In Ben Bova's 1992 bestselling book Mars, geologist Jamie Waterman and his crewmates discovered the existence of primitive lichen on the floor of the great Martian canyon known as the Valles Marineris. In Return to Mars, Waterman is headed back to the Red Planet, this time in charge of an expedition that hopes not only to study Martian life but also to prove that exploring Mars can be profitable. Waterman also wants to revisit a part of the canyon where he thought he spotted a primitive cliff dwelling during the first Martian mission. The second voyage to Mars runs into trouble right away, however, as Waterman clashes with Dex Trumball, the son of a billionaire who's backing the expedition. Dex wants to turn Mars into a tourist attraction, while Waterman wants to preserve the planet for scientific research. Both men are also attracted to the expedition's beautiful psychologist, Vijay Shektar, who can't seem to decide which of the two she likes best. As if that weren't enough, one of the Mars team may be trying to sabotage the mission, while back home the elder Trumball is pulling strings in order to force Waterman to step down as the expedition's leader.

Like Jamie Waterman, Bova takes on a lot of responsibility in this second Mars book. He's trying to create a complex story that relies equally on science, characterization, and politics, mixed in with a healthy dose of mystery and a dash of thriller. As usual, Bova nails the science but fares less well--though by no means poorly--with his characters. He pulls off the politics with confidence, but the thriller subplot seems forced. Finally, the mysteries (there are several) all succeed reasonably well, though some are more compelling than others. The whole makes up a thoroughly enjoyable novel both about what life might be like on an expedition to Mars and what Martian life might be like. It's a better book than its predecessor, and it can be read entirely on its own thanks to Bova's carefully interwoven details about the back story that took place in Mars. --Craig E. Engler

From Publishers Weekly
The sequel to Bova's popular Mars (1992) returns Navajo Jamie Waterman to the Red Planet as the mission director in tenuous command of a crew of scientists and astronauts jockeying for political power, romantic liaisons and scientific renown. And as anonymous journal entries also indicate, one of the explorers is seriously deranged. Waterman's chief rival on the mission is C. Dexter Trumball, the heir of the man who substantially funded the flight. Trumball has promised his wealthy father that the mission will make money, and he is determined to win his father's love and respect, even if it means turning Mars into a tourist attraction. For ideological reasons, Waterman is equally bent on keeping Mars free of tourists, especially his beloved "cliff dwellings"Aa nearly inaccessible structural anomaly that he believes will prove there was once intelligent life on the planet. Waterman must struggle to find the Navajo way of negotiating the crew's various desires and manias. He must also contend with the powers-that-be back on Earth to ensure that scientific concerns continue to supersede crass commercial interests. Bova makes the speculative hard science aspects of this novel vivid and appealing. His characters, however, are less enchanting, and the inclusion of a saboteur seems like overkill, since the environment he describes is more than capable of destroying anyone for simple carelessness. The novel ends with plenty of room for a sequel to pick up and continue the saga. (June) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
As a sequel to Mars, this novel covers the second expedition to the red planet. The object of this mission is to document and study the lichen-like organisms that had been discovered during the first visit. Bova (Death Dream) skillfully develops plot and characters in this tale, showing the talent that has earned him six Hugo Awards. Libraries would do well to provide both the abridged and unabridged versions. However, if only one can be purchased, the NewStar abridgment is definitely the winner. Performed by Harlan Ellison, it is actually a tighter, more finely crafted version of the novel. The personalities of each of the characters remain; the major points and drive of the plot actually seem to work better in the edited form. Ellison handles the international accents well and adds energy and drive to the performance. The unabridged version is skillfully narrated by Dick Hill; however, it lacks the quality of Ellison's performance--the charisma a gifted storyteller can bring to an audiobook. Highly recommended for all public libraries and for academic libraries with sf or performance collections.-Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., Russellville Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The New York Times Book Review, Gerald Jonas
Where Bova shines is in making science not only comprehensible but entertaining...

From AudioFile
Jamie Waterman, the Navajo astronaut, returns to the red planet to find out if it really is a cliff dwelling he saw tucked into the sheer wall of a Martian canyon. Naturally, he has a mixed crew: one scared, one seductive, one megalomaniac and some fix-it folks. Bova has a great story line and good science, but the characterization is poor. The dialogue is obvious and repetitive. A speed reader can gloss over these faults, but an audio production must record every (painful) word. So, it's long. It's boring. It will make the listener squirm. Dick Hill's reading does nothing to minimize Bova's problems, and, at times, he almost causes offense with his weird accents and masculine ogling. Pass this one right up. L.R.S. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Half-Navajo, half-Anglo astronaut Jamie Waterman is back on Mars, several publishing seasons after his previous adventures in Mars (1992). His second expedition is motivated largely by expectations of profit from the life-forms discovered in the Vallis Marinaris on the first expedition. As far as Waterman is concerned, those pecuniary motives get the second fling off on the wrong foot from the beginning. Waterman also has to put up with small-group politics that are particularly virulent this far from Earth and with this much at stake; with his own emotional attachments; and with a lengthening string of incidents that has the odor of sabotage about it. The last third of the yarn is literally a cliff-hanger, as the expedition maneuvers to reach unmistakable artifacts of intelligent life in a mountainous area. Characterization is better than usual in this kind of adventure, the pacing is brisk, the scientific details are convincing, and Bova's depiction of the Martian environment is outstanding indeed. No one who enjoyed Mars is likely to turn down this lively continuation of it. Roland Green

From Kirkus Reviews
Sequel to Bova's fact-based epic Mars (1992). The second expedition to Mars, backed by arrogant billionaire Darryl C. Trumball, will be led by mission director Jamie Waterman, Navaho geologist and veteran of the first expedition. Also going along will be Trumball's brash son, Dex, two pilots, Doctor Vijay Shektar, and three additional scientists hoping to study the lichens on Mars. Jamie also intends to investigate the cliff dwelling he's convinced he glimpsed on the last trip. Dex, backed by his father, is keen to exploit the commercial opportunities the trip provides (VR tours for on-line subscribers, tourism, and the recovery of the Pathfinder lander), while Jamie wants to keep Mars pristine and beautiful. Rivalries and sexual tensions mount. Dex recovers the still-operable rover vehicle that Jamie's expedition lost in a dust-filled crater. Old Trumball blows his top, first when the VR equipment develops an intermittent fault, again when Dex insists on personally taking the hazardous trip to recover Pathfinder. Two scientists explore, with near-fatal consequences, the vast Olympus Mons volcano, discovering that the rocks are still warm. A dust storm threatens Dex's Pathfinder mission. And Jamie must confront the likelihood that there is a saboteur within the group. The cliff dwelling turns out to be just that, complete with indecipherable inscriptions; the inhabitants died 65 million years ago after a meteorite impact. But can Jamie discover the saboteur and prevent Darryl C. Trumball from raping Mars? Absorbing and thoroughly satisfying: Mars fans will pounce, while newcomers will feel welcome too. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
As the bestselling author of dozens of science fiction novels, winner of the prestigious Hugo Award, and one time editor of the high-powered SF magazine Analog, Ben Bova is one of the most provocative and exhilarating hard science fiction literary icons of the last 30 years. In Return to Mars, the follow-up to 1992's Mars, Bova brings to life another authentic and exciting novel of the near future; in Bova's new vision, the second manned mission to Mars is as much a matter of profit as it is a search to find intelligent life and a struggle to survive in a hostile environment.

Six years after the close of Mars, Navajo astronaut Jamie Waterman returns to the red planet as mission leader of the second expedition. Waterman, nearly passed over on the second flight, fought hard to earn the top slot on the mission and now hopes to learn more about the lichen life-forms found in the Vallis Marinaris on the first expedition. He also intends to determine if the cliff dwellings he saw on the original flight are natural phenomena or were made by intelligent beings. This time out, though, Dex Trumball, son of billionaire Darryl C. Trumball, is along for the ride and intends to scope out Mars solely as a place for making money, possibly by planning ways to shuttle the wealthy aboard future flights.

Waterman realizes that no one believes his theory that intelligent life must have existed on Mars and created the cliff dwellings. Playing up to the politics involved, Waterman suppresses his need to search the mountains further and follows the mission objectives totheletter. Everything is going fine until several small accidents and other troubles begin occurring; these incidents are followed by a more significant predicament that might mean sabotage. Eventually, though, Waterman makes it to the cliff face again, where he's forced to fight for his life among rugged terrain, unsure of just who wants to destroy him and the mission, or why.

Bova relishes the lavish, convincing, scientific details of the red planet in Return to Mars, but the author does not allow the hard science to hinder the action-packed adventure tale for even a moment. It's to the author's great credit that the reader actually gets a sense of what it might be like to wander among the rocks and rust like dust of Mars's surface. Bova weaves a hard-hitting, briskly paced, multilayered narrative that excels on all fronts. The diary entries showing the saboteur's unraveling psyche intensifies the story as we wait to see the results of each act of treachery. With such elements, the novel unfolds rapidly with a series of electrifying circumstances that all begin to draw together to a pulse-pounding climax.

Bova has complete command of his voice, style, and ability to blend science with wholehearted believability. The scope of his story is as large as Mars's grand canyon, and he handles the escalating suspense and complications with a thoroughly competent, skillful hand. In Return to Mars, Bova has once again launched into an adventure series that is part cutting-edge science fiction, part suspense thriller, and totally engrossing.

—Tom Piccirilli

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Six years after the first manned Martian expedition, a second has been announced — one motivated purely by its profitable potential — and half-Navajo, half-Anglo geologist Jamie Waterman's conflicted soul is beckoning him back to the eerie, unforgiving planet. As commander of the new exploratory team, he will have to contend with a bitter and destructive rivalry, a disturbing new emotional attraction, and deadly, incomprehensible "accidents" that appear to be sabotage, all of which could doom the mission to failure. But there is much more at stake than Waterman's personal redemption and the safety of his crew. For there are still great secrets to be uncovered on this cruel and enigmatic world — not the least being something he glimpsed in the far distance during his first Martian excursion: an improbable structure perched high in the planet's carmine cliffs; a dwelling that only an intelligent being could have built.

FROM THE CRITICS

Larry Bond

Bova puts you on the Martian surface and makes you part of an incredible story...You'll want to Return To Mars as much as I do.

Orlando Sentinel

A realistic trip to Mars...You won't get much closer to the old-fashioned 'sense of wonder' science fiction...Bova paints an intriguing portrait of the bitterly cold, hostile-to-humanity Red Planet...He tells a good, solid story...And the book has a great ending too.

St. Petersburg Times

Provacative and believable...Bova writes with sparkling clarity.

Orlando Sentinel

A realistic trip to Mars...You won't get much closer to the old-fashioned 'sense of wonder' science fiction...Bova paints an intriguing portrait of the bitterly cold, hostile-to-humanity Red Planet...He tells a good, solid story...And the book has a great ending too.

St. Petersburg Times