In MARTIANS ABROAD's version of the future, Mars has four colonies, all set up as independent business ventures. Polly and Charles Newton are the (nominally) twin children of the equivalent of one of Mars' colonies' President and/or CEO.

Nominally b/c:

. . . we were uncorked at the same time and grew up together. But I’m really older because my embryo was frozen first. My unique collection of DNA has been in existence in the universe longer than his . . .
But as Charles always pointed out, we’ve been viable human beings for exactly the same amount of time. The seals on our placental canisters were popped at exactly the same moment, and we took our first breaths within seconds of each other. We watched the video twenty times to be sure. I didn’t even have the benefit of being five minutes older like a natural-born twin would. We were twins, exactly the same age. Charles was right. He was always right.
I would never admit that out loud.

And that pretty much sums up Polly and Charles' relationship. At least superficially.

Our story begins when Polly and Charles are called their mother (The Supervisor Martha Newton, director of Colony One operations)'s office for a meeting.

Polly wonders what they've done to get in trouble (this time), and without spending too much more time in her presence, you begin to understand just how legitimate that line of thinking is.

Polly is what my grandfather would've termed a "firecracker."

A firecracker who plans to begin her internship at the astrodome, in the first of multiple check marks on her way to becoming a spacecraft pilot, in one week's time.

So Polly-the-firecracker comes close to detonation when her mother (a rather nasty and mercenary individual) informs her and her brother that they will be leaving on the next shuttle to Earth to attend the prestigious Galileo Academy:

“. . . a wonderful school, the best there is. Kids from all over the system go there, and you’ll get to learn and do so many things you’d never have a chance to if you stayed here.”

Polly is displeased.

Charles is . . . Charles. Which is to say, not prone to displays of emotion. Ever. To the point you become concerned that he's a sociopath and you somehow missed the memo about this book falling under the horror umbrella, b/c this kid is going to slaughter everyone.

SPOILER ALERT: it doesn't and neither does he. <------a JOKE, not a real spoiler.

Whatever. They're going.

When they get there, it becomes clear that everyone from Earth views everyone not-from-Earth as a second-class citizen.

They're weak b/c they're born and raised in low gravity. Their bones and muscles are less dense, their frames elongated. Simply walking is exhausting, and that's after a diet and exercise regimen meant to prepare their bodies for the grav change.

They're ignorant b/c their education is specific to the needs of their colony/space station, so they don't learn basic Earth history, b/c who cares about Manhattan-that-was on Mars?

And the Earth elite are pompous little peacocks content to embrace the stereotypes.

BUT.

It's soon established that despite their lower bone density, despite their skinny scarecrow frames, despite their discomfort with wide open spaces, it's the raised-somewhere-not-Earth students who are made of sterner stuff than their arrogant, muscular Earthling counterparts.

And when Polly saves one of their own, the tide begins to turn . . .

That's all you get. If you want to know more, read the book. *winks*

MARTIANS ABROAD by Carrie Vaughn is relatively short standalone read, and its purpose is more philosophical than is usually found in longer works with an identifiable evil to conquer. It's goal is to make you question your own ethnocentrism and the accumulation of . . . things. But don't worry, it never gets preachy. I loved watching Polly and Charles evolve both as individuals and with the other Galileo students as a group, and I'd recommend it to anyone with a materialistic teenager who likes sci-fi lite.

Carrie Vaughn has built a fantastic world where humans have expanded into space and a subtle classism that has developed. Kind of like how Americans feel when they go to Europe and see hundreds of years history made before their own began. Polly & Charles are twins born and raised on Mars are being sent to an exclusive school on Earth by their autocratic mother, the director of the Mars Colony. Polly is devastated. She has dreams of becoming a piolet. She has plans made. Charles will thrive anywhere he is a genius but all Polly wants to do is learn to fly. They go and have to learn how to deal with new places, new people and a great deal more gravity. There is an us v. then attitude between the Earth bound students and those that come from off planet. There is also a Snape like head mistress who doesn’t like Polly at all. Then there are the accidents… Surprises and adventure abound. Martians Abroad is a clean well written story that is great for teens and adults alike.

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

martians abroad (Carrie Vaughn)

Title: martians abroad

Author: Carrie Vaughn

Publisher: Macmillan-Tor/Forge

Publication Date: TODAY!!! (hardback/e-book)

ISBN: 978-0765382207

Source: NetGalley

I had heard about this author from me crew and they seemed to love her work. I am not usually into urban fantasy and werewolves so I had never read her Kitty Norville series. When I heard she had written a sci-fi young adult, I snagged a copy.

The premise is that twins, Polly and Charles, from Mars are sent to Earth with no warning to get a good education at one of the top academies in the galaxy. Though the academy may be prestigious, accidents keep happening and the twins must figure out why. The story is told from Polly’s perspective.

Having Martians go to Earth for education was an awesome premise. In fact most of the fun in the novel stemmed from Polly’s observations and complaints about Earth. Her observations and discussions about Mars in particular made the settlement there seem so real and almost made me almost envious of living there. Though Polly could be somewhat clueless, I nevertheless found her to be an enjoyable character. I particularly liked her strong ideas concerning friendship and her ability to help others in a crisis.

Her brother Charles was kind of an enigma in his interactions and viewpoints and yet somehow likeable in spite of it. I thought it was odd that the twins didn’t really interact all that much and that the brother/sister/twin relationship seemed strained at times. The blurb made it sound like the two worked together but it didn’t pan out in the novel.

There were some flaws in the novel. There was very little plot. The main “villain” was rather predictable and I guessed who was behind it all rather early on. Though the novel takes place in an academic setting, the academics were really not explored in depth. I didn’t mind that because I like Polly so much but it may bother another reader. The secondary characters are fun and having distinct personalities but do not seem to do a whole lot.

While the novel did feel fluffy and had seemingly little real depth, I did find it to have some truly fun ideas, be an enjoyable read and it was a good introduction to this author’s work. I was actually disappointed to find that it was a standalone. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Polly’s adventures when she is a pilot. In any case, I am certainly going to read more of the author’s work.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge!

Netgalley’s website has this to say about the novel:

Polly Newton has one single-minded dream, to be a starship pilot and travel the galaxy. Her mother, the Director of the Mars Colony, derails Polly’s plans when she sends Polly and her genius twin brother, Charles, to Galileo Academy on Earth.

Homesick and cut off from her plans for her future, Polly cannot seem to fit into life on Earth. Strange, unexplained, dangerous coincidences centered on their high-profile classmates begin piling up. Charles may be right-there’s more going on than would appear, and the stakes are high. With the help of Charles, Polly is determined to find the truth, no matter the cost.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Carrie Vaughn – Author

To buy the novel go to:

martians abroad – Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Había pasado mucho tiempo desde que leí "Astrophilia" de Carrie Vaughn y Martians Abroad me pareció una buena oportunidad para volver a la creadora de Kitty Norville.

Martians Abroad es una historia con un marcado tinte juvenil. En consecuencia, durante la lectura no nos encontramos con sorprendente giros dramáticos ni con revelaciones apabullantes, si no con una historia bastante típica pero escrita con oficio y con cierto tono aleccionador.

La humanidad ha colonizado el sistema solar y es capaz de vivir en colonias en la Luna, en Marte y en algunas estaciones orbitales, pero el núcleo de poder sigue residiendo en la Tierra. En este contexto, la máxima mandataria de la colonia marciana manda a sus dos hijos mellizos a una exclusiva academia en la Tierra, donde ningún marciano ha ido antes.

El resto de la narración es la típica y tópica historia de adaptación al instituto americano, con sus intentos de bullying, su baile de promoción correspondiente, sus clases sobre materias más o menos asequibles y alguna que otra excursión campestre. Todo muy visto. La diferencia principal es que los "inadaptados" de turno están acostumbrados a una gravedad inferior y por lo tanto el simple hecho de correr les supone un gran esfuerzo que no se arregla con Ventolín.

Tanto el desarrollo como la finalización del relato son excesivamente predecibles. Puede estar indicado para un grupo de audiencia al que no pertenezco, porque para mí se queda muy corto.

This entertaining book contains many elements familiar to YA fans, such as teenage protagonists, a school setting and the difficulties of establishing friendships in a potentially hostile, dangerous environment. The enjoyable twist Vaughn adds is that Polly and Charles are Martians, born and bred. So they struggle in Earth’s heavier gravity, immediately standing out as they are paler skinned, taller and thinner than Earth-born children. I loved seeing our home planet through Polly’s jaundiced eyes. She is horrified at the amount of life heaving in the soil and infesting all the plants and shocked at how profligate Earth inhabitants are with water and air. I loved reading of her struggle to cope on her first foray outside in a world without a protective dome. These details of scene setting that ordinarily are taken in alongside the story became a joy to read, along with Polly’s unenthusiastic take on her fellow students.

She is also chafing at the tightly controlled school regime, though her boredom is increasingly alleviated by the steady trickle of disturbing incidents that start to stack up. I also enjoyed her squabbles with her insufferably smug and clever brother, Charles. While he does look out for her, he’d rather rip his tongue out by the roots than admit it – typical teenage brother, in other words. The spiky relationship between the siblings feels pleasingly realistic and nicely unsentimental.

This one proved very difficult to put down as the tension rapidly increased and I found myself engrossed in Polly’s world, trying to work out what was going on. The denouement was a surprise, though it did make sense and I came to the end of the book far sooner than I wanted. More please, Carrie Vaughn!

And if you are a fan of Janet Edwards’ Earthgirl series, then take a look at this book which I recommend. Receiving a copy of Martians Abroad from the publisher via NetGalley has in no way affected my honest opinion of this book.
9/10

A fun space romp, but one that feels more YA than sci-fi at times. Polly is a terrific main character, and while this is described as a stand-alone, I hope there will be more so we can find out where Polly's adventure goes next.

Carrie Vaughn is a very interesting writer as she always establishes the characters and their world highly effectively - you feel like you are living alongside them so I was keen to read this book which is targeted to a young adult or teen audience rather then her usual adult one. That being said, it certainly appealed to readers in general and those who like a science fiction flavour to the tale.

Polly Newton and her twin brother, Charles have grown up in a colony on Mars but now find themselves being forced to deal with Earth gravity and way of life when their mother sends them off to the prestigious Galileo school. Polly finds it quite difficult to integrate into the very exclusive environment constantly finding herself at odds with Earth values and beliefs. Not only that it seems like someone is trying to sabotage activities she and her peers partake in causing them to possibly fail at completing tasks or even worse lose their lives.

The worlds of Earth and Mars are built brilliantly and you become quite involved even invested in Polly's life. Polly is quite fearless and though it appears at first that she has a somewhat complicated relationship with her twin (difficult to be truly connected when you were created by science and test tubes), it becomes obvious that they have a strong bond. Even though this novel appears to standalone it would not be hard to imagine several more stories involving these characters. There are several other students who have come from colonies around the galaxy and it would be great to see how their futures unfold as well as learn more about the worlds/colonies they have grown up on.

I would happily encourage teen readers to dip their imaginations in this book as it is well worth the time spent.

Carrie Vaughn, best selling author of the Kitty Norville series, returns with Martian's Abroad, a so-called space opera that is more or less keyed towards the Young Adult genre. Meet Polly Newton, narrator, and her brother Charles who are twins. They were born on Mars. Yes, that's right. They are Martian's. Even though they are thought of as colonists, they are still human in every way. They call Colony One home, and it is the only thing they've known.

As the story unfolds, Polly is looking forward to her apprenticeship with the Astrodome, while George is following in his mother's footsteps by studying colony administration. Polly wants to be a pilot and is eager to learn, and a daredevil as well. She is often found racing around Mars on a scooter.
Charles is another case of twin wanting a whole new avenue of challenges and discoveries outside of his sister's. One could say that he is the calmness, while she is the storm.

Polly's dream of being a pilot is temporarily put on hold after their mother, Supervisor Martha Newton, enrolls them at Galileo Academy. What's so bad with Galileo you ask? 1. It's on Earth, a place Polly has no desire to travel to. After all, her Grandparents left Earth for a reason. 2. It is filled with children of the rich and powerful who are cutting and bitchy. Something Mars doesn't have to deal with. 3. It is for 3 long years. 4. There are, as always, those who are hostile and belligerent towards anyone not born on Earth. 5. Polly & George are at a distinct disadvantage at not being born on Earth, and it's heavy oxygen content.

Polly is a character who loves challenges, but is easily frustrated by silly things. Whereas Charles is the voice of calm, and reason, and the one who has to save Polly from her self at times. He is also terrifying at times. I am OK with Polly and here's why. Galileo encourages games between the students. The more you play the game, the more points you collect. The game pits those from Earth and those from outer belt colonies against each other all the marbles, and powerful connections that can last a life time.

But, there is something even more frightening going on under the surface. Thanks to Colonists like Tenzig, and Earthlings like George, Polly's time at Galileo is not exactly something she would write a favorable opinion about. Thanks to their instructor who is diabolical in every way imaginable, things go from boring, to get me out of here, to OH HELL NO!

Polly isn't a Mary Sue. She is a character who knows that her only avenue of becoming a pilot, is to not only play the game, but to be better than anyone else in her own way. I loved her eagerness at wanting to sit in with the pilots as they approached earth & Manhattan. I loved the fact that she is clearly really good at understanding how spaceships operate, and can talk the talk, as it were. While George is winning people over with his intelligence, Polly slowly wins them over with her heroism, and her ability to get through the various challenges that are put forward to them.

I settled on this rating for the story because of the ending. Polly's adventure's can't just end this way. There has to be more, even it it were a short novella that picks up 3 years after she arrived at Galileo. However, at every avenue I've researched, every single one of them claim that this is a standalone. I can clearly see a sequel, especially the way things play out, and who is responsible for the things that happen on Earth. I can even see a book from Charles POV since he is still a mystery to me at how he is able to do certain things. But, alas dear reader, it is not up to me, or you. Sad.

Ms. Vaughn’s Kitty Norville series is one of my all-time favorites, and I am always excited to see another series by her. Imagine my excitement when I saw this book! Polly Newton and her brother, Charles, are forced by their mother to attend a school on Earth. Polly, however, doesn’t want to go to that school; she wants to be a pilot in a program on her home planet, Mars. After arriving at the school, strange things start happening, and she is determined to get to the bottom of it, no matter the cost to her. I was very impressed at the amount of research Ms. Vaughn put into the science of the events. One incident at the beginning in particular struck me. Polly is used to being inside structures on Mars, and when going outside on that planet, she always has to wear protective gear. During her first outside visit on Earth, she has trouble because nothing stands between her and the outside. Of course, there were other instances with a lot more science, but that one was the first. In addition, the book was well-written and the character development was superb. Only one thing bothered me, and this is more of a personal preference: there wasn’t much dialogue. That’s something I like in a book, and I really notice it when there isn’t much. If you like young adult and science fiction, you really can’t go wrong with this book. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the e-copy of the book. This same review will be posted on both Goodreads and Amazon.

I received an eARC of this novel from the publisher though NetGalley.

I love Carrie Vaughn’s books, and I jumped at the opportunity to read this book early. As with her Kitty Norville stories, Vaughn gives us a first-person narrative with a very comfortable and conversational tone. You can’t help but love her protagonists, in this case a teenage Martian girl named Polly Newton.

Polly learns that she’s been chosen to attend the Galileo Academy on Earth, and she’s not too happy about it. She’s perfectly content at her home of Colony One, on Mars. She’s going with her twin brother Charles, and that only makes it worse because he’s so agreeable to the proposition.
This really felt like a YA take on The Expanse, that great series by Vaughn’s friend(s) James S.A. Corey. It doesn’t have the gritty feel of that other universe, but it does seem to have a similar society and political structure. That’s certainly not a complaint, but I do wonder if there was any influence here.

My only real criticism of the book is that it ended rather abruptly. Not cliffhangery abrupt, as it had a satisfying ending, but I do feel it could have been fleshed out a little more and maybe expanded by 50 pages or so without losing anything. I did get the feeling that we’ll be seeing a series here eventually, and if so I’ll definitely be checking in on Polly Newton again.

Martians Abroad by Carrie Vaughn
Review by Sam Lubell
Tor Books Kindle Edition ISBN/ITEM#: 9780765382207
Date: 17 January 2017
Links: Author's Website / Read an excerpt / Show Official Info / ShareThis


Martians Abroad by Carrie Vaughn is an interesting homage to Heinlein's Podkayne of Mars crossed with a Young Adult boarding school book. The result is YA science fiction novel with a few interesting characters, but a rather thin plot. I admit I spent much of the novel wondering if the links to Podkayne were just a coincidence, as the plots and setting are completely different, until I reached the end which is too similar to be anything but intentional.

The viewpoint character, Polly Newton, and her genius brother Charles are sent by their mother to go to the very exclusive Galileo Academy on Earth. Polly, who wants to become a starship pilot, thinks that Earth is "old, grubby, crowded, archaic, backward, stifling", so regards this as a disaster.

Once on Earth, Polly is constantly getting into trouble for not following directions, trying to get on the bridge of the spaceship, ride a motorcycle, or sneak out of a field trip to see the city for herself (and touch a horse) rather than just view museum exhibits. The Earth students look down on the handful from off-world, who admittedly need time to adjust to Earth's gravity and know little about Earth history. There are some typical school story tropes -- the mean girls, dating issues, the handsome guy who invites Polly to dance only to embarrass her. Polly is constantly homesick and feels out of place (naturally, her brother takes to everything quickly and easily).

But when something goes wrong, a classmate gets kidnapped or an avalanche leaves another classmate clinging to a ledge, Polly's the one who immediately takes action. Strangely, this tendency becomes increasingly necessary as something goes wrong on every single one of the Academy's field trips. Even the Earth students grow suspicious.

For adult readers, much of the fun of the book is catching allusions to Podkayne of Mars which has its main character Podkayne Fries, Poddy to her friends, and her genius brother Clark, on a voyage to Earth (admittedly they never get there). Charles leaves notes for his sister, just as Clark does. And, as previously mentioned, the endings are very similar even though the two books get there in very different ways. Fortunately, Martians Abroad does not have the sexism that Podkayne of Mars displays. Still, it would be interesting to give a teenager both books and see which one they like better.

Carrie Vaughn is best known for her Kitty books, a contemporary fantasy series about a werewolf talk show host. She has also written a couple of superhero novels-- After the Golden Age and Dreams of the Golden Age--which might also qualify as Young Adult.

Essentially, Martians Abroad is a boarding school book set in the future. Both Polly and Charles are interesting characters and the book reads very quickly. The book would be a good fit for teenage girls looking for YA science fiction with strong female characters. An extended excerpt is available on Tor.com's website (see link a the top of this review).