Book Review: The Red Planet Series, #1-4, by William Graham.

Book Review: The Red Planet Series, #1-4, by William Graham.

From Vermont to Mars, (The Red Planet, #1)

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

From Vermont to Mars is the first novella in the Red Planet Trilogy. While listening, it becomes obvious rather quickly that this novella is based on world building. It follows two members of a family, a man, Virgin Birch, in Vermont and his granddaughter, Emily Birch, on Mars, after water crisis’ lead to the growing colonisation of the moon and Mars. It was really interesting to see the issues presented to both characters from the big company that controls construction on both Earth and Mars. I also really enjoyed how Part II of this novella was set like a diary as I felt like it really fit with the style of novella.

Rating = 5* /5*

The Red Planet Murders (The Red Planet, #2)

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. The second novella in the Red Planet Trilogy, The Red Planet Murders didn’t hold my attention as much as From Vermont to Mars did. With the major plot surrounding the conflict between democracy and company controlled autocracy, the novella itself felt very politically American. Maybe I just felt a bit uncomfortable with that because I’m not American? It’s incredibly brief and parts do become quite boring. Rating = 3* / 5*

The Martian Republic (The Red Planet, #3)

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. While better than The Red Planet Murders, this novella is disappointing. It follows the election of the first Martian President and it felt very much like extreme left vs extreme right. It wasn’t a good election and for the most parts neither seemed to help the poor of Mars, which was the aim of the extreme left candidate. A lot of this focused on the use of a spin doctor, rather than the actual politics. I think the key phrase in this novella was “if we repeat a phrase enough times, people will start to believe it.” It had weak execution and weak follow through. I did really like the narrator. He’s narrated this trilogy extremely well. Rating = 2* / 5* The Red Planet President (The Red Planet, #4)                                                                                    I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. I liked the idea of the fight against corruption, spearheaded by the first Martian President, Jane Sterling. I don’t quite think that her policies were that great, but the plot was pretty good. It probably would have been better if it had been longer, as the storyline felt quite condensed. Rating = 4* / 5*