Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer is a sci-fi detective novel set in a future Mars colony where prospectors hunt for Martian fossils, reminiscent of a frontier gold rush. The story follows the hard-boiled private investigator, Alex Lomax, as he navigates through a plot filled with twists, betrayals, and identity theft involving transfers of consciousness into android bodies. The narrative combines elements of hard-boiled noir detective fiction, science fiction, and frontier storytelling, creating a unique and engaging blend of genres.

The book explores themes of human transference into artificial bodies, the pursuit of immortality through technology, and the consequences of identity theft in a futuristic setting. With a backdrop of a domed city on Mars and a society driven by the discovery of valuable Martian fossils, the story mixes humor, suspense, and mystery, offering a fast-paced and entertaining read for fans of noir and science fiction.

Characters:

Characters are driven by classic noir tropes, led by a charming yet flawed protagonist, with supporting roles that occasionally lean into stereotypes, especially regarding women.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is accessible and humor-filled, echoing classic noir while balancing sci-fi elements, although it occasionally suffers from excessive exposition.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot combines elements of noir with science fiction, centering on complex investigations led by a private eye on Mars as he navigates murder mysteries involving alien artifacts.

Setting:

The setting on Mars is pivotal, depicting a colonized world reminiscent of a gold rush, infused with sci-fi technology juxtaposed with noir motifs.

Pacing:

The pacing begins strong with engaging early chapters but becomes uneven, losing momentum as it progresses.

The door to my office slid open. “Hello,” I said, rising from my chair. “You must be my nine o’clock.” I said it as if I had a ten o’clock and an eleven o’clock, but I didn’t. The whole Martian econom...

Notes:

Red Planet Blues is a noir science fiction novel set on Mars.

The main character, Alex Lomax, is the only private investigator on Mars.

The story involves interconnected mysteries related to murder, money, and insanity.

The novel features a technology called identity transfer, managed by a corporation called NewYou.

Identity transfers allow people to move their consciousness into stronger, more attractive bodies.

The first ten chapters of the book are a moderately rewritten version of a novella titled Identity Theft.

The story explores the complexities of identity and how it can become obscured through technology.

The backdrop includes a mining frenzy for ancient Martian fossils, dubbed the Great Martian Fossil Rush.

Lomax operates out of New Klondike, the only city on Mars, which is domed and home to a tight-knit community.

Critical reviews mention a blend of sci-fi with classic detective tropes, linking it to authors like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.

Despite mixed reviews, many readers enjoyed the humor and fast-paced nature of the story.

Has Romance?

There are romantic elements present, primarily revolving around male characters' interests in female characters that fit the femme fatale trope.

From The Publisher:

Incorporating the Hugo & Nebula award-nominated novella "Identity Theft"

The name's Lomax-Alex Lomax. I'm the one and only private eye working the mean streets of New Klondike, the Martian frontier town that sprang up forty years ago after Simon Weingarten and Denny O'Reilly discovered fossils on the Red Planet. Back on Earth, where anything can be synthesized, the remains of alien life are the most valuable of all collectibles, so shiploads of desperate treasure hunters stampeded here in the Great Martian Fossil Rush.

I'm trying to make an honest buck in a dishonest world, tracking down killers and kidnappers among the failed prospectors, the corrupt cops, and a growing population of transfers-lucky stiffs who, after striking paleontological gold, upload their minds into immortal android bodies. But when I uncover clues to solving the decades-old murders of Weingarten and O'Reilly, along with a journal that may lead to their legendary mother lode of Martian fossils, God only knows what I'll dig up...

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About the Author:

Robert J. Sawyer lives in Toronto. He has won both the Hugo and Nebula awards for best novel, as well as the Crime Writers of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award for mystery fiction. The ABC TV series FlashForward was based on his novel of the same name. He is also the author of the WWW Trilogy (WWW: Wake, WWW: Watch, WWW: Wonder), Illegal Alien, and Triggers.

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Red Planet Blues

Robert J. Sawyer