cover image Winning Mars

Winning Mars

Jason Stoddard. Prime (www.prime-books.com), $14.95 trade paper (288p) ISBN 978-1-60701-216-0

Stoddard’s debut is an overextended meditation on a near future much like our present, where humans have only explored as far as the moon and entertainment is dominated by immersive multiplayer games. Jere Gutierrez is so desperate to save Neteno, his ailing media network, that he gambles on broadcasting a reality show set on Mars, even though “someone is going to die.” Episodic chapters jump dizzyingly in and out of the heads of a sprawling cast, including Jere’s girlfriend and hard-to-please father, the woman behind the world’s most famous MMO persona, and 11 contestants with wildly disparate motivations. Stoddard ambitiously attempts to ricochet among a wide variety of political topics, including America’s neglect of space exploration, social media vs. oppressive government, the ethics of genetic engineering, and the proliferation of virtual worlds and wives. The result is as superficial as the pop culture it mocks. (Jan.)