On Mars a dedicated group of pioneers - among them some of Earth's finest brains - struggle to change the face of the planet ... The Mars of this novel has no fabulous cities or exotic princesses; it is the planet which our modern science has revealed to us, and the book's authenticity provides a far greater excitement than would fantasy. Against this background, Author C. Clarke has woven a thrilling story about a group of very realy people, to show that, amidst the wonder of future science, human nature will stay very much the same.