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  • Mars Life

  • By: Ben Bova
  • Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
  • Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (20 ratings)

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Mars Life

By: Ben Bova
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

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Publisher's Summary

Jamie Waterman has made an important discovery on Mars. A cliff dwelling reveals the fact that an intelligent race lived on the red planet 65 million years ago, only to be driven into extinction by the crash of a giant meteor. But now the exploration of Mars is itself under threat of extinction, as the ultraconservative New Morality movement gains control of the U.S. government and cuts off all funding for the Mars program.

Meanwhile, Carter Carleton, an anthropologist who was driven from his university post by unproven rape charges, has started to dig up the remains of a Martian village. Science and politics clash on two worlds as Jamie desperately tries to save the Mars program and uncover who the vanished Martians were.
Listen to Ben Bova's complete Mars trilogy, including the first book, Mars, and the second book, Return to Mars.
©2008 Ben Bova (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Adventure
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Critic Reviews

"[A] gripping and convincing conclusion....Bova deftly captures the excitement of scientific discovery and planetary exploration. This compelling story, balancing action and plausible political intrigue, will easily be enjoyed by both fans and newcomers." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Another attention-grabbing entry in a series that continues to grow in stature, scope, and complexity. Once again, Bova in top form." ( Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about Mars Life

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Profile Image for squizmum

Book 3

Twenty years on, funding is drying up as the new religion is banning everyone from studying Mars. Jamie and VJ return to Mars where they plan to stay.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Simone

Boomerssss Innnn Spaccccccce!

I really wanted to get caught up in the Mars exploration story but the constant sexism, racism, homophobia, misogyny, bullying, projection, narcissism and general unenlightened thinking and bogan culture the book was set amongst, kept throwing me back to Earth 20th century to pre covid! 😂
I really hope that the jarring of my nerves that accompanied most insights into the characters thinking or outwardly in the social interactions written by this author means that as a person and as a society we are moving away from this (quite shocking to revisit) mindset.
Sadly, it felt like the author was reflecting his own mindset throughout the book rather than making a comment on the society of the time through his writing. He was totally unaware of how rotten society was.
His portrayal of tiny waif-like woman with large doey eyes, waiting around for a man to return, have a man explain something to them or simply be there for lude advances or sex was sickening,
This book has given me some insight into my Mothers society and what she was/is up against with her peers as she adulted through the 70’s and beyond.
Nevertheless I kept listening , hoping the Humans would evolve on Mars but they never did…


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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User

Every third book of Be Bova

ok..... so the "Grand tour" series of Ben Bovas books is a series of trilogies.

And every third book is a disappointing spiral of defeat from the first.

The second Mars book is barely a continuation of the first.

and the first book is a yawn.

This is why I'm only getting the bargain bin inclusions, because USA writers have such tripe for imagination and subject matter.

Yep, Ben Bova should have kept with one character in his series.

I hope his estate is losing money.

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