"A great Christian science fiction thriller"

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

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted November 29, 2003

Summary

The sequel to the award-winning Oxygen. Courage and self- sacrifice have finally brought the crew of Ares 10 safely to the planet Mars. They enthusiastically begin the mission they were sent to perform. Though working under dangerous conditions and experiencing strained relationships, the astronauts are encouraged by fascinating discoveries that seem to point to the presence of microscopic life on the planet. But their work is disrupted when frightening sabotage, like that of the trip to Mars, begins again. Is the "fifth man" alien or human?