Semper Mars

You step into Semper Mars, the first book in the Heritage Trilogy, and are pulled deeper and deeper with every page. Earth is mired in a struggle between the US and the United Nations, which spills over to Mars, where US scientists have discovered the ruins of an ancient civilization. This leads the US to do what the US always seems to do – send the Marines! As a story of an expeditionary force, a subgenre that has roots in tales of the Greeks and Romans wandering the Aegen Sea, it’s a marvelous story of maneuvers, of politics, of a dark future, and of Americanism in SPACE!!! The sites of the story, like Mars and the International Space Station, are fantastic, but the story hinges on the recogniseable elements of conflict between the US and the UN, between the forces of internationalism and nationalist groups, between us and them. It’s a remarkable story, and the Heritage Trilogy is a phenomenal read taken as a group, and the first novel in the series is a miracle that draws you along without stopping. Why it’s on the list Because when in doubt, send the Marines!