Book Series
There had been much debate among the colonists regarding when children should be allowed on the surface. Ultimately, for reasons unimportant to this story, they had settled on the age of four, in Martian-years, as the appropriate time to introduce children to the world outside. And so, Cas and the other third graders had become the first human children to walk on the surface of another planet.
Air: Generation Mars, Book One
Coming in October
(image: from Scratching the Surface, Luis Peres)
The ARCs (advance review copies) for the next Generation Mars book have arrived!
Now, in the ObsDome near the airlock, Cas felt the familiar calm that always came to her once a worrisome task got under way. She and the other third graders were squirming into their surface suits. This was a slow process. The wire mesh that provided compression would not squeeze until the suit was turned on. But, even when off, the suit fit tightly and took some effort to get into. Outside the windows of the ObsDome, she could see nothing but a dim brown.
Air: Generation Mars, Book One
Coming in October
(image: Luis Peres)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the cover of the next book in the Generation Mars series.
Air: Generation Mars, Book One
Coming in October
(images in montage: Luis Peres)
Acidalia Planitia is a broad, flat, lowland area in the northern hemisphere of Mars. As the ancient oceans of Mars receded, Acidalia Planitia held one of the last shallow seas. That water is long gone now and Acidalia is a windswept plain. On this plain, the thin wind of Mars dances and plays with the dust of the ancient sea, as it has for billions of years.
Air: Generation Mars, Book One
Coming in October
(image: Luis Peres)
“There will come a time,” said Sally, “when things will go wrong.” Her face was serious but kind. “Comms might go down. Your suit might get damaged. Your nose might itch.” Everybody smiled. And then everybody’s nose itched. “Things will go wrong,” Sally repeated, “often many things at once. It’s very easy to lose your cool when they do, and that’s guaranteed to make things worse. But if you keep calm and deal with each problem as it comes, there is always a way to make things better.”
Air: Generation Mars, Book One
Coming in October
image: NASA/JPL/MSSS; processing and mosaic: Olivier de Goursac (fr), 2014
There was a sudden roar, louder than any noise Ori had ever heard. She sank to the floor, pulled her knees to her chin, closed her eyes, and cowered against the closed door. She had never felt wind before, only slight movements of air from the distribution system in the colony. But now she felt a terrifying rush of air over her. There were crashes and groans all around, and she opened her eyes to see the content of the dome—tables, chairs, lab equipment, plants, all—falling and shifting in the direction of the wind. She closed her eyes and screamed.
Coming in October
Just assigned ISBNs and requested Library of Congress numbers for the paperback and ebook versions of the forthcoming book. Things are finally getting real.
Illustration for the next Generation Mars book is coming along nicely. Here’s a sample.
This is what Cas sees from inside her helmet as she walks through a dust storm. Note the cool head-up display. (great work by Luis Peres)
