The work of terraforming Mars has been a long and challenging process but just as the hopes of those living on the red planet reach an excited level as success looks to be within reach. But disaster looms as a contaminated ice asteroid threatens the planet's water supply.
Professor Zambrotta “Zammi” Kaspar is charged with investigating a fatal crash on a remote ice asteroid and is surprised to discover his sister, who had been missing, working there as an indentured miner for one of the big mining corporations.

After rescuing his sister, Zammi and his sibling set out to investigate the contaminated water and discover competing visions, from different corporations, for the future of humanity and the terraforming of Mars.

I typically have not enjoyed books based on games (for instance, while I typically like the sword & sorcery genre, I haven't enjoyed books specifically based on D&D) but as Terraforming Mars is my most-played board game over the last five years (about 100 games, and counting) I thought it would be fun to read a book based on this game.

There are a couple of problems, however, with books based on games, and that's exemplified here.

First: a game is about mechanics. A theme can be a draw or a turn-off, but true enjoyment of a game typically comes from how well it plays, not the theme (I've been playing a new game which I enjoy but in which the theme really makes no sense). So how do you capture the game mechanics in a novel? You can't - or at least I haven't seen it yet.

Second: an author seems bound to include as much of the game components into a novel, even if it wouldn't necessarily make sense. In Terraforming Mars there are a number of 'corporations' which give the player certain benefits. So of course author M. Darusha Wehm tries to include a number of those corporations into the story and build a sense of intrigue. But it doesn't work.

I support the idea that the game designer and/or manufacturer is looking to capitalize on the success of the game. But when looking at a book like this I have to ask - if this wasn't based on a game that I enjoy, would it stand up? Would the story be successful? Would the writing be engaging? For me, the answer to both is - no.

Looking for a good book? Shores of a New Horizon by M. Darusha Wehm, a novel based on the hit board game Terraforming Mars, tries hard to include many of the game components in the story, but the story itself is overwritten and lacks excitement.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

In the Terraforming Mars board game, players take on the roles of corporations using their respective resources to... well... terraform Mars. In Aconyte's spinoff series, now three books strong, we get closer to the people on the ground: the workers, scientists, researchers, and everyday people caught in the crossfire. In Shores of a New Horizon, one of those people is Zammi Kaspar: a researcher whose life was torn apart as a child, and who reunites with his missing sister in unusual circumstances.

As a contaminated ice asteroid threatens to imperil the Red Planet's water supply, new and unpleasant facts come to light. And some of those facts implicate the siblings' surviving parent and his company. With the stench of potential corporate corruption in the air, old familial wounds reopened, and the locals' livelihoods at stake, the tenuously-reunited family must go outside the norm (and the law) to ensure the safety of Mars.

Shores of a New Horizon may appears to be veering toward a by-the-numbers corporate intrigue piece, but the true resolution of the story is so much more satisfying. At its heart, it's a story about family and trust, twisted together with tiny details that make this near-future world feel as real and lived-in as a small town. And, as with all the best tie-in books, it can stand on its own without any knowledge of the source material.

Mars is always fun, whether terraformed or not. This version was: trains across the surface, domed cities, lakes, the beginnings of grass plains… We can imagine, and we do. Human technology has advanced beyond simple space travel, and we can crash asteroids onto Mars to make water. There’s even a university on this Mars, and competing corporations making the planet liveable—the basis of the story.

I’m not sure if I needed to read the previous books in the series, or if I needed to know the characters from the associated game, but I felt like was dropped into a wholly constructed world where the characters were familiar to everyone else and not to me. That, along with some overwriting (I read the ARC) meant, unfortunately, that I kept falling out of the narrative. This shouldn’t really have happened, because the characters in the book are likeable, and the tension builds up nicely, with a decent resolution at the end. So, Shores of a New Horizon perhaps deserves a higher rating than I’m going to give it.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and to Aconyte Books for access.

I have to admit that I have not played a lot of Terraforming Mars but I do enjoy the tie-in novels because while they tie into the world created by the game series they often provide a fantastic space opera with socio-political elements to boot. Basically things I enjoy. Shores of a New Horizon is no different. From the first chapter I was hooked. Wehn’s writing is fantastic and really evokes the dangerous and limited setting of the space colonies.


I never like spoilers but I did also like the exploration of the idea of indentured servitude in the colonies, once again returning to the archaic and horrendous system of the rich using the poor for their own gains. Running along side this is the issue with the contaminated water supply that the characters must try to find out what or who is causing the issue.


Speaking of the characters, I adored the twins. Wehn creates the perfect pair of siblings with the right amount of family banter, humour, and a little bit of loss. If you love space operas or novels with a bit of intrigue, adventure and amazing characters along side socio-political sub plots executed perfectly this one is for you..

I was completely surprised by this book tbh. I wasn't expecting such a fun ride. Love the game (though I prefer Ares Expedition to the original TM!) and it makes a fun setting for novels.

Thank you to Aconyte Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

"Shores of a New Horizon" was an enjoyable read with an interesting plot and characters. I really liked M Darusha Wehm's writing, which has what feels like a natural warmth and gentleness. I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the previous "Terraforming Mars" novels, but it's still a worthy addition to the series. Hoping for more from Mars!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

A kind of space opera/thriller/crime story
The world building is good; I enjoyed the backdrop of the partially terraformed planet and the difficulties, both structural and socio-economic which underlie the main plot.
The main characters, while very much standard types (an introverted but clever academic, his extrovert and passionate sister and their emotionally unavailable father) are quite well drawn and engaging. While thrown together in the search for a solution to a contaminated new water source on Mars, the siblings have to navigate their personal differences and then unexpectedly encounter yet another personal conundrum.
The plot is quite lively and interesting involving corporate negotiations and competition as well as an investigation into a tragic and puzzling accident in space and I certainly wanted to find out what had happened. The solutions and development of the two main threads were both interesting and unusual – while the characters were maybe a little typecast, the corporate structures and backgrounds produced an unexpected resolution.
I found the cover puzzling – At first, I thought the book was called Terraforming Mars and then discovered that it’s the title of a series.
Overall, I enjoyed the book; while the writing didn’t grab my attention, the detail about terraforming and social issues in what was basically a colonial situation kept me reading as did the plot.
I am grateful to Aconyte Books for this ARC in return for an honest review.

ARC Copy...Liked it was "wow this is good space opera + sci-fi stuff" like the rest of the "Terraforming Mars" tie-in novels with the political-social intrigue and survival stakes too.