On February 18th, NASA's Perserverance rover landed on Mars. Mars has captured the imagination and scientific curiosity of countless humans over the years. If you're one of many who has wondered what it might be like to live on Mars, here are some books you might want to check out, including both scientific works of nonfiction and compelling works of science fiction.
Martian Nonfiction
Mars : you decide how to survive!
by Hena Khan As a member of a young crew of astronauts on Mars, the reader is faced with real dangers and must make decisions that will determine the success of the mission. |
Curiosity : the story of a Mars rover
by Markus Motum The rover Curiosity introduces itself to readers, describing how it went from idea to creation and beyond. |
The Mars challenge
by Alison Wilgus Presented in the style of a graphic novel, a nonfiction introduction to the science and logistics of a manned mission to Mars blends eye-catching artwork, detailed diagrams and comprehensive text that explains how scientists are working to overcome the complexities of interplanetary travel. |
4th rock from the Sun : the story of Mars
by Nicky Jenner In 4th Rock from the Sun, Nicky Jenner reviews Mars in its entirety, exploring its nature, attributes, potential as a human colony and impact on 3rd Rock-culture everything you need to know about the Red Planet. |
The future of humanity : terraforming Mars, interstellar travel, immortality, and our destiny beyond Earth
by Michio Kaku The co-founder of string field theory and best-selling author of The Future of the Mind traverses the frontiers of astrophysics, artificial intelligence and technology to outline a remarkable vision of humanity's future in space, from colonizing Mars to traveling to distant galaxies. |
Mars rover Curiosity : an inside account from Curiosity's chief engineer
by Rob Manning A NASA and Caltech engineer provides his first-hand account of working on the Mars Rover Curiosity mission describing all the highs and lows and amazing feats of science and technology that went in to the craft's successful touchdown in 2012. |
Packing for Mars : the curious science of life in the void
by Mary Roach The author of Stiff and Bonk describes the weirdness of space exploration and answers questions about the long-term effects of zero gravity on the human body and what happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk. |
The sirens of Mars : searching for life on another world
by Sarah Stewart Johnson A Georgetown University planetary scientist presents a deeply personal account of the search for life on Mars, tracing her own journey as a scientist while exploring the work of historical scientists and artists whose achievements were inspired by the planet. |
Martian Fiction
The lion of Mars
by Jennifer L. Holm Bell has spent his whole life - all eleven years of it - on Mars. But he's still just a regular kid - he loves cats, any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why they don't have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It's up to Bell to uncover the truth and save his family ... and possibly unite an entire planet. |
CatStronauts : race to Mars
by Drew Brockington A follow-up to CatStronauts finds heroes Major Meowser, Pom Pom, Blanket and Waffles celebrating their victories only to engage in a space race against the CosmoCats, who are months ahead in their plans to become the first felines to reach Mars. |
The gravity of us
by Phil Stamper When his volatile father is picked to become an astronaut for NASA's mission to Mars, seventeen-year-old Cal, an aspiring journalist, reluctantly moves from Brooklyn to Houston, Texas, and looks for a story to report, finding an ally (and crush) in Leon, the son of another astronaut. |
The chaos of luck
by Catherine Cerveny Mars, the terraformed jewel of the tri-system, is a playground for the rich and powerful. A marvel of scientific engineering, the newly colonized world offers every luxury. Felicia Sevigny's come to the Red Planet for a fresh start. She's brought the Tarot cards that have been her family's trade for generations but is hoping to leave the rest of her troubled past behind. Felicia wants to believe that Mars will also be a clean slate for her and Alexei Petriv, notorious leader of the Tsarist Consortium, but her cards keep predicting that something even darker and more insidious is ahead. Something that could mean the end, not just for her and Alexei, but for the entire tri-ystem -- and all of humanity. |
The fated sky
by Mary Robinette Kowal Noted "Lady Astronaut" Elma York joins the first exploratory mission to Mars, leaving behind her husband and delaying her chance to start a family, to embark on a historic, but potentially very dangerous three-year trip. |
Mars
by Ben Bova Twenty-five astronauts of the international Mars mission set down on the harsh and unforgiving planet and soon face deadly meteor showers, subzero temperatures, and a mysterious virus. |
The Martian : a novel
by Andy Weir Stranded on Mars by a dust storm that compromised his space suit and forced his crew to leave him behind, astronaut Watney struggles to survive in spite of minimal supplies and harsh environmental challenges that test his ingenuity in unique ways. |
Ray Bradbury's The martian chronicles : the authorized adaptation
by Dennis Calero A full-color, graphic-novel interpretation of 15 of Bradbury's famous interconnected stories features the work of an award-nominated contributor to X-Factor and X-Men Noir and follows the experiences of human occupiers on a red-gold planet that would be reclaimed by its native inhabitants. |
Red Mars
by Kim Stanley Robinson On a mission to provide Mars with an Earth-like atmosphere, John Boone, Maya Toitovna, Frank Chalmers, and Arkady Bogdanov meet stiff resistance from those who will fight to the death to prevent Mars from being changed. |
Red rising
by Pierce Brown A tale set in a bleak future society torn by class divisions follows the experiences of secret revolutionary Darrow, who after witnessing his wife's execution by an oppressive government joins a revolutionary cell and attempts to infiltrate an elite military academy. |