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Eismond #2
La Sonda Titán
En 2005, la sonda robótica “Huygens” aterriza en la luna de Saturno Titán. Cuarenta años más tarde, un radiotelescopio recibe señales de la lejana luna que solo pueden proceder de una sonda olvidada mucho tiempo atrás.
Al mismo tiempo, una expedición regresa de la luna vecina Encélado. La tripulación aterriza en Titán y encuentra un peligroso secreto que arriesga su regreso a la Tierra. Mientras tanto, en Encélado, una carrera mortal que nadie hubiera pensado posible ha comenzado. Y sus consecuencias solo pueden ser decididas por los astronautas que están atrapados en Titán.
Al mismo tiempo, una expedición regresa de la luna vecina Encélado. La tripulación aterriza en Titán y encuentra un peligroso secreto que arriesga su regreso a la Tierra. Mientras tanto, en Encélado, una carrera mortal que nadie hubiera pensado posible ha comenzado. Y sus consecuencias solo pueden ser decididas por los astronautas que están atrapados en Titán.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 27, 2017
1582 people are currently reading
381 people want to read
About the author
Brandon Q. Morris
131 books465 followersBrandon Q. Morris is a physicist and space specialist. He has long been concerned with space issues, both professionally and privately and while he wanted to become an astronaut, he had to stay on Earth for a variety of reasons. He is particularly fascinated by the "what if” and through his books he aims to share compelling hard science fiction stories that could actually happen, and someday may happen. Morris is the author of several best-selling science fiction novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
February 13, 2020
|3,5*|
Der zweite Band der Serie ist eine gelungene Fortsetzung der Geschichte über den Saturns Eismond Enceladus. Nach den überraschenden Entdeckungen dort, werden nun auch erstaunliche Unregelmäßigkeiten auf dem ebenfalls den Saturn umkreisenden Mond Titan festgestellt.
Morris greift die Situation zum Ende des ersten Romans gekonnt auf und lässt neue Konflikte entstehen, die jedoch nicht zu konstruiert wirken. Die Handlung bleibt immer interessant und kann mit einigen unerwarteten Wendungen durchaus überraschen. Die Welten von Enceladus und Titan werden eingehend beschrieben und faszinieren durch ihre Fremdartigkeit aber auch gerade durch ihre Parallelen zur Erde. Die Geschehnisse bleiben zum allergrößten Teil im Bereich des physikalisch Möglichen und der Stand der Technik stellt eine plausible Prognose für die nähere Zukunft dar. Manchmal sind die realen Grundlagen für meinen Geschmack jedoch etwas zu ausführlich innerhalb der Geschichte dargelegt, weniger technisch interessierte Leser*innen werden sich vielleicht von den doch recht zahlreichen technischen Beschreibungen und Berechnungen abschrecken lassen.
Charakterlich wird hier keine Glanzleistung vollbracht. Die Charaktere wirken einfach nicht natürlich genug in ihrem Umgang miteinander. Sie haben jedoch gerade genügend Tiefe, dass sich der Lesende wirklich für deren Schicksal interessiert, besonders in diesem Genre keine Selbstverständlichkeit.
Die fremdartige Lebensform von Enceladus ist für meinen Geschmack etwas zu genau beschrieben worden, dabei geht das Geheimnisvolle etwas verloren. Auch ist sie mir doch zu menschlich geraten, wobei das Konzept einer vollständig kooperativen Lebensform im Gegensatz zum Wettkampf der Evolution durchaus ein interessantes Konzept ist.
Wer Fan von Sience-Fiction ist, wer den ersten Band gerne gelesen hat und wer ein großes technisches Interesse hat, wird auf jeden Fall auch mit diesem Buch viel Spaß haben.
Der zweite Band der Serie ist eine gelungene Fortsetzung der Geschichte über den Saturns Eismond Enceladus. Nach den überraschenden Entdeckungen dort, werden nun auch erstaunliche Unregelmäßigkeiten auf dem ebenfalls den Saturn umkreisenden Mond Titan festgestellt.
Morris greift die Situation zum Ende des ersten Romans gekonnt auf und lässt neue Konflikte entstehen, die jedoch nicht zu konstruiert wirken. Die Handlung bleibt immer interessant und kann mit einigen unerwarteten Wendungen durchaus überraschen. Die Welten von Enceladus und Titan werden eingehend beschrieben und faszinieren durch ihre Fremdartigkeit aber auch gerade durch ihre Parallelen zur Erde. Die Geschehnisse bleiben zum allergrößten Teil im Bereich des physikalisch Möglichen und der Stand der Technik stellt eine plausible Prognose für die nähere Zukunft dar. Manchmal sind die realen Grundlagen für meinen Geschmack jedoch etwas zu ausführlich innerhalb der Geschichte dargelegt, weniger technisch interessierte Leser*innen werden sich vielleicht von den doch recht zahlreichen technischen Beschreibungen und Berechnungen abschrecken lassen.
Charakterlich wird hier keine Glanzleistung vollbracht. Die Charaktere wirken einfach nicht natürlich genug in ihrem Umgang miteinander. Sie haben jedoch gerade genügend Tiefe, dass sich der Lesende wirklich für deren Schicksal interessiert, besonders in diesem Genre keine Selbstverständlichkeit.
Die fremdartige Lebensform von Enceladus ist für meinen Geschmack etwas zu genau beschrieben worden, dabei geht das Geheimnisvolle etwas verloren. Auch ist sie mir doch zu menschlich geraten, wobei das Konzept einer vollständig kooperativen Lebensform im Gegensatz zum Wettkampf der Evolution durchaus ein interessantes Konzept ist.
Wer Fan von Sience-Fiction ist, wer den ersten Band gerne gelesen hat und wer ein großes technisches Interesse hat, wird auf jeden Fall auch mit diesem Buch viel Spaß haben.
March 26, 2023
Continuidad. Quizá es lo más significativo. Estamos ante un libro que podría ser perfectamente una segunda parte, en el primer libro de este ciclo de cinco. Y tengo la sensación que lo mismo voy a decir de los otros tres, que parece que han sido escritos en serie, de una sentada, y que la historia se ha partido en cinco. No puedo decir nada que no haya dicho del primero. Su argumento es interesante, con más peso de la ciencia que otras novelas del género, muy adaptable a una serie o película (que hoy en día es más que posible), e introduce al final un tema que también es muy de este género (el que quiera saber de qué hablo, que lea los libros). Sin embargo, no aporta nada novedoso al primer escrito, sino un desarrollo de lo que ya había, con más aventuras, dificultades y soluciones. Aunque este último reproche es más un aviso para lectores que un punto negativo. Si os ha gustado el primero, el segundo 'entra' igual de bien. Supongo que, para ver cosas distintas, habrá que saltar de saga.
August 10, 2017
3.8| Der zweite Band seiner Eismond-Trilogie hat m.E. einen irreführenden Titel, nachdem die ILSE von Eceladus in Richtung Titan abgeflogen ist und dort vermeintlich ein Besatzungsmitglied tot auf dem Eisozean zurückgelassen werden musste, wird der Saturnmod Titan unter die Lupe genommen.
Trotzdem finden die wichtigsten Ereignisse und ein Großteil der Handlung weiterhin auf Enceladus statt, wohingehend nur ein geringer, m.E. ein unbedeutender Teil auf Titan selbst stattfindet, dahingehend ist der Titel etwas irreführend. Aber trotzallem bringt uns Brandon O. Morris (Matthias Matting) Titan näher; der Beginn des Romans ist eine genaue Schilderung der Landung der europäschen Sonde Huygens auf Titan im Januar 2005; nur das spekualtive Ende der Einführung führt uns in das Geschehen von "Titan" ein. Huygens sendet nämlich 40 Jahre (während des Aufenthalts von ILSE im Saturn-System) ein Signal zur Erde, was die NASA-Missionsplaner dazu bringt, eine Landung auf Titan zu unternehmen, um Huygens zu besuchen und nachzusehen, was sich mit dem Signal auf sich hat. Die CREW der ILSE ist immer noch in Trauer um Marchenko, der sich auf Enceladus geopfert hat, um zwei Besatzungsmitglieder aus einer ernsten Situation zu retten, die auf Erkundungsmission im Ozean von Enceladus auf außerirdisches Leben gestoßen sind.
Es stellt sich heraus, dass Marchenko doch nicht tot ist, sondern lebt und sich in das U-Boot flüchtet um zu überleben; er kann aber erst spät ein Signal zur Erde schicken, um sein Überleben mitzuteilen...
Alles in allem wieder ein spannender Roman von Morris, der in Punkto Stil und wissenschaftlicher Genauigkeit seinem Roman "Enceladus" in nichts nachsteht. Was aber immer mein Problem mit diesem Hard-Science Plot ist, dass die Unwahrscheinlichkeiten auch hier nicht reduziert wurden, z.B. dass die Kommandantin während des Fluges schwanger werden kann und ein Kind gebärt, oder dass das die Signale von Huygens und Marchenko nicht von der NASA oder anderen Raumfahrt-Organisationen aufgefangen wird sondern von einem Hobby-Astronom; dass eine Astronautin alleine eine kilometerweite Expediotion auf dem völlig unbekannten Titan unternimmt, während 2 Männer an Bord der Landekapsel bleiben und völlig unbedarft einem Phänomen gegenüberstehen, das an sich schon einen Abbruch der Expedtion geführt hätte usw. usf.
Es ist erfreulich, dass durch Philip P. Peterson nun auch Matthias Matting zur deutschen Hard Science SF gefunden hat, ein Genre, das hierzulande ein Schattendasein führt.
Schön auch der Wissenschafts-Teil am Ende des Buches, mit dem man in einer Kurzversion die neuesten Erkenntnisse über den faszinierenden Mond Titan erfährt...
Trotzdem finden die wichtigsten Ereignisse und ein Großteil der Handlung weiterhin auf Enceladus statt, wohingehend nur ein geringer, m.E. ein unbedeutender Teil auf Titan selbst stattfindet, dahingehend ist der Titel etwas irreführend. Aber trotzallem bringt uns Brandon O. Morris (Matthias Matting) Titan näher; der Beginn des Romans ist eine genaue Schilderung der Landung der europäschen Sonde Huygens auf Titan im Januar 2005; nur das spekualtive Ende der Einführung führt uns in das Geschehen von "Titan" ein. Huygens sendet nämlich 40 Jahre (während des Aufenthalts von ILSE im Saturn-System) ein Signal zur Erde, was die NASA-Missionsplaner dazu bringt, eine Landung auf Titan zu unternehmen, um Huygens zu besuchen und nachzusehen, was sich mit dem Signal auf sich hat. Die CREW der ILSE ist immer noch in Trauer um Marchenko, der sich auf Enceladus geopfert hat, um zwei Besatzungsmitglieder aus einer ernsten Situation zu retten, die auf Erkundungsmission im Ozean von Enceladus auf außerirdisches Leben gestoßen sind.
Es stellt sich heraus, dass Marchenko doch nicht tot ist, sondern lebt und sich in das U-Boot flüchtet um zu überleben; er kann aber erst spät ein Signal zur Erde schicken, um sein Überleben mitzuteilen...
Alles in allem wieder ein spannender Roman von Morris, der in Punkto Stil und wissenschaftlicher Genauigkeit seinem Roman "Enceladus" in nichts nachsteht. Was aber immer mein Problem mit diesem Hard-Science Plot ist, dass die Unwahrscheinlichkeiten auch hier nicht reduziert wurden, z.B. dass die Kommandantin während des Fluges schwanger werden kann und ein Kind gebärt, oder dass das die Signale von Huygens und Marchenko nicht von der NASA oder anderen Raumfahrt-Organisationen aufgefangen wird sondern von einem Hobby-Astronom; dass eine Astronautin alleine eine kilometerweite Expediotion auf dem völlig unbekannten Titan unternimmt, während 2 Männer an Bord der Landekapsel bleiben und völlig unbedarft einem Phänomen gegenüberstehen, das an sich schon einen Abbruch der Expedtion geführt hätte usw. usf.
Es ist erfreulich, dass durch Philip P. Peterson nun auch Matthias Matting zur deutschen Hard Science SF gefunden hat, ein Genre, das hierzulande ein Schattendasein führt.
Schön auch der Wissenschafts-Teil am Ende des Buches, mit dem man in einer Kurzversion die neuesten Erkenntnisse über den faszinierenden Mond Titan erfährt...
January 19, 2019
Good, solid read. A couple new characters, some new drama, some new scenarios. I enjoyed this one.
If that sounds a bit too positive for a 3-star review, well. There was one GLARING fault in the book that drove me up a wall. Two, actually. SPOILERS AHEAD. First, the scientist on earth has NO IDEA that his son is in space?!?!? I mean, I can understand estranged dads, etc., but seriously? Super-awesome space pioneers of international missions to meet new lifeforms tend to be well-known. The fact that somehow this astronomer doesn't know that his son is in space seems . . . a little far-fetched. The bigger fault, however, is the "back-from-the-dead" character reviving the author does, where the guy who comes back doesn't even know how he survived the 48 hours he lay, exposed, with a broken visor on an ice planet. There's some vague hint that the Enceladus Entity saved him, but nothing is ever explained. Drove me bonkers.
Anyways, this is seriously a good book, but a couple major omissions keep it from going on the all-time list.
If that sounds a bit too positive for a 3-star review, well. There was one GLARING fault in the book that drove me up a wall. Two, actually. SPOILERS AHEAD. First, the scientist on earth has NO IDEA that his son is in space?!?!? I mean, I can understand estranged dads, etc., but seriously? Super-awesome space pioneers of international missions to meet new lifeforms tend to be well-known. The fact that somehow this astronomer doesn't know that his son is in space seems . . . a little far-fetched. The bigger fault, however, is the "back-from-the-dead" character reviving the author does, where the guy who comes back doesn't even know how he survived the 48 hours he lay, exposed, with a broken visor on an ice planet. There's some vague hint that the Enceladus Entity saved him, but nothing is ever explained. Drove me bonkers.
Anyways, this is seriously a good book, but a couple major omissions keep it from going on the all-time list.
September 23, 2022
Awesome read! Was much more suspenseful and exciting than the first. The descriptions of all the different settings from space to the moons are so detailed and well written. This book had some crazy plot twists as well. Highly recommend
April 2, 2021
Mucho mejor que el primero “misión Encelado”.
Continua donde dejamos a nuestros amigos y expande su aventura. El ritmo es muy bueno, y en mi caso devoré este tomo. Es hard SCIFI sin duda, aunque tambien tiene mucho de fantastico, y si te lo tomas de ese modo es muy muy disfrutable. Tiene sus fallitos perdonables y quizás el final demasiado abrupto, pero sin duda seguiré leyendo lo que este señor quiera contarme.
Por mi parte recomendadisimo si te gusta la scifi con buena dosis de ciencia y de fantasia.
Continua donde dejamos a nuestros amigos y expande su aventura. El ritmo es muy bueno, y en mi caso devoré este tomo. Es hard SCIFI sin duda, aunque tambien tiene mucho de fantastico, y si te lo tomas de ese modo es muy muy disfrutable. Tiene sus fallitos perdonables y quizás el final demasiado abrupto, pero sin duda seguiré leyendo lo que este señor quiera contarme.
Por mi parte recomendadisimo si te gusta la scifi con buena dosis de ciencia y de fantasia.
November 11, 2023
If you like your sci-fi science to be hard and up-to-date, read Brandon Morris. He's a physicist by trade, and a stickler for facts within the fictional premise of his books. The Titan Probe is no exception - you'll come away knowing a great deal more about Saturn's massive moon than when you started.
March 12, 2018
Enceladus hatte mich ja voll vom Hocker gehauen und ich war gespannt, ob Titan mithalten kann. Spoileralarm: Konnte es!
Der Titel kann etwas verwirren, denn auch wenn wir einen kurzen Abstecher zum Titan machen, so spielt doch ein Großteil der Handlung auf der ILSE und auf Enceladus. Warum auf Enceladus möchte ich nicht verraten, denn das könnte Band 1 etwas spoilern.
Die Geschichte beginnt mit der Landung der Sonde Huygens auf Titan 41 Jahre vor der restlichen Handlung im Buch. Schön fand ich dabei wie bereits im ersten Band die Gedankenspielereien aus dem Bereich „Was wäre wenn?“ Wenn Huygens Gefühle gehabt hätte, was hätte es gefühlt bei seiner Landung? Ich sagte ja schon in einem anderen Post einmal, dass ich eine emotionale Bindung zu allen möglichen Dingen aufbauen kann. Es ist gut, dass Morris hier eiskalt das Ding als solches belässt und Menschen wie mir damit diese Gedankengänge abnimmt. Jaja, ich weiß, ich will nicht darüber nachdenken müssen, dass auf dem Mars kleine Rover rumrollen, die ganz, ganz alleine sind. Ich hab Wall-E gesehen und von Anfang bis Ende Rotz und Wasser geheult, ok?
Aber weiter im Text. Die ILSE befindet sich grad auf dem Heimweg von Enceladus. Die Trauer um den Verlust eines Crew-Mitglieds ist groß. Umso ungeduldiger wurde ich, als mir klar wurde, worauf alles hinauslaufen wird. Mit jedem Kapitel dachte ich mir nur noch „nu mach schon“ und wollte einfach ein riesiges großes Happy End. Das gabs zwar nicht direkt, aber irgendwie wars trotzdem Happy-cool 🙂 Der Teil der Geschichte auf Titan geriet dabei sogar fast etwas in den Hintergrund.
Besonders klasse fand ich das erneute Zusammentreffen mit dem Leben auf Enceladus und dessen Bewusstsein und Wissen um das Leben auf Titan und Io. Ich kann jetzt schon sagen, dass ich mich sehr drauf freue, den dritten Teil zu lesen.
In diesem Band gab es ein paar Elemente mehr, die sehr fantastisch wirkten, besonders im direkten Vergleich mit dem wissenschaftlichen Hintergrund des Buches. Auch ging manches Mal etwas viel zu einfach und zu fehlerfrei von statten, dass ich glaube, Morris wollte hier für den Leser die Spannung nicht noch weiter hochtreiben. Mein Herz sagt danke 🙂
Fazit
Eine rundum gelungene Fortsetzung zum ersten Teil und erneut eine klare Leseempfehlung für alle Fans des Hard SF
Der Titel kann etwas verwirren, denn auch wenn wir einen kurzen Abstecher zum Titan machen, so spielt doch ein Großteil der Handlung auf der ILSE und auf Enceladus. Warum auf Enceladus möchte ich nicht verraten, denn das könnte Band 1 etwas spoilern.
Die Geschichte beginnt mit der Landung der Sonde Huygens auf Titan 41 Jahre vor der restlichen Handlung im Buch. Schön fand ich dabei wie bereits im ersten Band die Gedankenspielereien aus dem Bereich „Was wäre wenn?“ Wenn Huygens Gefühle gehabt hätte, was hätte es gefühlt bei seiner Landung? Ich sagte ja schon in einem anderen Post einmal, dass ich eine emotionale Bindung zu allen möglichen Dingen aufbauen kann. Es ist gut, dass Morris hier eiskalt das Ding als solches belässt und Menschen wie mir damit diese Gedankengänge abnimmt. Jaja, ich weiß, ich will nicht darüber nachdenken müssen, dass auf dem Mars kleine Rover rumrollen, die ganz, ganz alleine sind. Ich hab Wall-E gesehen und von Anfang bis Ende Rotz und Wasser geheult, ok?
Aber weiter im Text. Die ILSE befindet sich grad auf dem Heimweg von Enceladus. Die Trauer um den Verlust eines Crew-Mitglieds ist groß. Umso ungeduldiger wurde ich, als mir klar wurde, worauf alles hinauslaufen wird. Mit jedem Kapitel dachte ich mir nur noch „nu mach schon“ und wollte einfach ein riesiges großes Happy End. Das gabs zwar nicht direkt, aber irgendwie wars trotzdem Happy-cool 🙂 Der Teil der Geschichte auf Titan geriet dabei sogar fast etwas in den Hintergrund.
Besonders klasse fand ich das erneute Zusammentreffen mit dem Leben auf Enceladus und dessen Bewusstsein und Wissen um das Leben auf Titan und Io. Ich kann jetzt schon sagen, dass ich mich sehr drauf freue, den dritten Teil zu lesen.
In diesem Band gab es ein paar Elemente mehr, die sehr fantastisch wirkten, besonders im direkten Vergleich mit dem wissenschaftlichen Hintergrund des Buches. Auch ging manches Mal etwas viel zu einfach und zu fehlerfrei von statten, dass ich glaube, Morris wollte hier für den Leser die Spannung nicht noch weiter hochtreiben. Mein Herz sagt danke 🙂
Fazit
Eine rundum gelungene Fortsetzung zum ersten Teil und erneut eine klare Leseempfehlung für alle Fans des Hard SF
June 19, 2019
The story picks up from The Enceladus Mission and had mee on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to .... evolve. Fascinating answers to whether there is life elsewhere!
February 7, 2021
Der Band um "Titan" schließt nahtlos an das Ende von Band eins an. Ich fand ihn von der höheren Handlungsdichte her spannender als den ersten Band. Es ist eben immer von Vorteil, wenn man die Grundsituation und die Figuren bereits kennt und direkt mitten ins Geschehen einsteigen kann. Dabei ist die Aufteilung der Handlung zwischen Enceladus und Titan gut gelungen, finde ich. Auch das Ende und die Andeutung auf kommende Ereignisse sind sehr gut durchdacht. Den Hard-Sci-Fi Aspekt finde ich übrigens sehr cool. Wenn ich da an einen Marsianer denke, dessen Landefähre auf dem Mars von einem "Sandsturm" dort umgeweht werden soll... das ist dann wohl das Gegenteil von Hard Sci Fi
January 7, 2019
It Keeps Getting Better
I read this book as a continuation of my quest to see how truly alien intelligences could be described without falling into the anthropomorphic trap. This book succeeded well! I won't spoil it by explaining how, but to recommend that anyone who wants to read a wonderful series should read this one.
What trip it was to the surface of Titan and back to Enceladus of the previous volume! And what an ending!
I read this book as a continuation of my quest to see how truly alien intelligences could be described without falling into the anthropomorphic trap. This book succeeded well! I won't spoil it by explaining how, but to recommend that anyone who wants to read a wonderful series should read this one.
What trip it was to the surface of Titan and back to Enceladus of the previous volume! And what an ending!
October 1, 2017
Erneut ein sehr spannendes Buch mit interessanten Ausführungen. Ich muss anderen Kommentaren allerdings insofern zustimmen, als dass die Charaktere des Buches nicht sonderlich tief entwickelt sind.
July 27, 2020
I can't do it. I just can't do it. There are simply too many questions left dangling.
Marchenko's ALIVE? Okay, obviously, the Enceladus lifeform somehow reanimated him (a life form it has NO previous experience with or knowledge of), but Morris leaves this dangling for far too long. We FINALLY got a hint to confirm this, but it's another implausibility; the lifeform patched Marchenko's visor with water ice. Which might be possible, since at the surface temperatures of Enceladus, water ice is "as hard as iron". But why didn't the suit heaters melt the ice from the inside? Would the patch really have stayed cold enough all the way through to prevent that? Again, I have question this.
Marchenko enters Valkyrie through the emergency exit, making a big point about letting out the internal atmosphere. And that it can't restore atmosphere after that until Marchenko closes the inner suitport hatches, that Martin and Jianying left open when they left the ship. But if they left the inner suitport hatches open when they opened the outer ones, why didn't the atmosphere escape then?
Then he repairs his visor (admittedly temporarily) with a clear plastic report cover? A flat piece of plastic on the curved surfaces of his visor/helmet? I challenge Morris to try the same and make it airtight.
Morris also mentions that the suits run at a full atmosphere internal pressure, so it would be even harder to fix the visor. Not to mention he made a point in Enceladus Mission that the suits run at LOW pressure, that's why the crew has to prebreathe before making EVAs.
And when he leaves the ship again through the emergency escape, I assume the atmosphere escaped again. So how can he immediately remove his suit when he returns? Doesn't he at least have to wait for it to re-pressurize? (And just how many times can it do that?)
He also keeps talking about "walking" in Enceladus' gravity of 1/84th Gee. That's 0.011G. He mentions in EM that you can't "walk" in gravity that low, it's more like moving in freefall, but here he keeps describing Marchenko as "walking".
And Marchenko's going to cobble together an ammonia-based thermal power generator? The self-professed non-scientist? I think that's awfully optimistic. Mark Watney pulls off similar feats in The Martian, but he's an engineer by training. Marchenko's a medical doctor.
The last straw was when he found a dead rat while retrieving the pipe to make the generator. Really? A dead rat? Morris tries to blow it off as somehow it got in during the test runs or while it was being transported on Earth, but I just don't buy it. I can't believe any credible space agency would be that careless. (Maybe I'm being optimistic, but that's still why I reject it.)
So I'm done. I really tried to get through these books because I want to read the overall story, but I can't. There are just too many contradictions, implausibilities and "Oh, come ON!"s. My suspension of disbelief is completely shattered, and I'm done. Maybe some of these problems are explained satisfactorily later in the story, but in my case, Morris waited too long to do so.
Marchenko's ALIVE? Okay, obviously, the Enceladus lifeform somehow reanimated him (a life form it has NO previous experience with or knowledge of), but Morris leaves this dangling for far too long. We FINALLY got a hint to confirm this, but it's another implausibility; the lifeform patched Marchenko's visor with water ice. Which might be possible, since at the surface temperatures of Enceladus, water ice is "as hard as iron". But why didn't the suit heaters melt the ice from the inside? Would the patch really have stayed cold enough all the way through to prevent that? Again, I have question this.
Marchenko enters Valkyrie through the emergency exit, making a big point about letting out the internal atmosphere. And that it can't restore atmosphere after that until Marchenko closes the inner suitport hatches, that Martin and Jianying left open when they left the ship. But if they left the inner suitport hatches open when they opened the outer ones, why didn't the atmosphere escape then?
Then he repairs his visor (admittedly temporarily) with a clear plastic report cover? A flat piece of plastic on the curved surfaces of his visor/helmet? I challenge Morris to try the same and make it airtight.
Morris also mentions that the suits run at a full atmosphere internal pressure, so it would be even harder to fix the visor. Not to mention he made a point in Enceladus Mission that the suits run at LOW pressure, that's why the crew has to prebreathe before making EVAs.
And when he leaves the ship again through the emergency escape, I assume the atmosphere escaped again. So how can he immediately remove his suit when he returns? Doesn't he at least have to wait for it to re-pressurize? (And just how many times can it do that?)
He also keeps talking about "walking" in Enceladus' gravity of 1/84th Gee. That's 0.011G. He mentions in EM that you can't "walk" in gravity that low, it's more like moving in freefall, but here he keeps describing Marchenko as "walking".
And Marchenko's going to cobble together an ammonia-based thermal power generator? The self-professed non-scientist? I think that's awfully optimistic. Mark Watney pulls off similar feats in The Martian, but he's an engineer by training. Marchenko's a medical doctor.
The last straw was when he found a dead rat while retrieving the pipe to make the generator. Really? A dead rat? Morris tries to blow it off as somehow it got in during the test runs or while it was being transported on Earth, but I just don't buy it. I can't believe any credible space agency would be that careless. (Maybe I'm being optimistic, but that's still why I reject it.)
So I'm done. I really tried to get through these books because I want to read the overall story, but I can't. There are just too many contradictions, implausibilities and "Oh, come ON!"s. My suspension of disbelief is completely shattered, and I'm done. Maybe some of these problems are explained satisfactorily later in the story, but in my case, Morris waited too long to do so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2019
Wow, this is unusual. I gave 2 stars to the first book in this series, and 4 stars here. Why? Because this time two things seemed lots better.
The first thing, I didn't feel like so much of my time was spent reading about how the room was decorated or how the ship was constructed as I did in the first book. Sure, those things are important, but let's make it quick! I have characters to follow!
And that's the second thing. I cared about the characters. In the first book I found Martin to be pretty short on emotions. Kind of like a cross between Mr Spock and an android. In this one I found him to be much more interesting, because of how he dealt with his father and his girlfriend.
I felt like they threw away the doctor's character in book 1. I mean, they might have said, "We have an infant. We can't risk the doctor." But they never said that, and he jumped out of a perfectly good spaceship. Ouch. But in this book I came to feel like his character was not wasted.
In the first book I had the impression that Martin might have a bit of a spark for the other women on the crew besides his girlfriend. In this book it felt like they were all colleagues, and I wasn't confused about where his interests lay.
Related to the second thing is that I found the Enceladus sentience very interesting, and after the first book I didn't know if we'd ever get to know it better. This book was very satisfying in that regard. I know that there is still an antenna on Enceladus and I can't wait to see it get used.
I'm glad that I stayed with the series. I'm not saying that Mr Morris improved between books. I'm just saying that I liked this book as much as I disliked the last one.
For sure I'm gonna read the next one.
The first thing, I didn't feel like so much of my time was spent reading about how the room was decorated or how the ship was constructed as I did in the first book. Sure, those things are important, but let's make it quick! I have characters to follow!
And that's the second thing. I cared about the characters. In the first book I found Martin to be pretty short on emotions. Kind of like a cross between Mr Spock and an android. In this one I found him to be much more interesting, because of how he dealt with his father and his girlfriend.
I felt like they threw away the doctor's character in book 1. I mean, they might have said, "We have an infant. We can't risk the doctor." But they never said that, and he jumped out of a perfectly good spaceship. Ouch. But in this book I came to feel like his character was not wasted.
In the first book I had the impression that Martin might have a bit of a spark for the other women on the crew besides his girlfriend. In this book it felt like they were all colleagues, and I wasn't confused about where his interests lay.
Related to the second thing is that I found the Enceladus sentience very interesting, and after the first book I didn't know if we'd ever get to know it better. This book was very satisfying in that regard. I know that there is still an antenna on Enceladus and I can't wait to see it get used.
I'm glad that I stayed with the series. I'm not saying that Mr Morris improved between books. I'm just saying that I liked this book as much as I disliked the last one.
For sure I'm gonna read the next one.
June 6, 2022
This review addresses the entire series of The Enceladus Mission, which consists of four full-length novels: The Enceladus Mission, The Titan Probe, The Io Encounter, and Return to Enceladus. Read in sequence as most characters traverse all four books, as does the story.
Plot. A group of astronauts from several countries responds to a probe signal coming from the moon of a distant planet indicating potential life. Through the four novels, space travel is defined in painfully intricate detail. The entire series consists of a series of mundane problems, occasionally life-threatening, that arise with regularity - one after another. Expected relationships between characters develop, including a pregnancy. Shipboard AI's misbehave, save the day, stuff goes wrong, stuff gets fixed, etc.
Liked. The Enceladus Mission series is pure SciFi. The "what-if" possibilities are there, which in my opinion, makes the best SciFi. No drooling zombies, aliens with clicking knees, jump scares. No sex, no gratuitous profanity. Coincidently? Breakthrough Enceladus is a proposed privately funded astrobiology mission to look for macrobiotic life in the volcanic eruptions of water emanating from the moon - true - Google it.
Not so hot. Wording isn't particularly smooth - no contractions; more effort should have been applied to story rather than space technology, which can be boring to some readers. The ending left much unanswered.
Written by Brandon Q. Morris, narrated by Doug Tisdale Jr., each book in the area of eight hours of listening, all books released 2019.
Recommended to the nerds among us; lots of techy stuff to pick apart.
Plot. A group of astronauts from several countries responds to a probe signal coming from the moon of a distant planet indicating potential life. Through the four novels, space travel is defined in painfully intricate detail. The entire series consists of a series of mundane problems, occasionally life-threatening, that arise with regularity - one after another. Expected relationships between characters develop, including a pregnancy. Shipboard AI's misbehave, save the day, stuff goes wrong, stuff gets fixed, etc.
Liked. The Enceladus Mission series is pure SciFi. The "what-if" possibilities are there, which in my opinion, makes the best SciFi. No drooling zombies, aliens with clicking knees, jump scares. No sex, no gratuitous profanity. Coincidently? Breakthrough Enceladus is a proposed privately funded astrobiology mission to look for macrobiotic life in the volcanic eruptions of water emanating from the moon - true - Google it.
Not so hot. Wording isn't particularly smooth - no contractions; more effort should have been applied to story rather than space technology, which can be boring to some readers. The ending left much unanswered.
Written by Brandon Q. Morris, narrated by Doug Tisdale Jr., each book in the area of eight hours of listening, all books released 2019.
Recommended to the nerds among us; lots of techy stuff to pick apart.
February 28, 2019
When I bought and read the precursor to this book I did not realise at the time that it was part of a series. I enjoyed The Enceladus Mission immensely therefore I looked forward to returning to the outer Solar System and visiting Titan with Brandon Q. Morris.
Again, a well-researched hard science fiction novel that presents a plausible version of a manned visit to Titan. Morris created a truly alien alien in the first book of the series and he does it again here. I shall not give further details away; it is better to read about it in the book.
The action is split between the two moons of Titan and Enceladus. We meet again Enceladus' resident entity, which reveals it knows about life on other moons in the outer Solar System. This does rather contradict that it had no concept of other life in The Enceladus Mission. It does give some obvious foreshadowing of what is to come on Io to the reader. Maybe it knew about what was happening on Titan but the meteorite did not drop until the humans arrived? The writing could have been a little tighter here...
The science fiction took a soft turn towards the end, which surprised me. I am sure the author had his reasons and I am sure I shall find out on ILSE's stop over at Io on the way back home.
A few minor niggles reduced my rating to four stars but apart from that an excellent read for anyone whoo likes their science fiction hard.
Again, a well-researched hard science fiction novel that presents a plausible version of a manned visit to Titan. Morris created a truly alien alien in the first book of the series and he does it again here. I shall not give further details away; it is better to read about it in the book.
The action is split between the two moons of Titan and Enceladus. We meet again Enceladus' resident entity, which reveals it knows about life on other moons in the outer Solar System. This does rather contradict that it had no concept of other life in The Enceladus Mission. It does give some obvious foreshadowing of what is to come on Io to the reader. Maybe it knew about what was happening on Titan but the meteorite did not drop until the humans arrived? The writing could have been a little tighter here...
The science fiction took a soft turn towards the end, which surprised me. I am sure the author had his reasons and I am sure I shall find out on ILSE's stop over at Io on the way back home.
A few minor niggles reduced my rating to four stars but apart from that an excellent read for anyone whoo likes their science fiction hard.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2019
For those of you who read "Enceladus", you will be re-united with the same great crew of the ILSE as they are sent to Titan to check on some anomalous radio signals. While there, the crew is presented with many challenges and experiences several surprises as well. They deal with many scientific issues as well as group & personal issues as they work toward completing hteir mission. Even though many of the questions regarding Titan have get answered (and several more have been raised), the adventure is not over. Apparently, the ILSE is being sent to Io next in "The Io Encounter", book 3 in the series.
I am becoming a fan of Brandon Q. Morris. His stories are enjoyable; his characters are well-developed,and, his science is both accurate and interesting. This 2nd book in the series is every bit as enjoyable as the first and the reader continues to become more engaged with the crew. I particularly like Morris' extrapolations that are based on solid science. Morris is truly a hard science writer who also has the ability to develop characters and tell a good story at the same time. A great bonus is included at the end of each of his books where he presents science facts that are relevant to the story. The bonus in this book talks about Titan.
I am becoming a fan of Brandon Q. Morris. His stories are enjoyable; his characters are well-developed,and, his science is both accurate and interesting. This 2nd book in the series is every bit as enjoyable as the first and the reader continues to become more engaged with the crew. I particularly like Morris' extrapolations that are based on solid science. Morris is truly a hard science writer who also has the ability to develop characters and tell a good story at the same time. A great bonus is included at the end of each of his books where he presents science facts that are relevant to the story. The bonus in this book talks about Titan.
February 19, 2022
This is the first volume of the series that I have read. These characters seemed to have a history. They might have been more real to me if I had read the prior volumes. They are able to drop their careers and take off for a few years to travel to Titan for this mission which is sponsored by a Russian oligarch. Dropping everything to run off to Titan is not very credible. They don't do much training to prepare them for conditions on Titan. There seems to be a shadowy competition going on with the Chinese and maybe other countries, too, but this side-thread went nowhere. (I won't spoil it by giving more plot detail.)
The team is from various countries, which helps keep the characters straight, but they don't seem to have the courage or strong motivation an oligarch would want. It's like they are doing it for the money, but they are not presented that way.
The description of Titan seems very real. Good marks for researching planetary conditions and pointing out the dangers of walking through methane lakes. The team finds interesting stuff on Titan, but don't seem prepared to do much with it other than report back. That was not interesting.
I had the feeling throughout that I don't have the whole story and the mission was only partially completed.
The team is from various countries, which helps keep the characters straight, but they don't seem to have the courage or strong motivation an oligarch would want. It's like they are doing it for the money, but they are not presented that way.
The description of Titan seems very real. Good marks for researching planetary conditions and pointing out the dangers of walking through methane lakes. The team finds interesting stuff on Titan, but don't seem prepared to do much with it other than report back. That was not interesting.
I had the feeling throughout that I don't have the whole story and the mission was only partially completed.
April 4, 2024
O livro A Sonda de Titã é o segundo livro da série Lua de Gelo de Brandon Q. Morris, nesse livro o autor nos leva a uma emocionante jornada intergaláctica que desafia os limites do conhecimento, ao mesmo tempo que promove uma reflexão sobre a condição humana, os limites e mistérios do desconhecido, nosso entendimento do universo e os dilemas éticos quando nos aventuramos para além dos limites do conhecido.
A história começa em 2005, quando a sonda robótica Huygens pousa na misteriosa lua de Saturno, Titã. Quarenta anos depois, sinais desconcertantes são captados por um radiotelescópio, revelando a presença do módulo de pouso esquecido.
A expedição proveniente da lua vizinha, Encélado, são convidados a fazer um desvio para Titã para verificar o que pode ser o sinal que estão recebendo. Ao pousarem em Titã descobrem um segredo perigoso que ameaça não apenas a segurança deles, mas também seu retorno seguro à Terra.
O autor também explora os aspectos humanos e psicológicos da missão, mostrando os conflitos, as emoções e as motivações da tripulação
Enquanto isso, em Encélado, uma corrida mortal se inicia, envolvendo interesses políticos e econômicos, cujo desfecho repousa nas mãos dos astronautas presos em Titã.
A história começa em 2005, quando a sonda robótica Huygens pousa na misteriosa lua de Saturno, Titã. Quarenta anos depois, sinais desconcertantes são captados por um radiotelescópio, revelando a presença do módulo de pouso esquecido.
A expedição proveniente da lua vizinha, Encélado, são convidados a fazer um desvio para Titã para verificar o que pode ser o sinal que estão recebendo. Ao pousarem em Titã descobrem um segredo perigoso que ameaça não apenas a segurança deles, mas também seu retorno seguro à Terra.
O autor também explora os aspectos humanos e psicológicos da missão, mostrando os conflitos, as emoções e as motivações da tripulação
Enquanto isso, em Encélado, uma corrida mortal se inicia, envolvendo interesses políticos e econômicos, cujo desfecho repousa nas mãos dos astronautas presos em Titã.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2021
The more I read, the more I like Morris
His books are full of science facts that supports his fiction. That, to me, makes the best science fiction. Whether is is a simple detail of a chemical structure or a well know rule of physics, he puts pieces together that illustrate how our knowledge can come together to help us reach new goals, solve problems, and explore this universe. Furthermore, for those concerned with culture and racism, these books show how people work together and focus on the important aspects of life and exploration.
Of particular interest in this book, we start to understand how we come to terms with experiencing an entirely new type of life that is more different from humans as humans are from plants. Morris does an excellent job of beginning to break this down so that we begin to see there may be a way to accept a life form that is in essence the oceans of a planet. I’m certain his other books will help us have more thoughts about how this could occur and find where there may be common ground between humans and other life forms.
His books are full of science facts that supports his fiction. That, to me, makes the best science fiction. Whether is is a simple detail of a chemical structure or a well know rule of physics, he puts pieces together that illustrate how our knowledge can come together to help us reach new goals, solve problems, and explore this universe. Furthermore, for those concerned with culture and racism, these books show how people work together and focus on the important aspects of life and exploration.
Of particular interest in this book, we start to understand how we come to terms with experiencing an entirely new type of life that is more different from humans as humans are from plants. Morris does an excellent job of beginning to break this down so that we begin to see there may be a way to accept a life form that is in essence the oceans of a planet. I’m certain his other books will help us have more thoughts about how this could occur and find where there may be common ground between humans and other life forms.
September 20, 2020
The story continues
Second book in the series develops the ideas began in the first volume, set in and around the moons of Saturn.
The story rattles on at a fast pace leaving you to fill in any gaps on your own - i enjoyed this approach. if there is a downside it is that the book is obviously setting the scene for future cataclysms and conflicts later in the series.
The science behind many of the events is explained well and made exciting. the ideas are then used in very speculative and imaginative ways to keep the story entertaining; humans flying under their own power; super biological computers; and non verbal communication between species.
I particularly enjoyed the speculation on lack of competition and evolution.
It has kept me interested throughout and i will read the next in the series.
Second book in the series develops the ideas began in the first volume, set in and around the moons of Saturn.
The story rattles on at a fast pace leaving you to fill in any gaps on your own - i enjoyed this approach. if there is a downside it is that the book is obviously setting the scene for future cataclysms and conflicts later in the series.
The science behind many of the events is explained well and made exciting. the ideas are then used in very speculative and imaginative ways to keep the story entertaining; humans flying under their own power; super biological computers; and non verbal communication between species.
I particularly enjoyed the speculation on lack of competition and evolution.
It has kept me interested throughout and i will read the next in the series.
August 22, 2021
Finished in 2 sittings.
More enjoyable than the first book, so that's a good sign.
I would recommend this series to anyone who likes some space excitement..
one criticism is the lack of contractions used, which became quite hard to ignore throughout these books. Every character will say "i will go, i cannot do that" etc instead of "I'll go, i can't do that".. this is very disruptive in the reading experience as it doesn't flow well and makes you slow down the dialogue as if that character is using that form of sentence to make a point or stress something, but that's not the case, they just all speak like that, all the time.. you'll see what i mean. Anyway, it didn't stop me reading these first two books back to back.
More enjoyable than the first book, so that's a good sign.
I would recommend this series to anyone who likes some space excitement..
one criticism is the lack of contractions used, which became quite hard to ignore throughout these books. Every character will say "i will go, i cannot do that" etc instead of "I'll go, i can't do that".. this is very disruptive in the reading experience as it doesn't flow well and makes you slow down the dialogue as if that character is using that form of sentence to make a point or stress something, but that's not the case, they just all speak like that, all the time.. you'll see what i mean. Anyway, it didn't stop me reading these first two books back to back.
November 15, 2021
I will assume you have read the synopsis already so I will skip that. The book is very good, it continues the story from the first book and in no way wraps up the story, it does however take a pretty big twist that could be a good thing or a bad thing, we will have to read the next book to find out. I get a little annoyed with books that end and feel more like a chapter ending than a book ending. On the other hand, I hate book that end with 20 years later everyone lived happily ever after so I guess I would rather this style. Its also just a fact of publishing now that one long story is broken down into multiple books.
May 28, 2022
This is the second book in the series. One person that everyone thinks is dead isn't. He's still on Enceladus. There's a probe on Titan that is sending out signals that it shouldn't be able to send out so the crew goes there to try to find out what is happening.
The landing is okay but there' a weird problem later on that could doom every single person on the mission. There's a telepathic creature on Enceladus, something like a religious appearance, a death that's not actually a death and an escape and a greeting.
It has all the qualities of the first book as far as what is going on, the events make sense and there's a lot of tension in the book. Very good.
The landing is okay but there' a weird problem later on that could doom every single person on the mission. There's a telepathic creature on Enceladus, something like a religious appearance, a death that's not actually a death and an escape and a greeting.
It has all the qualities of the first book as far as what is going on, the events make sense and there's a lot of tension in the book. Very good.
July 7, 2022
“The Titan Probe” by Brandon Q. Morris
Brandon Q. Morris has earned my five-star review for this novel, the second in the five-book Ice Moon series. With his excellent understanding of physics and chemistry, he portrayed a realistic experience of what the astronauts encountered in a “mushy” environment of partly frozen methane, ammonia and hydrocarbons. Indeed, their space suit heaters had to work overtime since the ambient temperature was -180°.
Spoiler alert! Caveat! His explanation of how life is possible under cryogenic conditions is brilliant. It reminds me of Carl Sagan’s statement about how life is self-emergent.
I shall read the remaining three novels in this series and recommend it to all fans of “hard” science fiction.
Brandon Q. Morris has earned my five-star review for this novel, the second in the five-book Ice Moon series. With his excellent understanding of physics and chemistry, he portrayed a realistic experience of what the astronauts encountered in a “mushy” environment of partly frozen methane, ammonia and hydrocarbons. Indeed, their space suit heaters had to work overtime since the ambient temperature was -180°.
Spoiler alert! Caveat! His explanation of how life is possible under cryogenic conditions is brilliant. It reminds me of Carl Sagan’s statement about how life is self-emergent.
I shall read the remaining three novels in this series and recommend it to all fans of “hard” science fiction.
May 7, 2025
Seria un mentiroso si dijera que me gustó tanto como el primero, ya que prácticamente se volvió mi eterno pendiente al estar abandonado a medias y que me haya tardado 2 meses en terminar no ayuda.
Ahora, refiriéndome al libro mejor. La sonda de titan parte y tiene una historia increíble que nos acompaña hasta un final y un giro qué seguro lo terminó antes si me hubiera hecho la idea, pero que no sé, no me gustó mucho que cierto personaje este dando vueltas, creo que me arruino un poco la experiencia. Aun así era y lo tenia claro, lo suficiente interesante para nunca abandonar y leer un poco cada cierto tiempo o entre libros.
3.0⭐️
Ahora, refiriéndome al libro mejor. La sonda de titan parte y tiene una historia increíble que nos acompaña hasta un final y un giro qué seguro lo terminó antes si me hubiera hecho la idea, pero que no sé, no me gustó mucho que cierto personaje este dando vueltas, creo que me arruino un poco la experiencia. Aun así era y lo tenia claro, lo suficiente interesante para nunca abandonar y leer un poco cada cierto tiempo o entre libros.
3.0⭐️
March 1, 2019
A trip to the moons of Saturn.
They say that fact is stranger than fiction. What if you combine the two? Morris does an awesome job of taking actual facts and weaving in an imagined space flight . A positive for me was learning actual facts about two moons of Saturn. This is done in a way that works in with the story of the voyages. I don't know where this is going but a negative for me was falling back on the cliche of an alien entity in a computer system. Oh well, I try to be flexible reading sci-fi and so we will see Morris takes us.
They say that fact is stranger than fiction. What if you combine the two? Morris does an awesome job of taking actual facts and weaving in an imagined space flight . A positive for me was learning actual facts about two moons of Saturn. This is done in a way that works in with the story of the voyages. I don't know where this is going but a negative for me was falling back on the cliche of an alien entity in a computer system. Oh well, I try to be flexible reading sci-fi and so we will see Morris takes us.
October 12, 2019
Worse than the previous installment. Godlike aliens, everyone likes them, right? Also very Star Trek concept of aforementioned godlike alien being able to communicate effortlessly with humans, using telepathy no less. Talk about no common ground, Stanislaw Lem did by far more believable presentation of a truly alien entity in Solaris that exists in a similar frame of reference as the Enceladus entity. There's a little sense of mystery overall to something that should confound attempts to communicate for primate mayflies existing in a hugely different frame of reference for centuries..
October 6, 2021
Though there is quite good on the science side, the storyline gets ever more frequent hammerings to force it to meet the author wishes. Little feels natural and the astronauts's decision-making gets increasingly absurd, as otherwise they would not get involved in the ever more ridiculous quests the author has set for them. For instance, trying to radio-contact a castaway astronaut seemed to hard for the crew; nobody thought of that. A pity as it would have saved them a lot of fuss, and the castaway's life too. But you know, the show must go on. End of the series for me.
March 10, 2023
Novela de ciencia ficción dura de 358 páginas, publicada en 2017, y segunda entrega de la pentalogía de "La Luna Helada". Esta vez, un profesor de astronomía detecta una misteriosa señal proveniente de Titán desde la Tierra. Avisará a las autoridades, que a su vez se pondrán en contacto con nuestro grupo de protagonistas, que aún permanecen en Encélado, para que investiguen la sonda que fue enviada treinta años atrás a Titán. De lectura muy recomendada para los amantes de la ciencia ficción con gran carga científica.
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