The Gates of Mars is a great book by the author team of Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays, who possess some impressive writing skills. This first book of the Halo Trilogy presents a nightmarish time for humanity in the year 2187, where all humans are monitored by an all knowing AI entity known as Halo, which can see 3 moves ahead of everyone. The most minute movements of each human being are tracked through ocular implants known as OCDs which insure there is absolutely no privacy and no escape from a unrelenting bombardment of advertisements constantly scrolling across one’s visual field. There is also no escape from the absolute rule and subordination of the Five Families and their companies.
The nefarious ruling families are the:
DuSpoles, who own Intex-ADM. They feed the populations of both Earth and Mars. I can’t even imagine how delicious their sheet meat must be.
Singhroys, who own Amadis Corporation – They run the health and entertainment industries.
Tartarics, who own ABC Royale company which builds robots and operates Halo but since one family alone cannot be trusted to be fair in the AI’s operations, each of the Five families has someone on the Guidance Council to oversee all activities.
Fehrvens, who own Thyssen-Bronner, a company that builds everything from cheese knives to mushroom apartments. Yes...the cement for buildings is a mushroom extraction in this future.
and the Blevins, who own UKD2, a company that makes weapons as well as cops and soldiers.
The Earth that was first destroyed and is now ruled by the Five Families is a hellish landscape. The oceans have dried and the forests are gone. Most of earth’s animals are now extinct except for rats, raccoons, coyotes and pigeons. The population who are fortunate enough to live in one of those mushroom apartments mentioned above have their basic needs fulfilled but the others…those who live on the edges of dried up river beds are covered with scaly, scorched dry-rot skin. These unfortunates won’t live past 30.
The Five Familes have made a pleasant life for themselves and those under their protection on Mars. While still in the process of being terraformed, the inhabitants live in terrascaped, climate controlled, park-like domes. All Earthers dream of winning a lottery ticket to the haven of Mars. It is the one thing that gives hope to the hopeless.
Essential Larsen won one of those tickets. She went to Mars and then disappeared. Her brother, Crucial Larsen must travel there to find her if he can. With that, the adventure begins.
While reading, I got fleeting glimpses of many science fiction books and movies from my past. Some of them that come to mind are The Fifth Element, Brave New World, Blade Runner and 2001 A Space Odessy (Halo reminded me of Hal). Gates of Mars has elements of all of these and more. Something Crucial says reminded me of what we are experiencing in the year 2020 and it makes me fear for our own future, “We can’t go anywhere. We can’t not work, we can’t not do their bidding, we can’t tell them to go to hell. They make or grow everything. All the food, all the tech, all the medicine. We rely on them for everything. How do you stand up to petty gods who hold life and death in their hands and use Halo to tip everything in their favor?” While the idea that such a future could possibly await humanity; the story is told with such humor and wit that you must root for the hero and the heroine to prevail. It is my hope for humanity that makes me look forward to reading the other 2 books in this trilogy.
6/29/20
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Excerpt
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6/29/20
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Review
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6/29/20
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BONUS Post
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6/30/20
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6/30/20
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7/1/20
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Author Interview
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7/1/20
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Review
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7/2/20
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Excerpt
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7/2/20
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Review
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7/3/20
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Review
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7/3/20
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Review
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Sounds like a fabulous and timely book. Thanks for the post!
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