Seemingly straightforward at first, with a geologist-artist joining a small scientific outpost on Mars, it quickly becomes a psychological mystery. Why are there mysterious hints that she's been there before? Enough of her past supports the fear that it might by her own mind cracking. But is it?

Would work as a stand-alone but is part of the Planetfall series. ( )

Another great entry in the "Planetfall" series of standalone novels by Emma Newman. Where "Planetfall" was a science fiction drama gradually turning into psychological thriller and "After Atlas" was dystopian detective noir, "Before Mars" somewhere in the middle. This novel's protagonist (the book is told in first person the way the other two were) struggles with trauma and depression like the one in "Planetfall", but of a different (and less severe) kind. She is also, as the story progresses, trying to get to the bottom of a mysterious conspiracy, like the one in "After Atlas", but unlike him, it is not her job to do so.

I'm impressed by Newman's ability to make each of these novels utterly self-contained and yet enriched by each other's widening and deepening of the universe they take place in (they literally each occur on different planets, albeit in a roughly equivalent time frame). Whichever of the three novels you read first, the later ones will benefit from the added context you now can bring to casual mentions of shared backstory and societal concepts.

I also quite like how she is able to write easy, gripping narratives where the reader is very gradually realising what is actually going on. In all three of these books, the final few chapters are quite different from the rest, as the reader (and often the protagonist) at that point finally knows what the book has been about this whole time. And yet, there's none of the directionless feeling in the earlier chapters that such a structure might make me expect. I'm entertained throughout, a testament to Newman's ability to place me in the head of her (always troubled, if in different ways) protagonists.

My sole note, perhaps, after three novels, is how all the protagonists have conveniently agreed with the reader's intuitive dislike of many of the dystopian future's facets that everyone around them seem so fine with. It would perhaps be more interesting at this point to see a protagonist who is actually happy to live in this world, rather than quietly resisting it, and as well-adjusted as many of the secondary characters do seem to be. Certainly, it would be more challenging for me as a reader to see a protagonist be so used to concepts that to me are horrid and upsetting, rather than read about the odd ducks who still have antiquated notions of privacy, freedom, self-reliance, distrust of AIs, etc.

But this is a terribly minor thing, and really only something I considered once all three books had been read and this pattern started seeming apparent. I'm very pleased with these books, and eagerly looking forward to the fourth one. And will no doubt be thoroughly entertained by that one, too, even if the protagonist there yet again turn out to be a secret luddite of some shape or form. ( )

This is the greatest mindfuck of a book I've ever read. ( )

Another excellent Planetfall book (the last of the 4 that I've read). Similar to the others in that there's a strong main character who isn't artificially perfect, and her own flaws are central to the broader story. A true "emotional roller-coaster" -- lots of suspense/anxiety throughout, some periods of extreme despair, and some which are hopeful. Not sure if this is the best of the Planetfall series (since they're all great), but excellent. ( )

Sometimes it's quite hard reviewing books for which you KNOW are rather groundbreaking but do so in a quiet manner and stretch the quality across a span of books.

It's never just one thing. It's a whole slew of wonderful worldbuilding quirks, a dedication to deep mystery, and extremely complicated characters often riddled with mental health issues and/or very real plot complications.

In this third book, related only by its housing in the greater worldbuilding and future history shared with the others, we're given a very different kind of character. Not an engineer or a put-upon corporate slave, but an artist slipped into the corporate works on Mars. Is she lucky? Is she turned into a pawn for others?

She doesn't seem all that sure of herself despite being recognized as an excellent painter, but none of that really matters. She's there and a number of little things don't add up. And that's okay. We're in for a great story where the reveals are numerous, emotional, disturbing, and often made me turn against our protagonist. And that is also okay because she's complicated and sympathetic and real and often depressed.

As it turns out, she has good reasons. No spoilers, but the plot is rather cool and much bigger than the blurb implies. :)

Very solid SF. Better than most. I'm probably turning into one of those readers who will always jump on the next book no matter what she writes. She's just that good. :)

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