Crimson Firestorm Mars — Wayne Saalman

AS THE 21ST CENTURY UNFOLDS, EVERY ASTRONAUT AND COSMONAUT ON EARTH KNOWS THERE IS BUT ONE SPACE RACE OF INCOMPARABLE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE. THAT IS THE ONE WHOSE GOAL IS TO ARRIVE FIRST ON THE RED PLANET AND ESTABLISH A PERMANENT COLONY THERE.

IN THIS THRILLER DRAMA-COMEDY, a fringe writer named Simon Griffin is stunned to learn that he has made the shortlist for an expedition to Mars. The unexpected surprise proves to be the conniving work of a friend who has sent in Simon's application as a prank. The Director General of "Project Mars", however, is delighted with the application. A fan of the writer's provocative books, the scientist reasons that any potential person signing on for the mission could benefit greatly from counselling with Simon for a very simple reason: Once the space venture is underway, those on board will never again be able to return to the planet of their birth. They will never again enjoy the company of their loved ones, nor revel in the beauty and cultural riches of the Earth.

The Red Planet, in contrast, will be a cold and forbidding desert, an alien world where survival alone will challenge in the extreme. Nevertheless, so colossal and alluring is this competition, Simon learns, that thousands of people have already volunteered to risk their lives for the cause. What he doesn't know is that some - those of a more sinister nature - believe that the race to Mars is a contest of such historic consequence that they are willing to kill in order to win it.

Initially, Simon is dismissive of what has transpired, but his conniving friend has more than one trick up his sleeve. He gets Simon booked onto a Hollywood chat show and cleverly forces the writer into playing along. As a result, media interest in Simon escalates dramatically, which both amazes and pleases him as his book sales soar, leaving him increasingly reluctant to confess that he had not actually signed on for the expedition in the first place.

Then the writer has a particularly staggering realization: If he did go to Mars, he could become the first interplanetary blogger in history and thus influence millions of people in ways that he had only dreamed of in the past, especially in terms of his ardent desire to convince humanity to forego its warring ways and to save the Earth itself from the perils of climate change.

Events take a volatile and brutal turn, however, when a secret rival organization dispatches a team of assassins to slow the progress of Project Mars. In a plot twist that is sure to shock, these underworld figures are themselves taken by surprise when a malicious narcotics cartel cuts in on the action. What ensues is the kidnapping of the commander of the mission and the attempted trafficking of a brilliant female scientist, followed by numerous battles of a savage and deadly nature to free the pair. When the CIA and a Special Forces team join in the fray, firestorms erupt on every front; bullets fly and bombs blow.

The electrifying climax will prove as explosive and riveting to readers as the competition itself.