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Chronicle of the Dark Star #1
Last Day on Mars
Listening time 7 hours 37 minutes
It is Earth year 2213—but, of course, there is no Earth anymore. Not since it was burned to a cinder by the sun, which has mysteriously begun the process of going supernova. The human race has fled to Mars, but this was only a temporary solution while we prepare for a second trip: a one-hundred-fifty-year journey to a distant star, our best guess at where we might find a new home.
Liam Saunders-Chang is one of the last humans left on Mars. The son of two scientists who have been racing against time to create technology vital to humanity’s survival, Liam, along with his friend Phoebe, will be on the very last starliner to depart before Mars, like Earth before it, is destroyed.
Or so he thinks. Because before this day is over, Liam and Phoebe will make a series of profound discoveries about the nature of time and space, and find out that the human race is just one of many in our universe locked in a desperate struggle for survival.
It is Earth year 2213—but, of course, there is no Earth anymore. Not since it was burned to a cinder by the sun, which has mysteriously begun the process of going supernova. The human race has fled to Mars, but this was only a temporary solution while we prepare for a second trip: a one-hundred-fifty-year journey to a distant star, our best guess at where we might find a new home.
Liam Saunders-Chang is one of the last humans left on Mars. The son of two scientists who have been racing against time to create technology vital to humanity’s survival, Liam, along with his friend Phoebe, will be on the very last starliner to depart before Mars, like Earth before it, is destroyed.
Or so he thinks. Because before this day is over, Liam and Phoebe will make a series of profound discoveries about the nature of time and space, and find out that the human race is just one of many in our universe locked in a desperate struggle for survival.
Audible Audio
First published February 14, 2017
374 people are currently reading
3711 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Emerson
34 books448 followersAuthor of sixteen novels for children and young adults, most recently LAST DAY ON MARS, BREAKOUT, and the ATLANTEANS series. His books have been published in ten different countries. Formerly a science teacher and a creative writing teacher, Kevin is also a singer and drummer. He has won a spelling bee, lost a beauty pageant, and once appeared in a Swedish TV commercial.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 499 reviews
January 24, 2018
"And sure, we may not know yet what dangers are out there, but we also don’t know what good things we’ll find."This book changes from 'ugh' to 'wow'. For almost first half of the book, I was feeling like it was pushing me into the slump. But thank God, the next half was sooo amazing, I just couldn't stop myself from wowing.
The blurb is amazing. That was the first thing which got me to read this. But the title attracted my attention at the first place though.
Our Solar System is about to go KA-BOOM (no pun intended) by our Sun as it has begun the process of supernova. Earth has already become uninhabitable because of the our Sun. Humanity has to move to the Mars. But that's not even the permanent solution. It will just get them enough time to manufacture starliners which can get them to a very distant planet; Aaru-5. This planet is in another solar system and seems to have Earth-like features.
"We’ll take it one unknown at a time."--The very shock I got from this book is: Time travelling. I didn't expect it a bit. It was very confusing at first. Very vague for me. It made sense as it progressed.
--I also wasn't expecting that Liam and Phoebe would be left on Mars by them. This was the fact which made this book amazing for me.
--All the space travelling here was amazing. We got to see Saturn too! Woow! I just couldn't stop myself from being amazed at this. How Liam drove the ship in its beautiful Ring! I loved those scene particularly.
--The name of the series is 'Chronicles of Dark Star' and the name Dark Star is barely mentioned two to three time in the entire freaking book! I know it's just the beginning. But I couldn't stand it. I wanted more about Dark Star.
--Characters are good. Liam and Phoebe are the best. Both are my favourite here. And robo-panda, JEFF was also great. Only he was the one who seemed little funny to me.
--The biggest downside I found besides the slowness of almost first half is writing. I think it shouldn't have been that serious. Maybe the situation here wasn't favorable for humor. But still I think little humor wouldn't do any harm here.
I am excited for the next book. And also curious to know more about Phoebe. Hope next book will be amazing. At least, the cover and the title are amazing. Just like at it: The Oceans between Stars
"The universe that you live in is really, really big. So big that most of the intelligent beings in it have had to make peace with how much they will never see and never understand. And yet that’s only the beginning."
☆☆3.75 Stars☆☆
23 January, 2017
October 11, 2017
I’ll often get what I’d call reference interview questions from the internet as a whole. They come in via Twitter, Goodreads, personal emails, my website, my blog, you name it. In one recent case a parent told me that her 10-year-old son had recently devoured the rather adult The Martian by Andy Weir. She wondered if I had any recommendations for him (not on the adult side of things – just in general). So let’s break that request down. You have a kid that’s a good, advanced reader, capable of complex storytelling, nuanced prose, and exciting science fiction elements. Oh. And you have Mars. If you wanted to go entirely on the speculative rather than the scientific side of things you could pull out Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles but somehow I was pretty sure that wasn’t what the kid was looking for. Enter Last Day on Mars by Kevin Emerson. I don’t like to say of any book that “it’s got everything” but it’s certainly jam-packed, that’s for certain. Saboteurs, exploding stars, theft, explosions, near escapes, and the constant knowledge that you are just one insignificant tiny life in the great blueberry pie of the cosmos. So to that young man I say welcome to the wide and wonderful world of middle grade science fiction, kid. You’re in for a heckuva ride.
As every good schoolchild knows, in the far and distant future the sun is slated to burn itself out. Certainly we’ll all be long dead by the time that happens though, right? Unfortunately by year 2179, it becomes pretty clear that the sun has, for some mysterious reason, fast-forwarded the timeline. Earth is burning to a crisp and the only option is to find a new planet on a new star as fast as possible. Liam and his best friends have lived all their lives on Mars, knowing full well that the planet was just considered a pit stop before humanity hops on the big big ships and goes to places unknown. His best friend Phoebe, like him, is one of the last kids to leave since their parents are scientists responsible for terraforming the new planet. But when Liam finds the body of a dead alien, and a sudden explosion puts his parents in danger, it soon becomes clear that there’s something working hard to defeat humanity, and that this is bigger than anyone ever suspected.
If Mars looms large in the public imagination, it looms a bit smaller in the imagination of children’s books. That said, in recent years I’ve seen an interesting uptick in books willing to take a trip to the red planet. The most notable of these was the British import Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall. Like this book, McDougall’s wasn’t afraid to go big with his premise. Once again the Earth is in danger from aliens, but in this particular case the damage has been done. Our sun is going supernova and there’s nothing we can do but work together and get everyone out into space, heading towards a planet that may or may not be hospitable. And since we are dealing with the first book of a series, I’ll tell you right now that Last Day On Mars has much more to do with the process of leaving than it does arriving. Save some details for the future books, after all. Do the great big gigantic ideas in this book work as a whole? I’d say so. Emerson introduces the notion of saboteurs fairly late in the game, and it can be confusing to have two entirely different groups of villains with two entirely different agendas working in different capacities throughout the story. Other than that, though, he keeps everything coherent with a nicely ordered chaos in the periphery.
Of course, science fiction books for kids are hampered by one very important point. Mainly, that publishers don’t want to publish them. There is a general belief in the mainstream publishing industry that kids don’t want science fiction stories. And if there is a science fiction equivalent to high fantasy (high science fiction just sounds druggy) then they CERTAINLY don’t want that! The fact that any work of science fiction makes it out of the gate in the first place is, to my mind, always a mark of success on the author’s part. Look at you! You upended the industry hive mind and managed to convince them to publish you at all! Well done! Now let us, in turn, consider the young science fiction reader. This would be a child that gravitates towards possibilities. Part of what I like so much about Last Day On Mars is the playful way it toys with expectations right from the start. In the Prelude we are asked to think about a map and a creature studying the map, but the author keeps making it clear that the best our little human brains can do is make rough estimates as to what these would look like. As things progress and the reader is met with more impossible ideas, the book takes a step back and says, “Put it this way: If reality was a blueberry pie . . . you are so small and so far inside your own blueberry that you can’t even tell it is a berry in the first place.” And what’s remarkable about this sequence is how quickly it passes. As an author, Emerson is capable of introducing great, grand philosophical musings one moment and then tuck them into an old-fashioned tale of good alien vs. bad alien just a couple pages later. In a way, it’s playing it every which way. The brainy kids get their brains. The mystery lovers their mystery. The action kids some good old-fashioned laser shootings. And for the reader that has never read a work of true science fiction before, they get something else. An intriguing start to a scintillating story.
Genre is only as strong as its writing, though. In this, Emerson does pretty well. At the start I was a little worried that the three friends breaking the rules were too similar to the Harry Potter trio. Any children’s book with two boys and a girl is bound to feel like that, if only for an instant. What I didn’t anticipate was for one of the kids to go AWOL for the rest of the book and for the only girl, Phoebe, to not only be a risk-taker but also have a much more interesting backstory than you'd initially suspect. Our hero Liam is the most potentially problematic character, though. He’s the hero, a thankless role, and so I needed to see how Emerson would balance out Liam’s inclinations to do what is right and safe with his need, as a heroic character, to risk it all and take initiative. It helps that he gets his hands on some alien technology at the story’s start, but just handing your protagonist the right tools isn’t enough for a story. As a result, Emerson has to put Liam in situations where he is capable of seeing the consequences of inaction, forcing him to act. On the one hand this could potentially feel like a cheat. Our hero doesn’t want to take some of these risks, but that’s what comes of alien wristwatch technology. Then again, after Liam sees what has to be done he still has to figure out the details, summon his bravery, and make a bunch of last minute decisions where there’s no clear indication whether or not they’ll help or harm each situation. That Emerson manages to pull it off is a testament to the book’s strength.
You would think with the prevalence of Star Trek and Star Wars and Avatar and other deep space epics that people would need to feed the demand kids have for adventures beyond the stars. That a book like Last Day On Mars comes out only once in a blue moon (ha ha) is cause for both speculation and celebration. Speculation because one wonders if the market for these books will increase (beyond the usual dystopian fare) in the future. Celebration because this book is awesome. Rip-roaring adventure, betrayals, big time booms, a witty villain (never underestimate the power of a witty villain), it’s got it all. I wouldn’t just hand this book to a science fiction loving kid. I’d hand it to any kid in general. Genre-defying, beautifully written, fictional fare.
For ages 9 and up.
As every good schoolchild knows, in the far and distant future the sun is slated to burn itself out. Certainly we’ll all be long dead by the time that happens though, right? Unfortunately by year 2179, it becomes pretty clear that the sun has, for some mysterious reason, fast-forwarded the timeline. Earth is burning to a crisp and the only option is to find a new planet on a new star as fast as possible. Liam and his best friends have lived all their lives on Mars, knowing full well that the planet was just considered a pit stop before humanity hops on the big big ships and goes to places unknown. His best friend Phoebe, like him, is one of the last kids to leave since their parents are scientists responsible for terraforming the new planet. But when Liam finds the body of a dead alien, and a sudden explosion puts his parents in danger, it soon becomes clear that there’s something working hard to defeat humanity, and that this is bigger than anyone ever suspected.
If Mars looms large in the public imagination, it looms a bit smaller in the imagination of children’s books. That said, in recent years I’ve seen an interesting uptick in books willing to take a trip to the red planet. The most notable of these was the British import Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall. Like this book, McDougall’s wasn’t afraid to go big with his premise. Once again the Earth is in danger from aliens, but in this particular case the damage has been done. Our sun is going supernova and there’s nothing we can do but work together and get everyone out into space, heading towards a planet that may or may not be hospitable. And since we are dealing with the first book of a series, I’ll tell you right now that Last Day On Mars has much more to do with the process of leaving than it does arriving. Save some details for the future books, after all. Do the great big gigantic ideas in this book work as a whole? I’d say so. Emerson introduces the notion of saboteurs fairly late in the game, and it can be confusing to have two entirely different groups of villains with two entirely different agendas working in different capacities throughout the story. Other than that, though, he keeps everything coherent with a nicely ordered chaos in the periphery.
Of course, science fiction books for kids are hampered by one very important point. Mainly, that publishers don’t want to publish them. There is a general belief in the mainstream publishing industry that kids don’t want science fiction stories. And if there is a science fiction equivalent to high fantasy (high science fiction just sounds druggy) then they CERTAINLY don’t want that! The fact that any work of science fiction makes it out of the gate in the first place is, to my mind, always a mark of success on the author’s part. Look at you! You upended the industry hive mind and managed to convince them to publish you at all! Well done! Now let us, in turn, consider the young science fiction reader. This would be a child that gravitates towards possibilities. Part of what I like so much about Last Day On Mars is the playful way it toys with expectations right from the start. In the Prelude we are asked to think about a map and a creature studying the map, but the author keeps making it clear that the best our little human brains can do is make rough estimates as to what these would look like. As things progress and the reader is met with more impossible ideas, the book takes a step back and says, “Put it this way: If reality was a blueberry pie . . . you are so small and so far inside your own blueberry that you can’t even tell it is a berry in the first place.” And what’s remarkable about this sequence is how quickly it passes. As an author, Emerson is capable of introducing great, grand philosophical musings one moment and then tuck them into an old-fashioned tale of good alien vs. bad alien just a couple pages later. In a way, it’s playing it every which way. The brainy kids get their brains. The mystery lovers their mystery. The action kids some good old-fashioned laser shootings. And for the reader that has never read a work of true science fiction before, they get something else. An intriguing start to a scintillating story.
Genre is only as strong as its writing, though. In this, Emerson does pretty well. At the start I was a little worried that the three friends breaking the rules were too similar to the Harry Potter trio. Any children’s book with two boys and a girl is bound to feel like that, if only for an instant. What I didn’t anticipate was for one of the kids to go AWOL for the rest of the book and for the only girl, Phoebe, to not only be a risk-taker but also have a much more interesting backstory than you'd initially suspect. Our hero Liam is the most potentially problematic character, though. He’s the hero, a thankless role, and so I needed to see how Emerson would balance out Liam’s inclinations to do what is right and safe with his need, as a heroic character, to risk it all and take initiative. It helps that he gets his hands on some alien technology at the story’s start, but just handing your protagonist the right tools isn’t enough for a story. As a result, Emerson has to put Liam in situations where he is capable of seeing the consequences of inaction, forcing him to act. On the one hand this could potentially feel like a cheat. Our hero doesn’t want to take some of these risks, but that’s what comes of alien wristwatch technology. Then again, after Liam sees what has to be done he still has to figure out the details, summon his bravery, and make a bunch of last minute decisions where there’s no clear indication whether or not they’ll help or harm each situation. That Emerson manages to pull it off is a testament to the book’s strength.
You would think with the prevalence of Star Trek and Star Wars and Avatar and other deep space epics that people would need to feed the demand kids have for adventures beyond the stars. That a book like Last Day On Mars comes out only once in a blue moon (ha ha) is cause for both speculation and celebration. Speculation because one wonders if the market for these books will increase (beyond the usual dystopian fare) in the future. Celebration because this book is awesome. Rip-roaring adventure, betrayals, big time booms, a witty villain (never underestimate the power of a witty villain), it’s got it all. I wouldn’t just hand this book to a science fiction loving kid. I’d hand it to any kid in general. Genre-defying, beautifully written, fictional fare.
For ages 9 and up.
February 25, 2023
". . . The reality is, when you make your own decisions, you never really know where they’ll lead, or what will come next. All you can do is make choices and move forward. And actually, what ends up happening is, the more you learn, the more you realize you still have to learn... We’ll take it one unknown at a time.”
It was ok, but to be honest, I procrastinated reading this, a LOTTT. Also, it was pretty long for a book that had a span of TWO DAYS! But it left me on a cliffhanger so well- yeah, ofcc I'm gonna read the next book lol
It was ok, but to be honest, I procrastinated reading this, a LOTTT. Also, it was pretty long for a book that had a span of TWO DAYS! But it left me on a cliffhanger so well- yeah, ofcc I'm gonna read the next book lol
December 16, 2019
For a middle grade book, this was actually fun. It was a quick easy read (which my brain needed this week), and it was set on Mars! That’s what drew me to it as I love all things Mars!
But... we also had space, a sort of time travel, and aliens! And a cool twist at the end that makes me want to keep going with this series!
But... we also had space, a sort of time travel, and aliens! And a cool twist at the end that makes me want to keep going with this series!
June 16, 2025
So my daughter (9) picked this book out as a family buddy read with her dad and I. I started reading it even though no one else in my family did lol. To be fair it may be a bit above my daughters reading level. But I kept reading it anyway because it was actually pretty good. I will probably finish the series because I’m curious how it ends now.
March 30, 2017
Originally reviewed for YA Books Central: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yaficti...
A smart, solidly written work of Middle Grade sci-fi.
The book is aptly named; the vast majority of it taking place on a future Mars colony during the last day of its existence--just before it is due to be abandoned by humanity. The bulk of the story is told through the eyes of Liam Saunders-Chang, the young son of a scientist couple who are frantically attempting to perfect the teraforming technology that humanity will need as they flee the premature death of their solar system. Liam comes across as an otherwise "normal" kid for his time period--fond of sports, generally rule-following, confused over subtle shifts in his relationship with his best female friend, and fielding a love/annoyance dynamic with his angsty older sister.
Liam's viewpoint presents a convincing generational divide. Born on Mars, he is having trouble mentally letting go of the only home he's ever known. At the same time, he has difficulty understanding the sad nostalgia his parent's generation has for the recently sun-seared cradle of humanity. Earth, to him, is just a series of videos, images, and ideas far removed from his everyday life. He is well aware the predictability of said life is about to be irreparably altered--but there is no way anyone could foresee how much his life will become directly intertwined with humanity's struggle for survival.
The Last Day On Mars is refreshing--consistently inclusive of viable science-based details--without traipsing into tedium. The prose takes itself seriously, while still laced with a pleasant, airy sort of efficiency. Emerson offers an interesting prelude to set the tone of his work; this portion written in a past-tense, limited omniscient point-of-view that caters well to his audience without patronizing.
Example:
"The light was located on a map, or something like a map. Picture a regular map spread out on a table, only now picture it bleeding up and down through the air, and also forward and backward in time. Like a map of your neighborhood, but also of Tuesday. And next week, and a hundred years ago...
Let's just call it a map.
This map was in an office, (not exactly an office either, but close enough,) and its blinking caught the attention of a nearby being. She was known as a chronologist, and she was as similar to a human being as her map was to a human map, and her office to a human office. If you picture her having dark blue, somewhat translucent skin, and wearing black robes, that will be fine for the moment."
Readers may need to be patient with the setup as Liam's big last day on Mars begins, but once the action eventually kicks in, the pacing is brisk. The characterization is sometimes a bit sparse, especially in terms of Liam's parents, who readers may have difficulty obtaining a realistic feel for. And for those who like a bit of stand-alone resolution in their reading... I'm sorry to report you won't find that here. The book ends with more questions than answers--essentially securing it as the start of a compelling series.
A wide range of sci-fi fans should be able to appreciate this story, which doesn't underestimate the younger tier of its target audience. This reader is certainly looking forward to the next installment.
A smart, solidly written work of Middle Grade sci-fi.
The book is aptly named; the vast majority of it taking place on a future Mars colony during the last day of its existence--just before it is due to be abandoned by humanity. The bulk of the story is told through the eyes of Liam Saunders-Chang, the young son of a scientist couple who are frantically attempting to perfect the teraforming technology that humanity will need as they flee the premature death of their solar system. Liam comes across as an otherwise "normal" kid for his time period--fond of sports, generally rule-following, confused over subtle shifts in his relationship with his best female friend, and fielding a love/annoyance dynamic with his angsty older sister.
Liam's viewpoint presents a convincing generational divide. Born on Mars, he is having trouble mentally letting go of the only home he's ever known. At the same time, he has difficulty understanding the sad nostalgia his parent's generation has for the recently sun-seared cradle of humanity. Earth, to him, is just a series of videos, images, and ideas far removed from his everyday life. He is well aware the predictability of said life is about to be irreparably altered--but there is no way anyone could foresee how much his life will become directly intertwined with humanity's struggle for survival.
The Last Day On Mars is refreshing--consistently inclusive of viable science-based details--without traipsing into tedium. The prose takes itself seriously, while still laced with a pleasant, airy sort of efficiency. Emerson offers an interesting prelude to set the tone of his work; this portion written in a past-tense, limited omniscient point-of-view that caters well to his audience without patronizing.
Example:
"The light was located on a map, or something like a map. Picture a regular map spread out on a table, only now picture it bleeding up and down through the air, and also forward and backward in time. Like a map of your neighborhood, but also of Tuesday. And next week, and a hundred years ago...
Let's just call it a map.
This map was in an office, (not exactly an office either, but close enough,) and its blinking caught the attention of a nearby being. She was known as a chronologist, and she was as similar to a human being as her map was to a human map, and her office to a human office. If you picture her having dark blue, somewhat translucent skin, and wearing black robes, that will be fine for the moment."
Readers may need to be patient with the setup as Liam's big last day on Mars begins, but once the action eventually kicks in, the pacing is brisk. The characterization is sometimes a bit sparse, especially in terms of Liam's parents, who readers may have difficulty obtaining a realistic feel for. And for those who like a bit of stand-alone resolution in their reading... I'm sorry to report you won't find that here. The book ends with more questions than answers--essentially securing it as the start of a compelling series.
A wide range of sci-fi fans should be able to appreciate this story, which doesn't underestimate the younger tier of its target audience. This reader is certainly looking forward to the next installment.
March 11, 2017
This was some super science fiction and a very fast read and I can't wait for book 2. Some things about it reminded me of the excellent Across the Universe trilogy--like being in stasis as your civilization zooms across outer space for decades to get to a new habitable planet and it only feels like a few days to you. The set up of it being the last day on Mars and everyone needed to get out on time was making me incredibly tense-what if they didn't make it out! I had to keep reminding myself that if that was the case then they'd all die and there wouldn't be a book 2, so I should just settle down and enjoy the adventure.
One of the things I appreciated about this was that although aliens, time travel, colonization, and space travel are all topics and have plenty of jargony words thrown about ("engage the thrusters!") it's all fairly breezily and simply talked about so that you can just accept zooming about among space debris without having to think too hard about the mechanics of it all.
One of the things I appreciated about this was that although aliens, time travel, colonization, and space travel are all topics and have plenty of jargony words thrown about ("engage the thrusters!") it's all fairly breezily and simply talked about so that you can just accept zooming about among space debris without having to think too hard about the mechanics of it all.
October 12, 2019
This book is... oh man... I can't explain it with words... Ok, Phillip, you need to write a review. Calm yourself and think. What were some good parts of the book? Uhhh... No! I don't want to write every single part of the book! Noooooooo... I guess I'll just say one thing: I will, even if it takes a millennium, read the second book in this series.
February 18, 2019
So so SO disappointed. This was on my TBR for years. YEARS. I love space and I love the idea of discovering what else is out there. Then after all this time, Hubs got me the book for Christmas. Yay! Win, right??
Unfortunately, this book sucked.
I guess a part of the problem is that I genuinely don’t know who the book was written for. The main characters are like, 12, so it’s not really a young adult book, but the content and tech of it is way beyond what a 5th grader could read. Because the characters were so young I had a hard time believing all that was happening, and they were so underdeveloped I just didn’t care. The only reason I finished it was because Hubs bought it for me and wanted so much for me to like it.
Disappointed! Here’s hoping my next one is a guarantee home run!
Unfortunately, this book sucked.
I guess a part of the problem is that I genuinely don’t know who the book was written for. The main characters are like, 12, so it’s not really a young adult book, but the content and tech of it is way beyond what a 5th grader could read. Because the characters were so young I had a hard time believing all that was happening, and they were so underdeveloped I just didn’t care. The only reason I finished it was because Hubs bought it for me and wanted so much for me to like it.
Disappointed! Here’s hoping my next one is a guarantee home run!
December 12, 2019
DNF'd at about 30%. I didn't realise this was middle grade and kept wondering why the characters were so young. This author paints parents (at least as far as I got) as loving but absent. They're essentially workaholics who ignore their kids. I hate it when that happens.
I think this is a good book for the right audience, which is why I gave it 4 stars. But it wasn't for me.
I think this is a good book for the right audience, which is why I gave it 4 stars. But it wasn't for me.
March 24, 2021
I read this book as a read aloud to my fifth grade class. While I enjoyed it, I’m afraid that many of them grew bored of the slow moving plot. It’s a younger version of The Martian that puts the fate of the human race in the hands of two children.
April 8, 2024
Imagine if someone wrote a book in the style of Douglas Adams with all the scientific detail of The Martian and made said book for middle-graders... You'd get this book. It threw me for a loop a bit when the tone changed between the prologue and the actual book, but I enjoyed and appreciated both styles. I also liked how the author took standard coming-of-age experiences and put them in sci-fi. And I especially loved the twist at the end. I can't wait to see how it affects future books!
Just a note for other readers, this is the kind of sci-fi with aliens. ;)
I would recommend this to upper middle-graders, due to the harder reading level.
Just a note for other readers, this is the kind of sci-fi with aliens. ;)
I would recommend this to upper middle-graders, due to the harder reading level.
June 12, 2023
re-read 2023: Ok 2019 me was off the rails. There are definitely reasons this book is 4 stars rather than 5 but it's none of the ones I mentioned LMAO why was I so dramatic??? It was never that deep and nobody was really that annoying. I get why I would have called it slow but the whole book isn't that long like girl be serious.
the fact that I still think this is a really good book and a really good series DESPITE the choice to put in a cringe middle school romance subplot speaks a lot to how incredibly wildly good the plot is. (I want to say that it only gets less cringe from this book which would be a plus but I really don't remember if that's true.) but YEAH this plotline goes crazy. picking up on all the foreshadowing this time was so fun
original review 2019:
This book was not really what I expected from the cover and the summary on the back. But in a good way. I really enjoyed this story and how it developed and I can't wait to see how it works out in further books.
The only reason I dropped a star was because of the beginning. The very first scene was great (the prelude) and it was, in fact, the reason I kept reading through the rest of the first part of the book.
Why I didn't like the beginning: 1) the main characters were kinda annoying throughout the first part of the story. It was constantly mentioned that Liam was going to miss Mars SO much. (I get that if you leave your home, you'd be sad, but it was a little over the top. Plus, Mars sounded kinda sucky.) Also, Phoebe was a little too pushy. They both mellow out after this, which makes them good characters through the rest. 2) It was pretty slow. I feel like there was too much buildup to the ACTUAL last day on Mars. It wasn't really interesting until that part, but I will say that it definitely picked up starting from then. That was when we started getting into the twists and the danger and when the antagonists started coming out to play. Basically, reading the prelude and knowing that we were eventually going to learn about the mystery with the supernovas, aliens, etc made the first part worth getting through.
The rest of the book really popped off, though. I loved the descriptions of everything, from the settings to the details of explosions. I felt like I was watching it happen, which was neat.
The plot also pulled me in, constantly. I was always really excited to find out what would happen next, or what the antagonists were planning, or their motives. In addition, things kept going wrong for Liam and Phoebe as they were trying to get off the planet and to the ship, which can be tedious in books sometimes. But in this case, the 'something goes wrong just when they're about to succeed' trope was done pretty tastefully so it ended up adding to the experience instead of taking away from it.
In the end, I enjoyed this book a lot. It was so dramatic and I loved that. I also got pretty attached to the main characters by the end, which is promising.
I have a lot of theories about what's going to happen so I'm really looking forward to the next book!
the fact that I still think this is a really good book and a really good series DESPITE the choice to put in a cringe middle school romance subplot speaks a lot to how incredibly wildly good the plot is. (I want to say that it only gets less cringe from this book which would be a plus but I really don't remember if that's true.) but YEAH this plotline goes crazy. picking up on all the foreshadowing this time was so fun
original review 2019:
This book was not really what I expected from the cover and the summary on the back. But in a good way. I really enjoyed this story and how it developed and I can't wait to see how it works out in further books.
The only reason I dropped a star was because of the beginning. The very first scene was great (the prelude) and it was, in fact, the reason I kept reading through the rest of the first part of the book.
Why I didn't like the beginning: 1) the main characters were kinda annoying throughout the first part of the story. It was constantly mentioned that Liam was going to miss Mars SO much. (I get that if you leave your home, you'd be sad, but it was a little over the top. Plus, Mars sounded kinda sucky.) Also, Phoebe was a little too pushy. They both mellow out after this, which makes them good characters through the rest. 2) It was pretty slow. I feel like there was too much buildup to the ACTUAL last day on Mars. It wasn't really interesting until that part, but I will say that it definitely picked up starting from then. That was when we started getting into the twists and the danger and when the antagonists started coming out to play. Basically, reading the prelude and knowing that we were eventually going to learn about the mystery with the supernovas, aliens, etc made the first part worth getting through.
The rest of the book really popped off, though. I loved the descriptions of everything, from the settings to the details of explosions. I felt like I was watching it happen, which was neat.
The plot also pulled me in, constantly. I was always really excited to find out what would happen next, or what the antagonists were planning, or their motives. In addition, things kept going wrong for Liam and Phoebe as they were trying to get off the planet and to the ship, which can be tedious in books sometimes. But in this case, the 'something goes wrong just when they're about to succeed' trope was done pretty tastefully so it ended up adding to the experience instead of taking away from it.
In the end, I enjoyed this book a lot. It was so dramatic and I loved that. I also got pretty attached to the main characters by the end, which is promising.
I have a lot of theories about what's going to happen so I'm really looking forward to the next book!
August 9, 2017
Do you like futuristic sci-fi, aliens, and the idea of terraforming? Well then this book is for you!
Last Day on Mars is a science fiction book about humans in 2213, when the sun mysteriously begins the process of turning into a supernova 4.5 billion years early, humans are forced to move to Mars until they can make a 150 year trip to Aaru-5, their new permanent home.
Liam Saunders-Chang and Phoebe are son and daughter of the terraforming scientists. As their parents struggle to finish before Red Line, the time at which Mars must be abandoned; Liam and Phoebe find out that they’re not the only species struggling to escape extinction, and that some of them don’t hesitate to kill others to survive…
I recommend this book to 7th graders and up because of the elaborate plot, complex vocabulary, and whirlwind plot as the story , which sometimes literally flits in and out of reality.
Last Day on Mars is a science fiction book about humans in 2213, when the sun mysteriously begins the process of turning into a supernova 4.5 billion years early, humans are forced to move to Mars until they can make a 150 year trip to Aaru-5, their new permanent home.
Liam Saunders-Chang and Phoebe are son and daughter of the terraforming scientists. As their parents struggle to finish before Red Line, the time at which Mars must be abandoned; Liam and Phoebe find out that they’re not the only species struggling to escape extinction, and that some of them don’t hesitate to kill others to survive…
I recommend this book to 7th graders and up because of the elaborate plot, complex vocabulary, and whirlwind plot as the story , which sometimes literally flits in and out of reality.
March 1, 2022
I thought this was a strong opening that set up an interesting premise it then proceeds to toy around with. Some reviews talk of how slow it is to start, but the worldbuilding in the transient Martian society is probably my favorite bit. The book does very well at making this feel like a real moment in history, with the evacuation of the solar system a complex gamble that seems to have paid off. Yes, it feels a little too organized, even if the natural world seems unpredictable, but it is after all the very end of the operation. I can cut them a little slack for that. And of course it is a young adult novel.
The story isn’t very complicated. Yet. This is an introduction to a world with a big enough hook to really drag you in without really explaining any of the underlying mysteries. Why is the sun exploding? Who is the mysterious alien with the time traveling watch? What’s up with Liam’s friend? What happened to the laboratory? These are good questions to which we don’t get answers. But rather than feeling strung out, this seems like a natural progression of the story. We’ve uncovered the questions, how well the series holds up is going to depend on how the next book handles the answers.
The story isn’t very complicated. Yet. This is an introduction to a world with a big enough hook to really drag you in without really explaining any of the underlying mysteries. Why is the sun exploding? Who is the mysterious alien with the time traveling watch? What’s up with Liam’s friend? What happened to the laboratory? These are good questions to which we don’t get answers. But rather than feeling strung out, this seems like a natural progression of the story. We’ve uncovered the questions, how well the series holds up is going to depend on how the next book handles the answers.
November 25, 2020
I first saw Last Day on Mars at my library and decided to get it for my daughter, hoping she would become a sci-fi nerd. It worked. She loved this series and I thought I would give it a try as well. The plot is very original and I would consider it the strong point of this book. The only downside are the characters. The vast majority of the characters in this book are very "whatever." The characters that are original and compelling don't get much attention. The plot and premise are amazing and have a moral complexity that I very much appreciate. This book is definitely good enough to read the sequels. Four stars with a mark off for lack of compelling major characters.
March 26, 2017
LAST DAY ON MARS was an entertaining read with young heroes, interesting twists, and adventure with humor and friendship weaved in. A great start to this new series with a lot more to come.
I liked these characters from the start. They felt like regular kids and families trying to live as they can and survive their world ending. Literally. The teasing, friendship, and humor between Liam and Phoebe was spot on, as was the worry and stress they and those around them were under. The story starts off by steadily getting the reader acquainted with the characters and with the backstory while also going on a brief adventure with the main group of friends.
As a reader, you can feel the level of intensity gradually grow as the story progresses until the action-packed end. Some characters were introduced, but I expect them to become more developed in following books where the villain's plot becomes more apparent. In the end, you're left wondering who can be trusted and what will happen next.
In the end, was this what I wished for? This was an enjoyable story. I expect more character and plot development in future books as we learn more about what is going on. Perfect for Middle Grade readers and lovers of SciFi (and my 12-year-old son).
Content: Some violence, but clean.
Source: Received a complimentary ARC from the publisher through the tour host, which did not require a review nor affect it in any way.
This review originally appeared on Wishful Endings.
I liked these characters from the start. They felt like regular kids and families trying to live as they can and survive their world ending. Literally. The teasing, friendship, and humor between Liam and Phoebe was spot on, as was the worry and stress they and those around them were under. The story starts off by steadily getting the reader acquainted with the characters and with the backstory while also going on a brief adventure with the main group of friends.
As a reader, you can feel the level of intensity gradually grow as the story progresses until the action-packed end. Some characters were introduced, but I expect them to become more developed in following books where the villain's plot becomes more apparent. In the end, you're left wondering who can be trusted and what will happen next.
In the end, was this what I wished for? This was an enjoyable story. I expect more character and plot development in future books as we learn more about what is going on. Perfect for Middle Grade readers and lovers of SciFi (and my 12-year-old son).
Content: Some violence, but clean.
Source: Received a complimentary ARC from the publisher through the tour host, which did not require a review nor affect it in any way.
This review originally appeared on Wishful Endings.
December 29, 2018
5 out of 5 stars
Well, well, well, what do we have here? LAST DAYS ON MARS is like The Maze Runner in the sense that it’s super-fast paced and each chapter ends with a mystery. Luckily, LAST DAYS ON MARS is way more focused and a lot of fun! I love the crazy premise and the whole mystery. I’m not much into series, but this one really caught my attention, and I can’t wait for the next one to come out! A lot of love for this novel. Only thing I wonder about is this: Is it middle grade or young adult? My brain kept bouncing between the two, but I think it’s middle grade trying to graduate to young adult. Maybe the tween characters will grow up to young adults and romance will float between them. Or maybe not. Regardless, excellent novel! Read it!
More on my blog: https://gerardowrites.wordpress.com/2...
Well, well, well, what do we have here? LAST DAYS ON MARS is like The Maze Runner in the sense that it’s super-fast paced and each chapter ends with a mystery. Luckily, LAST DAYS ON MARS is way more focused and a lot of fun! I love the crazy premise and the whole mystery. I’m not much into series, but this one really caught my attention, and I can’t wait for the next one to come out! A lot of love for this novel. Only thing I wonder about is this: Is it middle grade or young adult? My brain kept bouncing between the two, but I think it’s middle grade trying to graduate to young adult. Maybe the tween characters will grow up to young adults and romance will float between them. Or maybe not. Regardless, excellent novel! Read it!
More on my blog: https://gerardowrites.wordpress.com/2...
January 22, 2018
It was a bit of slow starter for me but once it took off I was hooked. Liam and Phoebe are in way over their heads as all of humanity is racing the clock to get off of Mars before "red line" hour arrives. I love the action and the mystery surrounding the "watch" that Liam finds adds whole new dimension (literally) to the story. Lucky me that the second book is scheduled to be released next month!
January 27, 2021
THIS IS WHAT GOOD SCIENCE FICTION LOOKS LIKE!!! Thrilling and full of action, but in a balanced way. This book was extremely well executed, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the second one. This series is so little-known; it deserves more attention!
January 19, 2026
It was solid plot l, but writing was a bit dry. Also there were definitely a few typos… but considering that sci-fi is not my normal genre and I actually enjoyed it, I think it was good.
February 3, 2020
great book.
June 18, 2017
Kevin Emerson's Last Day on Mars is definitely a read I would have liked...5 years ago (I'm 15 for context). It brings me back to the days where I would read books similar to this at 1 in the morning and stare at the glowing stars stuck to my ceiling, pondering about our universe until the sun came up. My biggest regret in this reading experience would be that I did not read far enough into the book to see if it was a read that suited me. It utilizes a very limited array of vocabulary The plot is definitely an interesting one, although it is a bit slow towards the start when Emerson explains the setting to the reader.
In Last Day on Mars, the reader is introduced to Liam Saunders-Chang, the son of two scientists trying to perfect the terraforming tech that is vital to humanity's survival. Why? The sun at the center of the solar system is about to consume Mars due to its unexpected growth. Liam was born on Mars, he is having trouble letting go of the only world he has ever grown up in. On the contrary, he cannot understand the difficulty the generation has for letting go of the sun, a symbol of life.Liam does not care that much about Earth. To him, it is just an irrelevant collection of artifacts. Liam is well aware
that the predictability of his future will diminish, but there is no way anyone could foreshadow how important how much of an effect his actions will have on humanity's survival.
The Last Day On Mars can be vaguely reflected with Andy Weir's The Martian. It is laced with multiple science-based details. There is a serious tone to the book, and at the same time, it has its humorous moments. The characterization is unrealistic at times, and readers may have difficulty finding a realistic feel for some of them. Also, readers who like a strong conclusion should not read this book. It leaves the reader in a very unstable position as more questions are given than answers.
I recommend Last Day on Mars to younger teens who are interested in Sci-Fi and like to imagine the story in their own interpretation.
In Last Day on Mars, the reader is introduced to Liam Saunders-Chang, the son of two scientists trying to perfect the terraforming tech that is vital to humanity's survival. Why? The sun at the center of the solar system is about to consume Mars due to its unexpected growth. Liam was born on Mars, he is having trouble letting go of the only world he has ever grown up in. On the contrary, he cannot understand the difficulty the generation has for letting go of the sun, a symbol of life.Liam does not care that much about Earth. To him, it is just an irrelevant collection of artifacts. Liam is well aware
that the predictability of his future will diminish, but there is no way anyone could foreshadow how important how much of an effect his actions will have on humanity's survival.
The Last Day On Mars can be vaguely reflected with Andy Weir's The Martian. It is laced with multiple science-based details. There is a serious tone to the book, and at the same time, it has its humorous moments. The characterization is unrealistic at times, and readers may have difficulty finding a realistic feel for some of them. Also, readers who like a strong conclusion should not read this book. It leaves the reader in a very unstable position as more questions are given than answers.
I recommend Last Day on Mars to younger teens who are interested in Sci-Fi and like to imagine the story in their own interpretation.
June 3, 2018
Liam feels like he's the only one sad to say goodbye to Mars. The adults all view Mars as just a layover on their escape from the Earth, or more exactly, the Sun as it is on its way to going supernova. Their end goal is a new home in a planet called Aaru in another solar system. Today is the day the last people will board the starship for their long journey there. The only one who seems to understand Liam is his friend Phoebe, another of the kids who was born on Mars. As they prepare to leave the only home they've ever known, Liam and Phoebe are stuck on the last transport up to the starship because their parents are scientists finishing up the terraforming project for Aaru. But as the solar storms get worse and the time for the starship to depart draws near, things start to go horribly wrong, they stumble across some big secrets, and it is up to Liam and Phoebe to save the day.
Once you get to Liam's last day on Mars the action and intensity of the book pick way up and I read the last 3/4 of the book in one sitting because it was impossible to put down. Liam and Phoebe's adventures on Mars make Mark Watney's headaches on Mars look like he's got it easy. They face emergency after emergency, and though sometimes when authors do that it can feel unrealistic, these all flowed together and made sense. It is quite the high octane read with plenty of mystery building and you finish the last page needing book two as soon as possible. Liam and Phoebe are both 13, so this is one of those middle grade reads that should also appeal to teens. If you have a preteen or teen who thinks reading is boring, shove this in their hands and see if they can bear to put it down after they reach page 90. The scifi fan in me loved this.
Notes on contents: One moderate swear word. No sexual content. Two people are murdered, some others die in an explosion, and these are portrayed as serious but none of these is described in gory details. There are many other perilous situations that result in some injuries, but nothing gory.
Once you get to Liam's last day on Mars the action and intensity of the book pick way up and I read the last 3/4 of the book in one sitting because it was impossible to put down. Liam and Phoebe's adventures on Mars make Mark Watney's headaches on Mars look like he's got it easy. They face emergency after emergency, and though sometimes when authors do that it can feel unrealistic, these all flowed together and made sense. It is quite the high octane read with plenty of mystery building and you finish the last page needing book two as soon as possible. Liam and Phoebe are both 13, so this is one of those middle grade reads that should also appeal to teens. If you have a preteen or teen who thinks reading is boring, shove this in their hands and see if they can bear to put it down after they reach page 90. The scifi fan in me loved this.
Notes on contents: One moderate swear word. No sexual content. Two people are murdered, some others die in an explosion, and these are portrayed as serious but none of these is described in gory details. There are many other perilous situations that result in some injuries, but nothing gory.
December 18, 2017
I enjoyed this book a lot. The setting and conflict are awesome. The technology's cool. The pacing for the last 2/3 is really good. Things keep going from bad to worse in a very edge-of-your-seat way. The voice in the prelude is fantastic.
I did think the tiny bit of "romance" is completely unnecessary and felt forced, like it was added after some editor said, "Hey, Kevin, you need romance. Every book needs romance." But every book doesn't. This would have been stronger without.
I personally don't like science fiction with time travel / time manipulation. I know, I know: any sufficiently developed technology looks like magic. But...I just don't like even the appearance of magic in my sci fi. However, it's very popular lately to add time travel / non-linear time / time manipulation in your sci fi, so if you don't mind it you'll love this book.
Even if you hate the time travel element, you'll still enjoy the book. It's well written and exciting and a great off-Earth adventure. It does end on cliff-hanger, so be prepared to read the next book (or wait for it to come out, as I must now)
I certainly plan on reading more by Kevin Emerson.
More accurate rating: 4.5
I did think the tiny bit of "romance" is completely unnecessary and felt forced, like it was added after some editor said, "Hey, Kevin, you need romance. Every book needs romance." But every book doesn't. This would have been stronger without.
I personally don't like science fiction with time travel / time manipulation. I know, I know: any sufficiently developed technology looks like magic. But...I just don't like even the appearance of magic in my sci fi. However, it's very popular lately to add time travel / non-linear time / time manipulation in your sci fi, so if you don't mind it you'll love this book.
Even if you hate the time travel element, you'll still enjoy the book. It's well written and exciting and a great off-Earth adventure. It does end on cliff-hanger, so be prepared to read the next book (or wait for it to come out, as I must now)
I certainly plan on reading more by Kevin Emerson.
More accurate rating: 4.5
December 14, 2018
It’s a good book, but it’s really slow and I barely got through it.
February 12, 2017
*Full review with teaching tools and teaching guide: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...
The suspense that builds throughout this book is palpable! I really enjoyed how Kevin Emerson used a prologue to set the stage for Liam’s world so that once Liam’s story begins, we jump right into the chaos of the the last day on Mars for all humans. What I assumed this story was going to be ended up just being the tip of the iceberg. I knew the story was going to be about humans escaping a doomed Mars, but there is an underlying heart-stopping craziness that really adds suspense to the novel.
AND you will be so mad when it ends because even though the current conflict is mostly resolved, there is definitely a cliffhanger, and you will be on your seat waiting for book 2 with me!
The suspense that builds throughout this book is palpable! I really enjoyed how Kevin Emerson used a prologue to set the stage for Liam’s world so that once Liam’s story begins, we jump right into the chaos of the the last day on Mars for all humans. What I assumed this story was going to be ended up just being the tip of the iceberg. I knew the story was going to be about humans escaping a doomed Mars, but there is an underlying heart-stopping craziness that really adds suspense to the novel.
AND you will be so mad when it ends because even though the current conflict is mostly resolved, there is definitely a cliffhanger, and you will be on your seat waiting for book 2 with me!
January 28, 2018
Very exciting beginning of a MG sci-fi series. I enjoyed how the parents and kids experience the events with different viewpoints and how these perspectives shape their actions. The twists near the end set the stage for an interesting second book that I look forward to reading.
July 14, 2018
The teens liked this one quite a bit, with the added bonus of the twist ending even had me by surprise. The science was very sound, and the world-building was great. I think I may read book #2 on my own!
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March 20, 2018Opening line: “Many hundreds of light-years from the solar system you call home, inside a spindly crystal structure floating at the edge of a great nebula shaped like an eye, a yellow light began to blink.”
The cover is eye-catching and really captured my interest. I really enjoyed the concept of the universe is bigger than one can comprehend while the individual was a small part of it. The plot centering on the Sun expanding to the point that it will engulf Earth and the surrounding planets by exploding in a supernova seemed plausible and was set up well in the first few chapters. The appeal to kids comes from the balance of tension and action. While I'm not typically a science fiction reader this was such an engrossing book. The pacing kept ratcheting up accentuated by the time clock at the beginning of each chapter and the feeling of the impending doom that faced these two kids. Maybe it's the dangers that they face along the way and the glimpses of the future that Liam see's when he time shifts forward. You want the things he sees not to happen. Or maybe it's just that I've seen Alien and the whole idea of going into a stasis seems frightening. Although this ended on a cliffhanger, I didn't take this as a negative. Instead, it just made me want to read The Oceans Between Stars that much more.
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