Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.Pros: Riveting mix of genres full of tension build-up. Engaging main characters.Cons: Outdated science (but see note below).WARNING! There's some rather heavy gore, but then again, there are grosser books I think (thus spoke the woman who chickens out in front of Stephen King...). There's also the incipit of a rape scene...twice: both in the main narrative and in the story-within-the-story. But it's not the human version of a rape (more details in the review).Will appeal to: Those who like creepy and weird stuff...and don't care about accuracy.Note: Oddly, the 2011-version blurb on Goodreads talks about "a mission to rescue the crewmen of the Russian ship 'Lenin'..."...while, in the same reissue, the ship is actually called 'Gorbachev'. Nevertheless, this is what the 2011 version states: "This book was written in the 1970s, and it reflects the knowledge mankind had of the solar system at that time. For sentimental reasons, the author has decided to leave the novel in its original form; thus no effort has been made to update the story. Please accept the odd dates and the strange absence of cell phones". So I guess the ship's name is pretty much the only change that's been made...and note that Gorbachev was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, while the first issue of this book was out in 1992. And, as I said, the name stayed in the 2011 version...which is understandable, since Gorbachev made a huge mark in history.I have a three-point premise to make before I start with the actual review.Point 1: I don't think Christopher Pike is the finest proser out there. Yes, I'm obsessed with his stuff, but I can see that his writing is often choppy and not particularly sophisticated. This alone should bring my rating down half a star at least. Then again, if I had to judge his books with this in mind, none of them would be 5-star material - but sometimes his wild ideas, and his ability to suck you into the story, atone for what his style may lack. This is one of the books where it happens.Point 2: is this novel original? I honestly don't know. I haven't read many horror books (if not by Pike himself) or books set in space. I'm in no position to say if Pike was a pioneer in 1992 (the year this novel was first issued) or in 1977 (when he wrote the first draft). What I know is, I love this story, dark as it is, and I enjoyed each and every twist and turn of it, even those who probably were to be expected somehow.Point 3: some reviewers were kind of put-off by the outdated science. Now, judging by this rule, we'll have to bury most works of art from the past, and pretend they never existed. Also, it's funny, because while the English definition for this genre is "scientific fiction", we use a peculiar word for it in Italian..."fantascienza". That is, more or less, "fantastic science" or "imagined science" - because of course, most of what sci-fi authors write about is pure speculation, often combined with fantasy elements...So, basically, maybe half of Pike's theories/notions about planets or space travels are outdated or incorrect. So what? It's only a made-up story. It's "fantascienza". It's a hell of a ride, and I love it as it is :).From the very start, the book's mood is mysterious, disquieting. Both Lauren (the first woman to land on Mars) and Jennifer (her 13 y.o. sister) are somehow spooked, an suffer from recurring inner voices/nightmares. We are introduced to Lauren's fiance Terry, a down-on-his-luck journalist and wannabe writer, and the rest of the space crew - apparently, a smaller group than the Russian one who landed on Mars two years before, never to be heard from again (this choice sounds rather strange to me, but I suppose Pike decided that having only six characters on the planet would be more handy for his story - or maybe it was the NASA who opted for minimizing the risk by sending out less possible victims!).Jennifer starts writing a story about two ancient people and their war, which is interpolated into the main plot. While the tale sounds definitely mature for a 13 y.o., we will understand later how she was able to develop it. Most of the time, I'm not a fan of Pike's stories-within-the-story (there's almost one in every book), especially because they are often a bit disconnected by the main narrative, and I can't see their point; this time, however, the second story mirrors and enlighten the first one, perfectly integrating within the main plot, though we don't immediately see why and how. And as a matter of fact, this is part of the book's charm. [...]Whole review here.
I read this book when it first came out, seventeen years ago, and images from it have still stuck in my head. I'm not one of those people who can remember everything about every book she's ever read, so for me to remember this one so vividly is a mark of Christopher Pike's amazing writing. I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning reading -- and then had to sleep with the lights on because I was so scared. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers or science fiction or just excellent writing in general.
What do You think about The Season Of Passage (1993)?
hey, I recommended that one to you! :) I think...anyways, it was my favorite book in high school. I recommended it to all my girlfriends...and I still do! :)
—Jenni
My Wife talked me into reading this book. She has read it lots of times so I finally gave in and so glad that I did. From my understanding he is more of a young adult Author, but does write Adult books as well. This is one of his adult books. I was drawn into the story very quickly and you really become attached to all the characters. I would categorize this as Horror/ Sci Fi. I know there are allot of books that take place and have to do with Mars right now. That seems to be a big thing, but this story stands out on it's own and even if your not into the Mars Space thing, I think you cans till enjoy this story. I really wish there would had been a follow up story because I was sad when it was over.
—Sean Nelson
This book lost points because of a few issues.1- The second story, of the aliens. This is basically a slow moving, creepy sci-fi tale, but it alternates with a fast paced fantasy tale with a totally different tone and feel. While I appreciate the importance of that tale, Pike could have introduced the backstory totally differently, perhaps having the astronauts discover it from artifacts on Mars, or even Terry discovering it from some research on Earth. The second story completely took me out th
—Bmj2k
