Before Mars (Planetfall, #3) by Emma Newman – Review

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5 stars, Book Review, Emma Newman, Mars, mystery, sci fi

About Before Mars

Hugo Award winner Emma Newman returns to the captivating Planetfall universe with a dark tale of a woman stationed on Mars who starts to have doubts about everything around her.

After months of travel, Anna Kubrin finally arrives on Mars for her new job as a geologist and de facto artist in residence–and already she feels she is losing the connection with her husband and baby at home on Earth.

In her room on the base, Anna finds a mysterious note, painted in her own hand, warning her not to trust the colony psychiatrist. A note she can’t remember painting.

When she finds a footprint in a place that the colony AI claims has never been visited by humans, Anna begins to suspect that she is caught up in an elaborate corporate conspiracy. Or is she losing her grip on reality? Anna must find the truth, regardless of what horrors she might discover or what they might do to her mind.

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Review of Before Mars

I quickly got into this mystery when Anna Kubrin’s first day at the Mars colony leaves her with several questions. It seems her luggage has been messed with. She finds a warning note from herself. And one of the team members takes an immediate dislike to her.

What I did not know is was the cause of these questions. It could be that Anna is not quite right in the mind or it could be that things are just not as they should be.

In this future, everyone has an implant in their brain. The implant allows them to record anything and relive it later in an immersion session. Immersion psychosis is a possible outcome. The implant also interfaces with external systems, providing communication, news and even health information. It seems like so much could go wrong with such a system.

But Anna is the heroine of the story so I was convinced (well, I hoped) that she was sane and there was a real mystery to be solved.

The Mars base that is the location of this story is called Principia. That is also the name of the AI that runs the facility and interfaces with the implants that everyone has. It controls access within the base and outside of the base. Is it perfect? That is a great question.

No spoilers, here. Lets just say the mystery has many aspects: psychology, geology, conspiracy, art, family, discovery and, ultimately, the future of earth and human-kind.

Before Mars is book three of the series Planetfall, but stands alone. It is the first book in the series I have read, but I am interested enough to go back and read book 1, which is also called Planetfall.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, though NetGalley, so that I could bring you this honest review.

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The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard – Review

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5 stars, AI ship, Aliette de Bodard, Book Review, mystery, novella, sci fi, tea

About The Tea Master and the Detective

Aliette de Bodard brings us a new novella set in the award-winning, critically acclaimed Xuya universe!

Welcome to the Scattered Pearls Belt, a collection of ring habitats and orbitals ruled by exiled human scholars and powerful families, and held together by living mindships who carry people and freight between the stars. In this fluid society, human and mindship avatars mingle in corridors and in function rooms, and physical and virtual realities overlap, the appearance of environments easily modified and adapted to interlocutors or current mood.

A transport ship discharged from military service after a traumatic injury, The Shadow’s Child now ekes out a precarious living as a brewer of mind-altering drugs for the comfort of space-travellers. Meanwhile, abrasive and eccentric scholar Long Chau wants to find a corpse for a scientific study. When Long Chau walks into her office, The Shadow’s Child expects an unpleasant but easy assignment. When the corpse turns out to have been murdered, Long Chau feels compelled to investigate, dragging The Shadow’s Child with her.

As they dig deep into the victim’s past, The Shadow’s Child realises that the investigation points to Long Chau’s own murky past—and, ultimately, to the dark and unbearable void that lies between the stars…

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Review of The Tea Master and the Detective

AI ships are some of my favorite characters and a ship that can brew tea is gets extra points. Well, tea is not really what The Shadows’s Child is brewing, but the term Tea Master has certain connotations, so I was drawn to this book. In truth, what the ship brews is drugs. Not tea at all. I had been hoping for eloquent descriptions of brewing and partaking of hot English Breakfast tea. So a bit disappointing there. Still, the disappointment was soon replaced with a mystery. The Shadow’s Child’s latest client is a detective after a body, a mystery, and answers. I enjoyed the sticky relationship between the ship and Long Chau. Sticky eventually evolves into curious and then even slightly friendly. The ship and the detective made a reluctant, yet effective, team, chasing down clues.

This book takes place in Aliette de Bodard’s Xuya universe! You do not need to have read her other books to enjoy this standalone novellla.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, through NetGalley, so that I could bring you this honest review.

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Audiobook Recommendations

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Adventure, aliens, angels, archeology, audiobooks, druid, Elizabeth Hunter, fantasy, first contact, gothic, Grace Draven, historical, horror, Jennifer Foehner Wells, Jodi Taylor, Juliet Marillier, Kevin Hearne, Lindsay Buroker, magic, military scifi, mystery, romance, Sandra Hill, scifi, series, Steampunk, Tanya Huff, time travel, urban fantasy, vampires, vikings, Viola Carr, werewolves

Assuming I kept an accurate record, I listened to 40 audiobooks in 2017.  Most of them were pretty good.  A few, not so good.  I rarely review audiobooks, so today, I will let you know which ones I would recommend.  Without reservation!  That means the story is really good and the narration is just as good.

I’ll start with Jodi Taylor’s Chronicles of St. Mary’s.  In a previous post, I ranted and raved about this series and it is one of those that holds up very well beyond book 3.  In 2017, I listened to narrator Zara Ramm bring these 5 books to life:
A Symphony of Echoes, #2
When a Child is Born, #2.5
A Second Chance, #3
Roman Holiday, #3.5
A Trail Through Time, #4
In addition, the author narrated #0.5, The Very First Damned Thing.  #0.5. 2.5 and 3.5 were all free on Audible, so if they still are, now is as good a time to check them out! I have already purchased a couple more and they are in the queue.

Beneath the Waning Moon is a 2-book anthology by authors Elizabeth Hunter and one of my favorites – Grace Draven. Included are A Very Proper Monster by Elizabeth Hunter and Gaslight Hades by Grace Draven. Both were beautiful gothic romances! I also listened to the marvelous Eidolon, Wraith Kings #2 by Grace Draven. Both of these books were charmingly narrated by Gabrielle Baker.

For SciFi books, Tanya Huff’s Confederation series is one of my favorites. Maguerite Gavin is a skilled narrator. I listened to 4 in this series and have another one in the queue.
The Heart of Valor, #3
Valor’s Trial, #4
The Truth of Valor, #5
An Ancient Peace, #6 (also Peacekeeper #1)

I got a great deal by downloading the 3-in-1 book Forgotten Ages by Lindsay Buroker. From there it was a simple matter to get the Whispersync audiobook 3-in-1. I discovered this author this year and I am quite sure there will be more Lindsay Buroker in my future. Forgotten Ages was narrated by a favorite narrator, Tavia Gilbert. This compendium included:
Encrypted (novel)
Enigma (short story)
Decrypted (novel)

Viola Carr knows her way around some steampunk/horror/fantasy and her stories are well narrated by Beverly A. Crick. The Electric Empire is 3 books long. I listened to the first 2 on audiobook this year:
The Diabolical Miss Hyde, #1 
The Devious Dr. Jekyll, #2
After listening to these two books, I finished by the series off by reading The Dastardly Miss Lizzie.

For SciFi fans, I highly recommend Jennifer Foehner Wells’ Confluence series. This first contact and beyond series is insightful and hopeful with that streak of realism that makes us realize space is not a friendly place. Susanna Burney is the narrator of book 1 and she is joined by Mark Linden in book 2. I am currently reading book 3, Inheritance, so I am definitely committed to the series.
Fluency, #1
Remanance, #2

One of my favorite finds of the year is Juliet Marillier’s Blackthorn & Grimm series. Like the 2-names-separated-by-an-ampersand series title suggests, there are mysteries to be solved. They are solved with logic, determination and so much heart. These are amazing characters. The use of three different narrators to represent different points of view was very much appreciated.
Dreamer’s Pool, #1
Natalie Gold, Nick Sullivan Narrators, Scott Aiello
Tower of Thorns, #2
Natalie Gold, Nick Sullivan Narrators, Susannah Jones
Book 3, Den of Wolves, is in my queue. I love this series so much!

For a good laugh, Sandra Hill is a great author. She writes a Viking/Vampire/Angel series called Deadly Angels that makes me laugh out loud. This year, I listened to Kiss of Temptation, #3 narrated by Erin Bennett.

And finally, Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid series. I am almost caught up, so I only have one to add to this list. Luke Daniels is one of the best narrators out there so I was please to listen to him read Staked, #8.

That is it for my favorite audiobook listens for 2017. In most cases, I bought the Kindle book and then added the Whispersync audiobook. It seems to be the most economic for me. For that reason, all the book cover and title links will link to the Kindle version. Whether you read these books, or listen to them, the are all great stories!