The Nebula Award–winning author's classic hard SF thriller of a race to Mars—and the "strange and beautiful" things encountered on the Red Planet ( Publishers Weekly ). In the early twenty-first century, a $30 billion dollar prize will be awarded to the private organization that successfully lands a spaceship on Mars. Eccentric billionaire John Axelrod believes he can accomplish the impossible challenge. But following closely behind his Consortium is a joint venture mounted by China and Europe.…Show more