The Mars House
A BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick
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The Mars House
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Narrated by:
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Daniel de Bourg
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By:
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Natasha Pulley
About this listen
'Pure Pulley' STUART TURTON
'Joyful and profound' CATRIONA WARD
'Simply unputdownable' THOMAS D. LEE
'A work of staggering genius' IMRAN MAHMOOD
'Charming and funny and perfectly paced' TEMI OH
'A spiritual heir to Terry Pratchett' ROBIN STEVENS
'Book of the year for me' LAUREN JAMES
January Stirling was one of the principal dancers of London's Royal Ballet. Now he's a climate refugee bound for Tharsis, the notorious terraformed colony on Mars. It's a utopia for the naturalised population. For January, as a dangerous Earthstronger whose body is unadjusted to the weaker Martian gravity, it's a life sentence to hard labour and ferocious discrimination.
But he will live.
Aubrey Gale, energy trillionaire and hereditary senator, is running for election on a hardline platform to protect the native population from dangerous immigrants. The path to equality is simple, requiring all Earthstrongers who choose to come to Mars to undergo the disabling and sometimes fatal process of surgical naturalisation.
Which is no life at all.
When a disastrous media encounter plunges Aubrey and January's lives into chaos, the solution is a five-year made-for-reality-TV marriage that could secure January's future and ensure Aubrey's political success . . . but it soon becomes clear that thousands of lives hang in the balance, and nothing is as it seems.
Timely and utterly thrilling, The Mars House is an exceptional genre-blending story about privilege, strength, life, and love across class divisions - perfect for fans of Babel by R.F. Kuang, The Ferryman by Justin Cronin, and This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
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What listeners say about The Mars House
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ms. S. H. Pether
- 15-04-24
I don't know how she does it
for anyone familiar with Natasha Pulley's work you will recognise the signature elements of an intricately constructed world, which is both familiar and magical. And the incredibly fragile, delicate dance of two people caught in impossible circumstances yet slowly reaching out to each other. (And for anyone not familiar with her work - go and find the other novels now!) Yes there's almost a formula now but there's so much skill, warmth and compassion in the writing. It's desperately romantic in a completely unique and non-schmaltzy way. And I just love it. I found myself caring about the characters in a way that I haven't for a long, long time. Really hoping for a sequel
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Northie
- 03-05-24
Two listens already and more will follow
Like other recent novels, it's both a great story and a commentary on current times. Western exceptionalism turned on its head, refugees, language barriers, starting a new life, gender issues, and politics are all woven into this engaging, engrossing sci-fi/fantasy/romance.
Life on Mars is difficult. Those who have adapted over generations can cope with the cold, the long, long winters, and the reduced gravity. Those who have recently arrived can't. However they have one advantage: strength. Earth strength. A strength that is both feared and needed by the resident population.
January Stirling is a British ballet dancer and refugee. Aubrey Gale is a Chinese-heritage politician, head of his House and a candidate for Consul. This is their story and it's one that draws you in and makes you care, really care, about what happens along the way. It should also make you think and reflect. And consider mammoths.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lauren
- 24-03-24
Another perfect Pulley piece
I love everything she's ever written and this is no exemption. Beautiful writing and brilliant story
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Alicia Rose Audi
- 20-08-24
Perfection
Awesome story, perfect narration. The only thing better than a Natasha Pulley novel are the narrators that bring her words to life. Each time I read one of her books I download the audiobook book and I have never been disappointed.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- apttyler
- 16-04-24
Natasha Pulley's Latest Page Turner
Speculative fiction
reminiscent of Ursula LeGuin
themes of gender, refugee politics, linguistics
Queer and non binary characters
page turner
Pulley does not disappoint.
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there are editing and production problems with the recording. volume and tone changes inexplicably for a sentence here and there, the odd word repeats. not the Quality of previous releases of Pulley's novels. Adequate production, the performance is otherwise good.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- letty
- 25-03-24
Completely excellent
Loved this book. Even though it's this author's longest it felt like it was over so quickly I wasn't ready to come back from Mars! If you’ve liked Pulley’s other work I'm sure you’ll love The Mars House.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Marianna Clara Luthersdottir
- 02-04-24
Love all her books
There is of course the love story but the setting is amazing- the author really builds whole worlds- and Mars does not disappoint.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Denny
- 06-04-24
Interesting themes, well read
I'll be looking for more books by the same author, but also for other books read by the same narrator.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- L. Rosales
- 13-06-24
Fresh new sci-fi/spec fic
Loved it! All the twists and turns and genre bending and gender and society turned on its head in a not too far off future. Loved the linguistics, parallels that hopefully are both entertaining and make you think. And how often does a scifi make you laugh, rather than feel like you forgot what you ought to have paid more attention at college?
If you loved The Sparrow, you'll love this too.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- 13
- 28-04-24
Brilliant
The only thing I disliked about this book was that it came to an end. Having loved Pulley's previous books I was a bit worried that this one might disappoint but I think it might actually be my favourite. Just brilliant, I can't wait to see what she writes next!
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1 person found this helpful