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Ad Martem 12

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What does it mean for three guys to be born and live on Mars? Intended to be the first colonizers of the Red Planet, they are human beings but they have never seen the Earth and they have no connection with it. They grow up in an environment that recreates terrestrial situations, but artificially. And as they grow, they wonder... Jordan, Anna and Yan are the young protagonists of a story which ties science fiction to the depth of life and its meaning, adventure to emotion, tension to sweetness. Three "Martians" who want to understand who they are, where they come from and what is their main aim in life. And in order to get it they will come across enthralling and engrossing adventures.

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 11, 2018

11 people are currently reading
67 people want to read

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Giulia Carla Bassani

5 books11 followers

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5 stars
23 (47%)
4 stars
18 (37%)
3 stars
5 (10%)
2 stars
1 (2%)
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1 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Ky Adams.
Author 7 books15 followers
December 16, 2018
I love this book! Although it was obvious from the start that English is not the author's first language, I was so absorbed in the story that I didn't mind the occasional translation issue. After a while, I felt like an Italian friend was telling me the story.

The book's premise is a great one and kept me avidly reading to get to the end. I feel sure that it will be a movie one day, I hope so anyway because I would love to see it!

The author is a very young woman who studies aerospace engineering and also managed to write and independently publish a terrific novel. I feel certain that we will be hearing much more from this talented person in the future. Bravo Ms. Bassani, well done and thank you for a very enjoyable read!
Profile Image for Rita Monticelli.
Author 20 books141 followers
December 21, 2018
Scroll down for the English version.

Giovani marziani

Scritto da una studentessa di ingegneria aerospaziale che sogna di diventare astronauta, “Ad Martem 12” è un piccolo gioiello di fantascienza hard rivolto a un pubblico giovane, ma che può essere apprezzato a tutte le età. Pur con qualche licenza e semplificazione (è pur sempre un libro di narrativa, non un saggio), sullo sfondo di una tecnologia e una scienza plausibile l’autrice racconta la storia dei primi tre ragazzi nati sul pianeta rosso, che, raggiunta l’età di sedici anni, iniziano a farsi domande sulle proprie origini e sulla Terra, da cui provengono tutte le altre persone che vivono nella stazione Aresland. La storia è narrata dal punto di vista di uno di loro, Jordan, e ciò è fatto in modo tale da facilitare l’immedesimazione del lettore nel personaggio.
Sebbene io non sia più adolescente da un bel po’ di tempo, nel trovarmi a conoscere i suoi pensieri, i suoi timori e le sue sensazioni sono riuscita a recuperare una porzione di quella parte di me del passato e quindi a comprendere le sue motivazioni e le sue azioni.
I protagonisti, infatti, non sono soltanto i soliti giovani talentuosi che vanno incontro a un’avventura come farebbe un adulto, che si possono trovare nella maggior parte delle storie young adult. In loro si notano tutte le caratteristiche dell’età in cui non si è più bambini, ma allo stesso tempo non si è ancora adulti. Sono preparati, intelligenti e scaltri, ma anche ingenui, distratti e avventati, come qualsiasi adolescente. Il problema è che vivono su un pianeta deserto e letale, e il più piccolo errore potrebbe determinare la loro morte.
Tra voglia di conoscere, pericolosi incidenti e sentimenti inattesi, Jordan, Anna e Yan iniziano un viaggio per scoprire la verità sul proprio passato e soprattutto sul futuro che li attende. Con uno stile coinvolgente, nella sua curata semplicità, che riesce a tratti a essere evocativo di paesaggi di un altro mondo, la Bassani ci permette di accompagnarli e trepidare con e per loro, fino al confortante finale che sa essere profondo senza scadere nella banalità.


Young Martians

Written by an aerospace engineering student who dreams of becoming an astronaut, “Ad Martem 12” is a little jewel of hard science fiction aimed at a young audience, but that can be appreciated by all ages. Although with some licence and simplification (it is still a book of fiction, not an essay), in a background of plausible technology and science, the author tells the story of the first three children born on the Red Planet, who, reached the age of sixteen, begin to wonder about their origins and Earth, from which all the other people living in the Aresland station come from. The story is told from the point of view of one of them, Jordan, and this is done in such a way as to facilitate the identification of the reader in the character.
Although I have not been a teenager for quite some time, in finding myself aware of his thoughts, fears and sensations, I managed to recover a portion of that part of me from the past and therefore to understand his motivations and actions.
The protagonists, in fact, are not just the usual talented young people who are going to face an adventure like an adult that you can find in most of the young adult stories. In them you can see all the characteristics of the age in which you are no longer a child, but at the same time you are not yet an adult. They are prepared, intelligent and smart, but also naive, distracted and reckless, like any teenager. The problem is that they live on a desert and lethal planet, and the slightest mistake could cause their death.
Between desire to know, dangerous accidents and unexpected feelings, Jordan, Anna and Yan begin a journey to discover the truth about their past and especially about the future awaiting them. With an engaging style, in its refined simplicity, which at times manages to be evocative of landscapes from another world, Bassani allows us to accompany them and be ain trepidation with and for them, until the comforting ending that succeeds in being profound without falling into banality.
2 reviews
January 4, 2019
This is a great book! I'm giving 4 stars only because the translation to English was not made by a professional translator containing some grammar mistakes, in some moments of the book I got distracted by those mistakes. However, most of the time the English mistakes don't bother at all.
However, the story is very captivating and at some moments I felt almost participating on the events. Also, the author did a lot of research to make sure the science in the book is plausible, which makes it much more interesting.
I definitely recommend this book!
Profile Image for Jeff G.
79 reviews3 followers
February 10, 2020
I ordered this book after following Giulia’s Facebook page for some time and enjoying her love of space. I also ordered it in both Italian and English as my wife is from Italy and we were able to read it together and discuss it.

I very much enjoyed this story. The ending without spoilers though felt a bit rushed. However, the story itself ended and I really felt attached to the characters and hope that if there is ever a sequel written we can hear from them again.
6 reviews
July 17, 2020
Eccezionale

It is always important to recognize that young people are the future but most importantly they are the present as people like Giulia Carla Bassani has proven. Excellent writing. Better future.
Profile Image for Andrea.
2 reviews
January 8, 2022
Libro avvincente, per tutti coloro che amano l'ingegneria e la fantascienza in generale.
Il libro mi ha ispirato, facendomi capire l'importanza di avere un obiettivo nella vita da raggiungere, per poi raggiungere un nuovo obiettivo. Mi ha insegnato anche a sfruttare bene il mio tempo, ad avere fate di sapere, di apprendere sempre.
Profile Image for Antonia.
67 reviews13 followers
November 1, 2020
Nice idea and I liked the story line. However, it didn't really capture me. I guess partly because of the many language errors. My English isn't perfect either but when you publish a book maybe a native speaker should proofread it first.
Profile Image for Michele Minervini.
54 reviews1 follower
December 27, 2021
Libro un pò scontato nella trama, ma comunque ben scritto e coinvolgente soprattutto se penso sia stato scritto da una mia coetanea. Alla fine, è riuscita ad adempiere allo scopo finale di un libro: quello di far immergere il lettore nelle vicende narrate nel libro facendolo immedesimare e facendogli sembrare di essere in rapporto diretto con i personaggi e l'evoluzione della storia.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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