It has been a while since I have read a book about space, and it has also been a while since I last started a book that I decided to put down. Unfortunately, as good as 4th Rock From the Sun is, I just had to stop reading it.

Now do not get me wrong when I say that I stoped reading this, but I actually enjoyed it! I really was. Unfortunately, it is not the right book for me to be reading and every time I am picking it up, I am looking for an excuse to put it back down again. I just need a light-hearted book that does not require me to think right now. I do hope that I am able to get back into a better mood so that I am able to read this, or any book that is more scientific in nature because right now it is not what I need.

What 4th Rock From the Sun is about however is Mars, its history, and its potential future. Since travel to Mars is becoming more of a possibility, scientists are attempting to discover more about it for our future arrival. We are trying to understand what Mars is made up of, what we would have to transport over and what we would be able to provide from Mars itself.

So, for what I have read of 4th Rock From the Sun, which is just over 50%, I did enjoy it and I would defiantly recommend it to anyone with a interest in space, and anyone with a particular fascination with Mars.

“4th Rock from the Sun” eBook was published in 2017 and was written by Nicky Jenner (http://www.nickyjenner.com). This is Ms. Jenner’s first book.

II categorize this novel as ‘G’. The book covers all things about and related to the planet Mars.

While there is some scientific data, most of the book deals with side stores related to Mars. I feel like it just rambles on about topics associated with Mars.

Sigh . . . I had higher expectations for this book. I read about 20%, but at that point I just had to give up on it. I won’t call a Rule of 50 (https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/2015/01/10/using-the-rule-of-50-when-reading/ ) on it, but it just isn’t a book of interesest to me. I think there will be many who like this book, but I am not one of them.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

For a seasoned armchair traveler such as myself Mars remains a fresh destination. One worth visiting in fictional or nonfictional form, especially when the latter is presented as nicely as in this book. I'm very surprised it doesn't have more favorable reviews. Maybe the readers expected more heavy duty science. For me this was perfect. Well rounded look at the mysterious red planet that doesn't follow rules whether it comes to its size (should be larger if you think about it in comparison to other planets in order), color (rust rust baby), moons (potato shaped and so very different from our moon and each other and so on. And yet then there are the similarities to Earth...length of day, potential for water, etc. And so we just can't look away from Mars, even if the face that stares back at us from its surface is just a trick of low resolution photo. I've studied and read a fair amount about astronomy and found this book to be a great revisit of what I knew and an opportunity to learn some new things. Jenner's narration is assured, lightly humorous and erudite. The woman knows her space and her enthusiasm for the subject comes across loud and clear. It's an actually exciting read, which for nonfiction (so often torpid, sonorous and pedantic) is no small task and I enjoyed reading it tremendously. Of course, science constantly evolves and for all we know any day now a discovery can be made that will change most/all of what we understand about the subject as it has occurred historically, but for now this is a great overview of what we know. And somewhere on Mars in a comfortable secret lair there is a Martian sitting around reading this book and laughing hysterically at how many things the inferior Earthlings have gotten wrong once again. Because ...you just never know. Great book, educational and lots of fun to read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Great science story-telling

I loved this book. Author Nicky Jenner tells a great non-fiction story about Mars. The book covers how we’ve perceived Mars from ancient times and how we will study and travel to it in the future. It also discusses Mars in popular culture and I had to love a book that mentions Marvin the Martian. The book was hard to put down and I wanted to know how it would end. This is great science writing and I recommend it for anyone interested in astronomy.

This is engaging popular science, outlining the global cultural pull Mars has exerted on people in the past, the current efforts to survey it, and potential for colonization.

4th Rock from the Sun: The Story of Mars by Nicky Jenner is a detailed look at Mars as a planet and how we on earth have perceived it. Jenner is a freelance writer and editor. Her news stories, features, interviews, and reviews have appeared in a variety of international popular science magazines, including New Scientist, Nature, BBC Sky at Night, Astronomy Now, The Times Eureka, and Physics World. Nicky is also a copywriter for the European Space Agency and the European Southern Observatory.

When I was a kid looking at the night sky, Venus was easy to spot as the brightest light in the sky next to the Moon. The next brightest was the giant Jupiter. Saturn’s rings could be seen in my simple telescope. Mars was a different kind of planet. It was the only object that glowed red in the black sky. This red light was not lost on the ancients either. Perhaps even more unusual was, at times, Mars moved backward in the sky. In the geocentric view of the universe, this was truly odd. Mathematicians tried to explain this in a variety of ways usually ending up with something that looked like it was made with a Spirograph. Once mankind began to accept the heliocentric universe with elliptical orbits things began to make sense.

Jenner takes the reader on a history of the planet and its place in our solar system. She also spends a good deal of time on the cultural impact Mars has made on mankind. Not only did it intrigue the ancients, it also intrigued people like H.G. Wells and writers through the pulp age to Kim Stanley Robinson and the major motion picture The Martian. Mankind has looked to Mars as a future home, an occupied place, and even the invading planet in War of the Worlds and Mars Attacks. Mars was the one place that writers, as well as scientists, hoped to be home to life.

When most Americans remember the Space Race, they think of the Moon, forgetting that Mars played a large role too. The Soviet Union was fixated on Mars throughout its existence. Mars is the most visited planet in the solar system and would even more so if it wasn’t for the high failure rate of other countries. Currently, Mars is the only known planet entirely inhabited by robots. Rovers are still exploring the planet. Jenner takes a detailed look at the exploration and logistics of sending probes for fly-bys, landings, and rovers. Although the exploration of space costs money, a great deal to some, NASA’s technology and science returns much more money that it spends. India, a recent add on to those planning to explore Mars, has spent about $70 million to launch and send a probe to Mars. Expensive? The fictional journey to Mars in The Martian cost $100 million to make.

4th Rock from the Sun is an up to date and informative book about Mars. Jenner’s writing is smart but easy to follow. There is not an attempt to dumb-down the science nor an attempt to put it out of reach of a layman. The history and science work well together to bring a complete picture of the red planet.