I recently read a book on vacation, a new sci-fi book by a talented new writer, Jim Melanson. His book, On Mars: Pathfinder, can be summed up in one word: EPIC.
For the first quarter of the book, Jim Melanson creates a detailed, realistic world: the world of Mike Lane, brave astronaut, the first to land on Mars, in advance of future colonization efforts – or so you’re led to believe. This beginning reads much like The Martian by Andy Weir (and that’s a good thing) – a lone man surviving in a harsh land. Then Melanson blows the doors off the scenario: with human-alien hybrids, age-old intergalactic wars, secret bases, and even Earth-alien political intrigue. Wow! If you’re looking for some hard sci-fi that’s got all that, plus endearing characters, and lots of classic (and funny) sci-fi references, this is the book for you. And it’s the beginning of a truly epic saga- I look forward to more action from Mike Lane and more books from Jim Melanson. You can find the book here.