The Last Martian — James Haselton

In this story, volume two of the spiritual/sci-fi series Strangers in Strange Worlds, author James Haselton takes his readers on another journey of exploration â€" this time to planet Mars. Seven astronauts barely begin their exploration of the planet before encountering something wholly beyond their comprehension, something for which no training could have prepared them, something which immediately threatens their very survival in an environment which could hardly be more hostile to human life. As the explorers struggle with both the environmental challenges and the unexpected â€" literally the invisible, they are forced to confront the possibility that there must be life on this barren, sandy rock. While fighting for their very lives, most of the crewmembers begin to realize that they have been sent on this mission without certain key facts, one of which is the true goal of the mission. It quickly becomes apparent that not everyone in the crew has the same priorities. The questions raised are as profound as life itself: What is life? How could life have begun and evolved in such a forbidding place? What right do humans have to interfere in the lives of other worlds? And finally, what could happen when we do?