The Sirens of Mars

Praise

“Beguiling . . . beautifully written.”—The Times (U.K.)

“The book is part memoir, part history, part education, and the three flow together so smoothly you might not even realise how much you are learning about Mars. . . . She manages to press moments in time together as closely as the sedimentary rocks on Mars, revealing its history just as the rocks do.”—The New Scientist

“From the wrong turns and inspired breakthroughs of scientific discovery to Johnson’s own lifelong fascination with Mars, this is a book that will have even the staunchest earthlings looking in wonder towards the red glow above.”—The Daily Beast

“As [Johnson] displays the love of discovery that drives so much scientific inquiry, it’s easy to cheer her on.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Lyrical, engaging.”—Science News

“ . . . a true love letter to geology, on this world and others.”—Nature

“Tantalizing and heart-breaking.”—Space

“Johnson tells the story of humans’ long-distance love affair with Mars . . . and as her immersive book proves, it’s a passion both frustrating and infinitely rewarding.”—The Washington Post

“I defy anyone to read this book and not step away immediately wanting to ditch their current job and call NASA looking for a new career.”—GeekMom

“Elegantly written and boundlessly entertaining . . . Johnson not only answers that big ‘why,’ making a case for how those frozen red wastes could support life, but also achieves something more remarkable: she makes wild goose chases gripping, and abandoned ideas beautiful.”—The Sunday Telegraph

“This elegantly crafted book describes humanity’s understanding of the Red Planet and conveys what it’s like to be a young scientist involved in the quest to discover more.”—Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and author of On the Future: Prospects for Humanity
 
“The Sirens of Mars provides the prospect of great discovery, the future of space science, and an introduction to a writer of the first rank.”—Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University

“A lyrical sonnet to a distant world, a human story of exploration, and a personal quest filled with insight and wisdom, Sarah Stewart Johnson’s book beautifully captures our fascination with the planet Mars.”—Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Poison Squad
 
“An enthusiastic and lyrical chronicle of the scientific quest to uncover Mars’s secrets.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)