New Release: Gateway to Mars by H.E Wilburson

In 1945, a lone astronaut survives a devastating calamity while journeying to the moon.

184 years later, in an alternate dimension that never suffered the Martian invasion of 1906, Martian colonists discover bizarre human remains, and remnants of a book with a dire warning: the Martians are coming.

I’m a huge fan of the first two books in the Martian Diaries trilogy, and I was very excited to get my hands on an advance copy of Gateway to Mars.

I would consider this book more of a reboot of The War of the Worlds rather than a sequel to Lake on the Moon. It reimagines Wells’s story in the far future, where technologically advanced humans are this time invading Mars.

I loved all the call outs to the original book, as well as to the first two books in the Martian Diaries, as well as to the author himself!

As with the other books in the series, the question of God and religious faith is important, and I liked this detail.

It took me a while to get into this book. I was disappointed at first by how different it was from the other books, and I missed the characters I had grown to love. I found it hard to connect with the characters in Gateway to Mars, and thought their dialogue often stilted. The female lead was named Orion, and I kept on thinking she was a man!

However, once I thought of it as a standalone book, I appreciated it much more. I like the ideas presented in the future world, as well as how the story develops when humans have the technological advantage. I found it very interesting to think about humans being the invaders on Mars. It’s also full of observations on current issues, and I liked the aspects of interdimensional travel as well as time travel.

Another great story by H.E Wilburson, which I look forward to listening to when the dramatized audio version is released. However, I would advise fans of The Day of the Martians and Lake on the Moon to think of this more as a standalone reimagining of The War of the Worlds, and leave behind their expectations before they turn the first page.

I award Gateway to Mars…

Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.