Mars. Prone to devastating dust storms, where the red dirt devours everything in seconds. The temperatures that are livable by day plummet to icy depths at night. The air isn’t breathable, with human life needing to wear masks or live under a dome. Or do they?

There are two colonies on Mars, still hoping for contact from Earth for extra supplies or even just new people for the gene pool. But it seems as Earth has long forgotten them. In fact it was so long ago that now only one of these colonies knows the others still might exist.

Dee, a skilled gardener, belongs to the Davinci colony. Baby boys are now so rare they are guarded, fed only the best food and are the hope of their future. Only the best girl baby’s are chosen, along with the boys to be Futures. Dee, despite her best friend Aram scoffing at her, believes Earth is still aware of them and sending help.

So when she sees something falling from the sky with a parachute behind it, she just knows she has been right all along.

Then there’s Holt. He lives under a dome and when outside it, must wear an ancient space suit that is falling apart, with air filters that are nearly useless, in order to breath on this red planet. He has been brought up to hate the Others – who will kill you as soon as look at you. He has never seen one, and neither has any of his friends. His colony is called Newton, and when the Newton leaders see the same thing Dee did, they send their star pilot – Holt, out to look for it.

Both are shocked to meet the other. Dee didn’t know Newton existed, and Holt can’t believe Dee isn’t a savage, let alone saving his life.

Now they have to get home. It’s a long way to walk, and both their methods of transportation are compromised. Do they work together or achieve their own goals of getting home with news of the other colony?

Soon they have no choice, as they aren’t the only ones out in the Mars wastelands. And whatever it is, it’s definitely NOT human.

Mars Awakens is the first in a duology. Not usually a sci-fi fan, Mars Awakens definitely changed my mind. Swapping from Dee’s viewpoint to Holt’s was entertaining, letting me learn about them as characters and how they had been brought up and trained at their separate colonies – explaining their initial behaviour towards each other.

The initial shock of meeting each other turns to a wary trust towards a common goal, but soon is steadily pushed aside as they realise that they aren’t alone any more. Whatever is stalking them is dangerous. This deliciously ratchets up the tension and plans to get home, and in turn survive.

Likeable characters in an unfamiliar setting, threaded through with distrust and a menacing presence ever powerful.

Great read!

Author – H M Waugh

Age 10+

(2022, Allen & Unwin, Action, Conflict, Future, Sci Fi, Series, Mars, Trust, Alien, Human, Colony, Distrust, Flight, Flee, Tunnels, Menace, Unknown)