Ares' Anger
James Womack’s "Ares’ Anger", is a nice, science fiction tale about astronauts on Mars. I think it will gel well with those who prefer more of the science aspect in science fiction. It also reminds me of the old, black-and-white TV science fiction series that deal with alien worlds, wherein each episode brings its challenges and adventures. This short story centers around Dexter, one of a very small crew on the planet Mars. He goes out on assignment and faces some very real dangers. Does he make it back before he is seriously hurt, or killed? Given the limitations of Mars, simple errors can easily be life threatening.I found the writing engaging, and detailed enough so I really felt I was there. The relationships between the characters were well enough developed for this short tale. There were a few typos, though they did not take me out of the story. The only other consideration would be to shorten the lengthy introductions of the crew, as they did little or nothing to contribute to the overall plot of the story, and honestly, I forgot about them after each was listed. I would have preferred to have those words used for more action scenes, which I felt were written in a compelling manner, and helped ratchet up the tension of the story. Those were my favorite parts.
Recommended for lovers of science fiction, I rate this story as four stars, and I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.