Author: Carrie Vaughn
Publication: Tor Books (January 17, 2017)
Description: Well-known for her bestselling series Kitty Norville, Carrie Vaughn moves to science fiction with Martians Abroad, a novel with great crossover appeal. Polly Newton has one single-minded dream, to be a starship pilot and travel the galaxy. Her mother, the Director of the Mars Colony, derails Polly's plans when she sends Polly and her genius twin brother, Charles, to Galileo Academy on Earth.
Homesick and cut off from her plans for her future, Polly cannot seem
to fit into life on Earth. Strange, unexplained, dangerous coincidences
centered on their high-profile classmates begin piling up. Charles may
be right―there's more going on than would appear, and the stakes are
high. With the help of Charles, Polly is determined to find the truth,
no matter the cost.
My Thoughts: MARTIANS ABROAD was an interesting science fiction story story starring Polly Newton and her twin brother Charles. Polly and Charles were born on Mars which is being colonized by Earth. Their mother is the Director of the Mars Colony. Polly's only goal in life is to learn how to pilot a spaceship. She is extremely disappointed and angry when she finds out the her mother has enrolled her and Clark in the Galileo Academy on Earth. The Galileo Academy is the school where the movers and shakers of Earth and the other colonies send their kids so that they can form connections that will benefit them for the rest of their life.
Polly is not at all excited to go to Earth and go to that school. She has good reason. The kids from off planet are treated as a lower class minority. They also have to deal with being less able to survive on Earth because they aren't used to the gravity. To make it even worse it looks like someone is staging some dangerous situations for Polly to deal with. First, one of the Earth girls who has become her friend is knocked off a cliff while they are on a field trip to Yosemite. Polly manages to save her but at the cost of fractured ribs. The next situation occurs when they are touring Manhattan which is now one big museum.
Polly, Charles and their friends identify the person arranging the accidents but they really don't know why the accidents are being arranged. They are fearful when they learn that their next field trip will be to the Moon. Space is dangerous enough without having someone arranging accidents. Polly is a great character. She is curious and brave and quite a hero though she says what she does is just what anyone would do.
This science fiction book reminded my of an oldie by Robert A. Heinlein. PODKAYNE OF MARS (1963) also has a brother and sister who are on their way to Earth. The female lead tells the story in both books. In Heinlein's book, the brother is younger and a socially maladjusted genius. In this book, Charles is Polly's twin. The genius part is the same and so is the maladjustment.
Science fiction fans will enjoy this story.
Favorite Quote:
"I just want to say thank you. You saved my life. So thank you."I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.
Saved her life -- sounded very momentous. Huge, really, and it a way, scarier than falling. I didn't want to be responsible for something so important. I'd helped her because I could, because that was what you did -- helped people. At the colony, we couldn't survive without working together.
I saw Martians and Vaughn and had to check this out. Glad you liked it. I have been enjoying lots of sci fi.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.