest 20 pages, for anything to happen ?
3. Does this text survive solely because it is a series and it runs at a swift pace after the first book sets up alllll of the background and the world in which they live?
4. Why weren't there more connections with the characters?
5. Why did it seem necessary to tell about Marsport as opposed to show Marsport?
6. How in the world does this text hold the attention of young(er) children?
I could continue, but let it suffice to say that this was not an enjoyable read. My students strongly disliked it and I could do nothing to defend it because their reactions were accurate. So much could have been done with this story - it is just unfortunate that there was no follow-through with anything that could positively bolster this read. We were all very disappointed.
So this text begs a few questions:
1. Was this a debut author with a debut book? (I am going to bet on no, but don't care enough to look it up).
2. Why, oh why, did it take the whole book, lest 20 pages, for anything to happen ?
3. Does this text survive solely because it is a series and it runs at a swift pace after the first book sets up alllll of the background and the world in which they live?
4. Why weren't there more connections with the characters?
5. Why did it seem necessary to tell about Marsport as opposed to show Marsport?
6. How in the world does this text hold the attention of young(er) children?
I could continue, but let it suffice to say that this was not an enjoyable read. My students strongly disliked it and I could do nothing to defend it because their reactions were accurate. So much could have been done with this story - it is just unfortunate that there was no follow-through with anything that could positively bolster this read. We were all very disappointed.
March 21, 2018
Well...
I disliked this book, actually I hated it with a passion! There was no character development, at all. The plot... well there wasn't a plot. There wasn't any action until we were near 100 pages. We read this book as a class and it was hard to stay focused. I really wish there was more. The books finally got interesting in the last few chapters. I don't know if this is because its the first in a series or if it just wasn't all that good. I feel like the book spent to much time setting the stage and dressing the characters then actually forming a strong plot. There wasn't much build of tension to keep me on the edge of my seat, it was just dry. I think that the author should have dug a little deeper instead of skimming the surface. (1.5 rating)
I disliked this book, actually I hated it with a passion! There was no character development, at all. The plot... well there wasn't a plot. There wasn't any action until we were near 100 pages. We read this book as a class and it was hard to stay focused. I really wish there was more. The books finally got interesting in the last few chapters. I don't know if this is because its the first in a series or if it just wasn't all that good. I feel like the book spent to much time setting the stage and dressing the characters then actually forming a strong plot. There wasn't much build of tension to keep me on the edge of my seat, it was just dry. I think that the author should have dug a little deeper instead of skimming the surface. (1.5 rating)
March 12, 2018
My opinion on the book was boring. You would think that something exciting was going to happen but it never did. Everyone in our class would make our own version of what was going to happen in the book.
March 12, 2018
This book was so terrible. It took for ever for something to happen and not almost make me fall asleep in class. I think are class made a better ending by only saying the whole thing blows up and one dude walks out like Micheal Bay style. But honestly this book was awful to sit through and It had a good idea but the idea got wasted like the paper and ink in this book. #SaveTheTrees #StopReadingThisBook
March 15, 2018
This is the worst science fiction book i've ever read. Nothing interesting happened until that random kid died. There was literally no character development and the plot was all messed up.
October 28, 2014
This book is terribly boring. I was hoping to find some decent sci-fi to read with my kids, but unless the next two are much better I'll have to pass on these.
March 13, 2018
This was truly the worst book I have ever read and the most boring plot in the world of books. The characters seemed to have no progress in character threw out the book, the only exception is when Alex learned about leadership. I don't recommend this book for anyone because of my experience with it.
August 11, 2009
Highly entertaining. It reminds me of Heinlein's juvenile novels. In this story, a group of scientists and teenagers are living in a colony on Mars. The purpose is to prove that such a colony can be self-sustaining. That becomes especially important when the economy on Earth collapses and the entire planet becomes involved in war and political upheavals.
March 15, 2018
This book was pretty bad. It was probably the most stale and most boring book Ive ever read. It never really had any events or actions happen through out the whole book. The author built up the characters and the setting so much that he forgot to actually write the book. He explained every little detail when he really needed to just get some action going. All the events that happened in the book were tiny and boring. There was no action or excitement in any events. In all, this book wasn't good at all and is waste of time.
March 15, 2018
Bad book, I don't recommend to anyone older than 8. The storyline was choppy and didn't really connect the characters to the theme. 1 star
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August 28, 2011THIS BOOK WAS REALLY GOOD . BRAD STRICKLAND'S BOOK ARE THE BEST . HE IS A REALLY GOOD WRITER . THIS BOOK WAS OUTSTANDING . THE BOOK " MAROONED " IS SUSPICIOUS I'M GOING TO TELL APART OF THE STORY . IN THE YEAR 2085 A NEW TEEN ARRIVES AT MARS EXPERIMENTAL STATION ONE , WHICH IS A COLONY CREATED TO TEST THE HUMAN'S ABILITY IN AN ALIEN ENVIROMENT. ALREADY , IN EXISTENCE FOR TEN YEARS , MARSPORT IS A FUNCTIONING CITY . IT IS ACITY OF TWO THOUSAND PEOPLEWITH ONLY 20 TEENAGERS . THESE TEENS ARE APART OF THE GREAT CONVERSIAL PROJECT . THEY WERE HAND SELECTED FROM BILLIONS FROM EARTHAND ARE ALWAYS UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYES OF ADULTS EVERYWHERE . WELL THAT'S MY STORY !!
March 15, 2018
Awful. This book was awful. I was not interested in it at all. When reading it, it was hard for me to keep my attention on the book and not day dream. I knew from the beginning that it wasn't going to be good as well. The part when they crashed was the only part I actually payed attention to. The author never really explained things in detail, he told us what was happening, but did not show.
March 19, 2018
1.5 Stars
October 8, 2021
If you like sci fi ( especially emigrating to Mars) this is such an excellent sci fi series. So good. Great characters and scenario. Fast, short read but so worth it.
August 15, 2020
Loved this when I read it as a teen, still loved it on rereading as an adult. Shorter than I would've liked—a flaw that continues throughout the series—but an excellent story all told. I liked reading about Sean's day-to-day life as he adjusted to living on Mars, and things really got exciting when Sean's developing friendship with his peers was great to0.
March 14, 2008
Its not a very big book, but I still liked it a lot. There are teo other books after this one. All of them were very good! Guys will love these as well as girls...
April 14, 2009
I thought this book was interesting. =D
July 24, 2011
I've resorted to Youth books. Not really desperate just in the mood for a change.
December 8, 2011
It was ok
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March 12, 2018i didn't like this book at all. they didn't do they shouldve did it, it was all lies.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews