The Fifth Man (Oxygen/The Fifth Man) [Paperback]

In the sequel to Oxygen, winner of the 2002 Christy Award, the mission to Mars continues as astronauts Valkerie Jansen, Bob Kaganovski, Alexis Ohata, and Kennedy Hampton search the arid, lifeless desert terrain of Mars for any signs of life, even the most microscopic. They've survived great obstacles to reach this point - an early flight explosion on their trip to Mars, the discovery of a potentially life-threatening bio-organism shortly after the accident, and personal difficulties in their relationships - but it all seemingly pays off as Valkerie discovers a microscopic organism buried in a deep tunnel protected from the sun's harsh cosmic rays. Despite her uncertainty about how to deal with Bob's awkward marriage proposal - especially considering their claustrophobic conditions - she's elated at the prospect of doing what so many have dreamed and theorized about: discovering life on Mars.

However, trouble is brewing under the surface. While Commander Kennedy Hampton shows increasingly aggressive, confrontational behavior towards the rest of the crew, Bob Kaganovski feels watched out of the corner of his eyes. He's gone through all the psychological studies and training, and is well aware of the potential stresses of being alone with only three other people on a desolate planet - but still, he feels certain that something is out there, watching their every move. Coupled with the pang of unrequited love, the foundations for an explosive decompression are laid. When Valkerie and Kennedy fall ill with an unexplained sickness and start hallucinating sounds and an other presence, a match is held very close to burning flame.

Meanwhile, things are unraveling at NASA in Houston. As top flight officials face mounting pressure over whether or not they should bring back their sick astronauts and risk "back-contamination" - contaminating Earth with a potentially extraterrestrial bacteria - it becomes clear someone at Mission Control can't be trusted. Whether it's a Russian spy or one of their own gone bad, a hacker is on the loose, determined to do everything in their power to ruin the mission and strand their astronauts on Mars forever.

Commander Kennedy goes insane and attacks Valkerie and Bob; someone steals the Rover and sabotages vital equipment and supplies, and strange things go "bump in the night". Have they all gone mad with a Martian disease...or is there a "fifth man" among them?

This is a novel I REALLY wanted to love; in fact, I did for most of the story. Olsen and Ingermanson lay down a narrative that's tense and suspenseful, the science is plausible and believable, and there are a lot of Red Planet (Val Kilmer) and Mission to Mars (Gary Sinese) vibes that really makes the reader wonder: is a Christian science fiction novel going to go where no Christian science fiction novel has gone before, (pun intended), and declare life on other planets?

**SPOILER ALERT** Alas, the spookie heebie jeebies are explained away, making this once again a "safe" Christian science fiction novel that colors within the lines. The skill to tell an engaging story is here, and while many won't blink twice at the novel's ending, I'm sure more than a few will feel a little disappointment upon discovering the "fifth man" isn't who/what we were hoping.

This is an enjoyable, suspenseful novel for the most part, but if you were hoping for boundary-pushing science fiction that'll pose interesting questions concerning theology and life on other planets like Rendezvous With Rama, and Rama II by Arthur C. Clarke, this isn't it, despite skillful writing and attention to detail.

The crew has reached its destination Mars after a harrowing near death space trip from earth (see OXYGEN). Now a new survival test begins with the crew trying to live on a planet that makes Antarctica seem like a sauna and no rescue flight possible. Nothing should be able to survive in this frozen inhabitant.

The four member crew struggles with the harshness of life while trying to meet NASA's detailed expectations in which every nanosecond is booked. Meanwhile, deeply religious microbial ecologist Dr. Valkerie Jansen finds proof that life once existed on the angry red planet, but swears she has also seen a "fifth man" sabotaging their mission. No one else has seen this ET so Commander Dr. Bob Kaganovski worries that she is cracking up under the strain. Illness has hit the team too in what seems like a War of the Worlds reversal. Martian madness grips the crew, but is that why Bob cannot stop looking at Valkerie while they wonder if infected, can they go home?

The second book in John B. Olson, and Randall Ingermanson marvelous Martian mission, THE FIFTH MAN, is a great Christian science fiction thriller that enables the audience to feel they are living on the frozen tundra along with the crew. The exhilarating story line hooks the reader on several levels including the obvious survival adventure and whether THE FIFTH MAN exists or is imagined and if the latter who is sabotaging their chances of enduring the severity. Fans will wonder if bacteria could live on this ice cold orb while applauding the two authors for once again proving that science and religion are compatible.

Harriet Klausner

Picking up where "Oxygen" left off, this book continues a fascinating tale of near-future Science Fiction. The skill and brilliance of the writing of this pair of books more than compensates for a couple of technical, logistic oversights that become more glaring in this volume.

This is a rich and rewarding read with high drama, incredible risks, competing political and career goals for both individuals and for Multi-Billion Dollar industries. It combines competing ideologies, elements of romance, and a raw survival instinct in a harsh and completely unforgiving environment. It kept me reading in spite of some weaknesses.

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