Ares Express Paperback - 2010

Media reviews

"Hugo-winner McDonald’s virtues have long been underappreciated by major North American publishers… McDonald’s fantastic Mars is vividly detailed and owes much to Bradbury’s Martian stories. Despite a bit of hand waving around technology that is glibly indistinguishable from magic, this sequel is entirely worthy of its rightly lauded predecessor [Desolation Road]."
             -Publishers Weekly

“An inventive, twisty writing style that takes some getting used to makes Ares Express a challenging read… those willing to commit will be rewarded with a colorful, mind-bending tale. Laced with fantastical elements, constantly shifting realities that can be difficult to follow and an intriguing cast, McDonald’s unique vision of Mars and its people moves well beyond the usual depictions.  Four stars = Compelling - Page Turner.”
               -RT Book Reviews 
 
“The sequel to Desolation Road is a superb Martian thriller that reads more like a fantasy than a science fiction.  The courageous obstinate heroine is terrific as she holds the fascinating but convoluted story line together while making a journey through all types of alternate Martian landscapes.  Fans will relish Ares Express…”
            -Harriet Klausner in Midwest Book Review               

“The mission is engaging enough, involving machines worshiped as angels and manifold realities as weapons; but the real fun is in the journey, filled with a colorful cast of characters…[McDonald] is hilarious, and his Sweetness is an amusing companion for a long afternoon.”
            -Sacramento/San Francisco Book Review 

"This fantastic (in every sense of the word) and narratively solid book deserves to be read, and read again.  There are passages that beg to be spoken aloud in order to fully appreciate the unique and often musical word combinations that McDonald has so masterfully crafted…[Pyr] is to be congratulated on bringing out this brilliant book…”
            -World Literature Today, Editor’s Choice 

“McDonald gingerbreads the all-important locomotives with steampunk detailing. These metafictional devices are enjoyable for readers who are in the know, and not disruptive for readers who aren’t…it’s a treasury of extrapolative and imaginative SF delights.”
            -Fantasy Magazine 
 
“McDonald’s visions are grand and his prose is lyrical enough to depict them the way they deserve. Ares Express takes the reader to a new and delightfully wonderful world; you’ll decidedly want to go along for this ride.”
            -Analog Science Fiction & Fact