The Mars Man – Book Tour and Giveaway
Three StarZ corporation ships are sent to forge a new civilization on Mars. But when a massive solar flare cuts off all communication, no one knows what is happening on Mars. The only one who does – Commander John Santo – arrived back in an escape capsule: and he has disappeared.
The Mars Man
by Charles Anthony
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
In a world grappling with a climate crisis, a shrinking population and dwindling resources on Earth, billionaire Ezra Graff has founded StarZ. Its mission: begin the first Martian colony. The three hundred pioneers of The Mars Man are the first to venture forth, forging a new civilization on the rust-colored expanse of Mars. But when a massive solar flare cuts off all communication, no one knows what is happening on Mars. The only one who does know is the single occupant of an escape capsule that crashed into the Atlantic ocean one year after the colony’s founding: Commander John Santo. To get the full story, they must find him. With time running out until the second wave launches for Mars, only Commander John Santo knows what is happening to the first colony as they grapple with the harsh realities of their new home, confronting the strange environment outside and the forces of evil within.
The Mars Man weaves a tapestry of adventure, intrigue, and human resilience against the backdrop of a planet that challenges every notion of survival. With richly developed characters and a narrative that balances suspense and wonder, Anthony creates an immersive experience that will leave readers hungry to keep reading.
**On Sale Nov 9-16!**
19:36 hours
28 February+4 (Martian Days)
Year: 2034
Mars Orbit
The StarZ Escape Pod’s mini boosters did not break the Martian gravity. The SUV sized craft hit its zenith. The forward viewing window paused on a vision of the central Milky Way, strung across time and space. The ship quivered between orbit and gravity for a second. Through the front viewer Commander John Santo saw his intended destination: the StarZ Resupply Vessel, an automated craft the length of a football field, that had been dispatched to deliver critical resupplies six months into the colony’s life. It hovered barely 60 metres in front of the craft, so near, yet out of reach.
Come on. Just a bit more altitude. Otherwise I’m not gonna make it.
The Resupply Vessel was now over the drop zone. In the next 30 to 60 seconds the cargo bay doors would open, jettison cargo and then close again. That had been the window he had been waiting for. It was slipping away with every second.
The forward momentum is gone.
He swore, fogging up his damaged helmet. There was no way the StarZ Escape Pod and the Resupply Vessel could draw closer together. Any second now and his tiny craft would start tumbling uncontrollably to the Martian surface below, smashing into sand and rock with him inside, becoming another piece of rubble alongside the shattered base and fractured landing pads, all that remained of Mars Base One. His grave would be unmarked, perishing in silence like the other colonists had.
The Escape Pod began dipping as it turned towards the Martian surface. The window filled with the ocre sand. The pitch and roll got heavier, started by the spluttering death of first one and then the other two of the three engines. The uneven thrust had warped the craft out of an upright and uniform path. The view alternated between a red Martian tundra and stars. The fuel gauge read 0%, using all the methane they had manufactured. Mars’ claw of gravity took a stronger grip on its prey, tilting and distorting the craft’s trajectory into a downward parabola.
John’s mind veered towards panic. The tiny capsule was not designed for re-entry or controlled landing. The three mini thrusters, spaced evenly around the circumference of the cone shaped capsule were made for adjusting on docking and undocking, not emergencies. Soon it would spin wildly out of control. Even if he could get it on an even plane, there was no way he could land it. Each rotation filled the window with contrasts: the redness of Mars and the void’s blackness, broken only by the thin Resupply Vessel.
He tried to stabilise. He grabbed the two joysticks: one for pitch, the other for roll. He pressed gently. Thinking quickly, he used the Martian redness as a reference point to try and level out. He hoped he could control it just enough and keep it as close as possible to the Resupply Vessel. He turned the left hand for pitch and pushed down for roll. Miraculously, the Escape Pod steadied. Mars’ red curve filled the lower half of the forward view window. The Resupply Vessel was almost directly above, but still too far. The red surface was creeping up the front viewing window. The craft was also rotating, heading for a flat spin.
He looked up. The Resupply Vessel’s bay doors were opening. The size of whale fins, they shielded his view of the payload that jettisoned out in a flash, powered by many smaller thrusters attached to the cargo. He winced as it passed the Escape Pod by inches to his right. The open doors stayed hanging.
I can crash land inside this craft, or there’s just a chance I can…
His 30 to 60 seconds were counting down. His mind worked rapidly.
He punched the belt release and sprang out of the pilot’s seat. He had to be quick if his desperate plan was going to work. Pulling himself to the roof, he grabbed the emergency hatch release handle, yanked, and held on as the roof hatch exploded out, carrying him outside. His heart pounded in his suit, looking up at the Resupply Vessel only 50 metres away with the vastness of space all around it.
The Escape Pod began to rotate, flat spinning. Holding onto the handle, he could keep himself in place, but began to feel the growing centripetal force. He had to adjust to the spinning. Like a ballerina, he kept his eyes fixed on the Resupply Vessel. He would need all his concentration for this move. He had to time it perfectly. He did the calculation in his head. Holding onto the ship, he was within the arc of a sling. He could turn the centripetal force of the tumbling craft to a tangential force like a released stone. With his heart counting down like a stopwatch he felt his time slipping away. When the pod swung around again, he released his hand and pushed his legs against its shell. The push sent him away from the pod, however, the uneven force from his two feet (one had been almost fully extended whilst the other was bent) sent him tumbling end over end towards the Resupply Vessel. He was rising wildly. He knew it was only a matter of seconds before the bay doors closed and he would have no way of getting inside. On each forward spin he saw the grab handles used to open the bay doors in emergencies. These handles stuck out like redheads, the same size as emergency release handles on an aircraft. They were a small target, but they were the only thing he could grip onto and stop his momentum. He knew that if he went clean inside, he would smash against the bulkhead and bounce back out. He had to grab the handle in the next two or three rotations. If not, he’d continue on tumbling into space beyond, or Mars would drag him back to its dead surface below. He tensed his muscles. He counted the swings. The handles were so close now.
Three…two…one…
He sucked in one last breath on the bottom rotation. The redness lit his sweaty face for the last time. He thrust out a hand for the handle, hoping against hope that he would find it.
Charles Anthony was born in the Hunter Valley, Australia, in 1990. He moved to New Zealand in 2017, obtained a Master of Laws degree from the University of Auckland and then moved to the Waikato where he works as a lawyer and is actively involved in his community.
In the summer of 2021 he began writing. Working in the evenings and on the weekends, he produces short stories, poems and novels. In 2025 he launched his first novel, the Mars Man, on Amazon.
Charles Anthony lives in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Website * Facebook *Instagram * YouTube * Amazon
Q: What inspired you to write this book?
A: Two things inspired me. First, my father. He’s an absolute space enthusiast. He has all the NASA equipment models from the Apollo missions from the 1960s proudly displayed at home. His love of science fiction also had a big influence on me.
Second, daring to dream about space again. The reemergence of space exploration through SpaceX, Blue Origin, etc excites me. I started wondering: what would the future be like on Mars if we went there in my lifetime? What if the people around me went there?
Q: What can we expect from you in the future?
A: Many more works across all genres. I am releasing a Halloween short story. I have another long novel in the works. This one is a historical novel, probably in two parts. But I’m also planning to continue exploring science fiction and space themes. As more inspiring discoveries are made and artificial intelligence advances, I think there’s a big new world for writers to reflect on these changes and hold a mirror up to nature about them.
Q: Are there side stories or backstories for your characters?
A: Absolutely. There are two central characters: Chris and John Santo, who are brothers. I have three brothers myself, so it was easy to draw from my relationships with them and add it to the story. Chris is the older, guiding brother, based on my own older brother. Both characters served in the U.S. Air Force, and I suspect there’s a prequel ticking away inside me about their adventures as pilots in the Gulf Wars.
Q: Tell us more about the characters.
A: John and Chris Santo are amazing men who have served their country. Their father is Australian, giving them a wild, frontier streak. Their mother is from the United States, a pocket rocket woman. John, the protagonist, is always pushing to get beyond limits, be that of people, aeroplanes or the planet, while Chris has settled down with a young family.
There’s also Mike T, a funny character who was a joy to write. Kayla is a geologist with a compassionate heart. She’s the feminine core of the book. Maria Lepina has finding new worlds in her veins as she is a descendant of the first explorers of the Americas. Terry Chang rounds out the inner core of the characters. Terry is a space nut with some traits that indicate he is “on the spectrum”, which I like as it is real and adds diversity.
Q: How did you come up with the concept for the book?
A: It was inspired by classic space science fiction like 2001: A Space Odyssey, I, Robot and Interstellar, which focus not just on the destination but on character development. I also drew on Brave New World, which explores the society of the future. I wanted to ask: how would we think on another planet? How would we grieve? Could we make Mars our home? The story centers on 300 idealistic people trying to turn a billionaire’s vision of living on another planet into reality, so I wrote about them.
Q: What does the title “The Mars Man” mean?
A: It has two meanings. First, it refers to the central character, John Santo: the Mars Man. (Spoiler alert: yes he does actually go to Mars!) Second, it refers to humanity; “man” as in humankind. It asks: what kind of human will live on Mars? Will being on Mars change their humanity? What should they bring, and what should they discard? That opened the door to explore philosophical, sociological, and legal ideas, as well as the human condition.
Q: Did you design the book cover yourself?
A: Yes. I’m good at describing what I want, and I had help from some graphic designer friends, because I cannot draw or create digitally to save my life!
Q: What did you learn from writing this book?
A: That writing is very enjoyable and very hard! Also, books aren’t written: they’re rewritten. Lots of editing is needed! I learned a lot about myself and about expressing ideas clearly. I had to respect the reader’s intelligence. It’s about telling the story and letting the audience decide.
Q: If this were a film, who would play the lead roles?
A: I’d cast Chris Hemsworth and Liam Hemsworth as Chris and John Santo respectively. They’re both incredibly good-looking, they’re brothers, and they have the right chemistry. Their personalities are different, but complementary; just like the characters.
Q: What would you like to say to your readers?
A: It’s a great book! Get into it! Don’t just think of it as science or fiction, but as a story about humanity. The characters are based on real people and experiences. Some are inspired by my brothers, others by names or traits I’ve encountered. Some are purely fictional, but they all serve a purpose in the story.
Q: How do the characters shape the story?
A: The characters don’t hijack the story, but they do control it. Much of the narrative is told through John Santo’s perspective, especially via his diary entries called “The Testimony” from Mars. But other characters have their moments too. Maria, for example, has a powerful scene involving a tragedy at Mars Base One. The chief biologist is a mix of ambition and political maneuvering. Others represent weakness, and others strength.
Q: Why is your book a must-read?
A: Because it’s set to be a modern classic. If you love Brave New World, 1984, or Pride and Prejudice, you’ll find something here. It combines future speculation, human nature, and social dynamics in a way that’s both thoughtful and entertaining.
Q: Do you have other books in the pipeline?
A: Yes! I have a historical novel, a planned trilogy, and a fantasy series in the works. I aim to release one book per year.
Q: What did you edit out of this book?
A: A lot of boring descriptions. That’s one of my weaknesses. I got feedback that some parts were too descriptive, so I cut them. People want action, and I learned to trust the reader’s imagination.
Q: Which writers would you love to get advice from?
A: J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Willa Cather, Flannery O’Connor, Evelyn Waugh, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, to name a few. The obvious reasons are critical acclaim with popular success, something that all books need.
Q: Fun fact about your writing process?
A: All the science in my book is real. I did extensive research on Mars, rockets, geology, biology in a no oxygen zone, and of course, how to make methane! And I had to understand the current technology, and invent some new devices. I’m a sucker for information. If a topic interests me, I’ll do enough research to write a PhD about it.
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
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This one sounds like a real page turner and one I would love to read this fall season. Cool cover too.
Sounds like a great science fiction book!
I like the cover art. Looks fantastic. Sounds like a really intriguing read.
Are there any real-life people or experiences that inspired the characters?
Looks very exciting Do you write in a daily journal?
I'm excited to read this.
Thanks for the great blurb and excerpt. The book sounds very intriguing.
I think this sounds like a great read.
This sounds like a great Dystopian Science Fiction book. I like the cover.
I like the combination of of genres. The excerpt is intense.
I especially like the fact that the author received inspiration from his father's interest in space. Parents can be very influential, especially in positive ways. The plot intrigues me, and the cover looks pretty good. I wish him well! :-)