Grand Prize Winner—Chanticleer CYGNUS Book Award

Distinguished Favorite—Independent Press Award (Sci-Fi)

Winner—Canadian Book Club Awards (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)

A mission to Mars.

A wager decades in the making.

A crew caught in something far bigger.

Commander Kate Holman is minutes from making history when she’s abruptly relieved of command and replaced by the mission’s security officer. No explanation. No warning.

The mission isn’t what it seems.

On the surface of Mars, something has been uncovered—something important enough to strip away her command and keep the crew in the dark. When it’s removed from the site and locked away, Kate is left with questions no one will answer.

Then everything begins to fall apart.

An astronaut dies. Systems fail. Whispers spread of a Martian “curse” tied to the discovery. As Kate searches for a rational explanation, the resistance she encounters only deepens—and the truth becomes impossible to ignore.

This mission was never about exploration.

As the crisis escalates, Kate is forced to confront a possibility more unsettling than anything on Mars: that whatever they’ve uncovered isn’t alien at all, but something far more deliberate—already in motion—and that powerful forces will do anything to see it through.

Can she survive the mission and make it back to Earth—or will she become one more casualty?

Ares is a gripping science fiction thriller packed with sabotage, secrets, conspiracy, and the darker side of human ambition. If you’re looking for hard sci-fi rooted in engineering manuals and orbital mechanics, this isn’t that book. But if you crave tense, character-driven thrillers in space, then buckle in.

Perfect for listeners who love:

• Missions gone wrong and trust betrayed

• Conspiracies buried behind official orders

• Space survival under psychological strain

• Strong female leaders facing impossible choices

• High-stakes sci-fi with relentless pacing

Listen to the award-winning Mars science fiction thriller that keeps listeners up late.

Start the mission today.

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Jayson L. Adams writes sci-fi thrillers that explore what extreme situations reveal about who we really are. His novels combine high-stakes tension with deeper questions about identity, courage, and human nature.

www.jaysonadams.com