Hi everyone. Today I am featuring Charles Anthony's book "The Mars Man." His book is on sale from November 9th-16th. Dive into the sneak peek of chapter one below and find out all the details on this dystopian science fiction novel today. Happy reading everyone. :)
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Three StarZ corporation ships are sent to forge a new civilization on Mars. But when a massive solar flare cuts off all communication, no one knows what is happening on Mars. The only one who does - Commander John Santo - arrived back in an escape capsule: and he has disappeared.
The Mars Man
by: Charles Anthony
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
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1 Escape
19:36 hours
28 February+4 (Martian Days)
Year: 2034
Mars Orbit
The StarZ Escape Pod’s mini boosters did not break the Martian gravity. The SUV sized craft hit its zenith. The forward viewing window paused on a vision of the central Milky Way, strung across time and space. The ship quivered between orbit and gravity for a second. Through the front viewer Commander John Santo saw his intended destination: the StarZ Resupply Vessel, an automated craft the length of a football field, that had been dispatched to deliver critical resupplies six months into the colony’s life. It hovered barely 60 metres in front of the craft, so near, yet out of reach.
Come on. Just a bit more altitude. Otherwise I'm not gonna make it.
The Resupply Vessel was now over the drop zone. In the next 30 to 60 seconds the cargo bay doors would open, jettison cargo and then close again. That had been the window he had been waiting for. It was slipping away with every second.
The forward momentum is gone.
He swore, fogging up his damaged helmet. There was no way the StarZ Escape Pod and the Resupply Vessel could draw closer together. Any second now and his tiny craft would start tumbling uncontrollably to the Martian surface below, smashing into sand and rock with him inside, becoming another piece of rubble alongside the shattered base and fractured landing pads, all that remained of Mars Base One. His grave would be unmarked, perishing in silence like the other colonists had.
The Escape Pod began dipping as it turned towards the Martian surface. The window filled with the ocre sand. The pitch and roll got heavier, started by the spluttering death of first one and then the other two of the three engines. The uneven thrust had warped the craft out of an upright and uniform path. The view alternated between a red Martian tundra and stars. The fuel gauge read 0%, using all the methane they had manufactured. Mars’ claw of gravity took a stronger grip on its prey, tilting and distorting the craft’s trajectory into a downward parabola.
John’s mind veered towards panic. The tiny capsule was not designed for re-entry or controlled landing. The three mini thrusters, spaced evenly around the circumference of the cone shaped capsule were made for adjusting on docking and undocking, not emergencies. Soon it would spin wildly out of control. Even if he could get it on an even plane, there was no way he could land it. Each rotation filled the window with contrasts: the redness of Mars and the void’s blackness, broken only by the thin Resupply Vessel.
He tried to stabilise. He grabbed the two joysticks: one for pitch, the other for roll. He pressed gently. Thinking quickly, he used the Martian redness as a reference point to try and level out. He hoped he could control it just enough and keep it as close as possible to the Resupply Vessel. He turned the left hand for pitch and pushed down for roll. Miraculously, the Escape Pod steadied. Mars’ red curve filled the lower half of the forward view window. The Resupply Vessel was almost directly above, but still too far. The red surface was creeping up the front viewing window. The craft was also rotating, heading for a flat spin.
He looked up. The Resupply Vessel’s bay doors were opening. The size of whale fins, they shielded his view of the payload that jettisoned out in a flash, powered by many smaller thrusters attached to the cargo. He winced as it passed the Escape Pod by inches to his right. The open doors stayed hanging.
I can crash land inside this craft, or there's just a chance I can...
His 30 to 60 seconds were counting down. His mind worked rapidly.
He punched the belt release and sprang out of the pilot's seat. He had to be quick if his desperate plan was going to work. Pulling himself to the roof, he grabbed the emergency hatch release handle, yanked, and held on as the roof hatch exploded out, carrying him outside. His heart pounded in his suit, looking up at the Resupply Vessel only 50 metres away with the vastness of space all around it.
The Escape Pod began to rotate, flat spinning. Holding onto the handle, he could keep himself in place, but began to feel the growing centripetal force. He had to adjust to the spinning. Like a ballerina, he kept his eyes fixed on the Resupply Vessel. He would need all his concentration for this move. He had to time it perfectly. He did the calculation in his head. Holding onto the ship, he was within the arc of a sling. He could turn the centripetal force of the tumbling craft to a tangential force like a released stone. With his heart counting down like a stopwatch he felt his time slipping away. When the pod swung around again, he released his hand and pushed his legs against its shell. The push sent him away from the pod, however, the uneven force from his two feet (one had been almost fully extended whilst the other was bent) sent him tumbling end over end towards the Resupply Vessel. He was rising wildly. He knew it was only a matter of seconds before the bay doors closed and he would have no way of getting inside. On each forward spin he saw the grab handles used to open the bay doors in emergencies. These handles stuck out like redheads, the same size as emergency release handles on an aircraft. They were a small target, but they were the only thing he could grip onto and stop his momentum. He knew that if he went clean inside, he would smash against the bulkhead and bounce back out. He had to grab the handle in the next two or three rotations. If not, he’d continue on tumbling into space beyond, or Mars would drag him back to its dead surface below. He tensed his muscles. He counted the swings. The handles were so close now.
Three…two…one…
He sucked in one last breath on the bottom rotation. The redness lit his sweaty face for the last time. He thrust out a hand for the handle, hoping against hope that he would find it.
BLURB:
In a world grappling with a climate crisis, a shrinking population and dwindling resources on Earth, billionaire Ezra Graff has founded StarZ. Its mission: begin the first Martian colony. The three hundred pioneers of The Mars Man are the first to venture forth, forging a new civilization on the rust-colored expanse of Mars. But when a massive solar flare cuts off all communication, no one knows what is happening on Mars. The only one who does know is the single occupant of an escape capsule that crashed into the Atlantic ocean one year after the colony’s founding: Commander John Santo. To get the full story, they must find him. With time running out until the second wave launches for Mars, only Commander John Santo knows what is happening to the first colony as they grapple with the harsh realities of their new home, confronting the strange environment outside and the forces of evil within.
The Mars Man weaves a tapestry of adventure, intrigue, and human resilience against the backdrop of a planet that challenges every notion of survival. With richly developed characters and a narrative that balances suspense and wonder, Anthony creates an immersive experience that will leave readers hungry to keep reading.
**On Sale Nov 9-16!**
Purchase your Copy Today!
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Charles Anthony
Charles Anthony was born in the Hunter Valley, Australia, in 1990. He moved to New Zealand in 2017, obtained a Master of Laws degree from the University of Auckland and then moved to the Waikato where he works as a lawyer and is actively involved in his community.
In the summer of 2021 he began writing. Working in the evenings and on the weekends, he produces short stories, poems and novels. In 2025 he launched his first novel, the Mars Man, on Amazon.
Charles Anthony lives in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Follow Charles at the Following Links:
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What's the most annoying question you have been asked? 😉
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting story.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds very interesting. Great cover!
ReplyDelete