Rover

Helen of Mars #1

by George Ebey

She always thought that Role Playing Games were safe. Until she ran into one that wasn’t. Helen Hunter isn’t anything special. Just a techie teenager who likes to play online games, build custom robots, and test her skills in the occasional gaming competition. She definitely isn’t looking to do anything more than that.But when her mother falls ill, putting the entire family’s future at risk, she finds herself on a path that will take her beyond online games and into outer space. To Mars. There, a shady corporation called MARSCORP has a fleet of rovers mining ore on the Red Planet. Rovers controlled remotely by freelance operators on Earth. And her parents, desperate for the money to pay incoming medical bills, have just signed a contract for their own rover. Even worse, they’ve put everything on the line to cover the cost of it. The house. Their savings. Helen’s future.Suddenly Helen is thrust into a world she can only see on a computer screen—a real-life RPG. And a game where the stakes are a whole lot higher than just having to go back to the start. The mission: Find enough ore to pay off the contract. The danger: a band of thieves intent on taking everything she earns.Then she discovers that Mars is full of secrets. This is no simple mining operation. Someone else—someone who isn’t with MARSCORP—is gaming the system. Someone else is controlling those thieves.And they’re intent on destroying operators like her parents.Now in the fight of her life, she will learn just how dangerous some games can be… and how far some people will go to win.

250 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2021

About the author

George Ebey first developed a passion for storytelling during college, when a creative writing course led him to produce a fully edited portfolio of speculative fiction stories. Since then, he has written numerous works in multiple genres and has had stories published in several anthologies. For over a decade, he has also served as a contributor to the International Thriller Writer's online magazine, The Big Thrill.

George was born and raised in Ohio, where he still lives with his wife and an ornery cat. When he's not writing, he enjoys being outdoors, vlogging on
his YouTube channel, and searching for new and interesting places to explore.

He is the author of the Helen of Mars series published by Glass House Press.
www.ebeybooks.com

Reviews

[George Ebey]

She always thought that Role Playing Games were safe. Until she ran into one that wasn’t.

Helen Hunter isn’t anything special. Just a techie teenager who likes to play online games, build custom robots, and test her skills in the occasional gaming competition. She definitely isn’t looking to do anything more than that. But when her mother falls ill, putting the entire family’s future at risk, she finds herself on a path that will take her beyond online games and into outer space - to Mars!

There, a shady corporation called MARSCORP has a fleet of rovers mining ore on the Red Planet. Rovers controlled remotely by freelance operators on Earth. Her parents, desperate for the money to pay incoming medical bills, have just signed a contract for their own rover. Even worse, they’ve put everything on the line to cover the cost of it. The house. Their savings. Helen’s future.

Suddenly Helen is thrust into a world she can only see on a computer screen—a real-life RPG. And a game where the stakes are a whole lot higher than just having to go back to the start.

Now in the fight of her life, she will learn just how dangerous some games can be and how far some people will go to win.

[Libby Benton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very curious about this book when I received my advanced readers copy. It is exciting and entertaining throughout the entire novel. I can see a movie in the future.

[Mary Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but the premise intrigued me so I decided to give it a chance and am glad I did. This story has a lot of swashbuckling action but not in an overly graphic way. The characters, especially Helen, are likeable and you care about them as they deal with the unique situation that the story sets up. And that ending! This one is definitely worth a read!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

would be a 3.5 of I could...

The second half of the book is an enjoyable read, and progresses nicely into what is a fairly original concept. An unknown antagonist is setting up an RPG-like competitive environment on Mars, using the resources of a corporation that takes advantage of those in financial troubles. I liked that this didn't feel like a retelling of a common story; something more original.

The ending leaves things open for a 2nd book, which is welcome. I found myself liking the book the further I got through it.

The first half of the book has a couple eye-roll moments. being told from the viewpoint of a school age girl has the danger of the story coming across as YA, and "I'm just a kid but I'm smarter than everyone!" Fortunately the book doesn't suffer too much from that. There are some tech-related moments that I don't think were realistic. Repairing a computer terminal by replacing the chips. Sending a reboot signal to bring a rover back online. School age kid has a computer worm sitting around to try to hack giant corporate server that she has no actual knowledge of feels lazy (thankfully the story didn't progress along the lines of this actually working to let her hack into their system, but feels like it could have just been omitted). I'm also a bit lost as to why she outright refuses to tell her parents what she is doing, especially at the end. it's seems odd for her character.

[Kimberly Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars for this read. The beginning was a solid 3 stars, but it did rope me in as I continued on.

Pros: I love the theme of friendship. I love that Helen is fallible. (I even found myself yelling at her at least once.) I love stories fighting against corporate greed. And I enjoyed the inclusion of text messages and the documentaries as part of the storytelling.

Cons: I didn't enjoy the choice for all caps to convey the rovers talking to one another. I also didn't like the repetitive nature, stylistically speaking. (I believe I counted 3-4 times in the first 30 pages the repetition of Helen's mother's illness and how she was afraid her dad's choices would bring about their financial ruin.)

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy this book was fun! I don't normally read sci-fi books but I really did love this book! Another reviewer described it as swashbuckling action and that really is a perfect description. Swashbuckling robots on a mission to save their family's future! It was fast paced and and I enjoyed the whole ride. Helen and Misty are great characters and you found yourself rooting for them. And plus since I'm a child of the 80's I loved the He-Man references throughout. And the ending was super exciting! If there are more books in the series, I'll definitely be reading them!

I also have to note how beautiful I thought the cover was. And I loved the small touches throughout the book, too. At the start of each chapter was a grayscale starry sky. I loved that!

[Bee! · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book looked good, so I was disappointed when I actually began reading it. To me, it was boring, and some scenes dragged on a bit. Some parts were interesting here and there, but for the most part it was just okay. - Another review mentioned it being a bit repetitive when talking about her mother's illness, which I agree with. On the other hand, though, it helps symbolize Helen's determination and need to win.
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Overall, not really my style, but I'm sure others would enjoy it!