Old Man in a Spacesuit

This is a terrific take on a "first colony story." A small group of lonely elders are sent to the Red Planet because who'll complain when they never return?

The technology is pared down, and you don't need to be steeped in sci-fi jargon, but this is the Mars I love and respect. The team faces serious dangers.

The hero, a successful science fiction writer (I loved him immediately), is the best type of troublemaker, sometimes smart and sometimes stupid, solving problems in ways no one else even considers. I kept reading far into the night.