Thunder and Lightning

As Chinese and US spacecraft compete to be the first to land on Mars, a former astronaut, his cousin, and four teens from Florida decide to take matters into their own hands. If they can quickly build their own space-worthy ship using scrap metal, appliances, and power tools, they have a chance to come from behind-thanks to an inventive new power source that can propel them to the Red Planet within three days. No guts, no glory ...

It doesn't matter that Ray Garcia-Strickland's father was one of the first men on Mars. The now overdeveloped planet has lost its hip factor, its luxurious hotels-like the one Ray's father manages-overrun with gravity-dependent tourists from Earth. Ray is over the Red Planet. Soon he gets his own chance at interplanetary adventure, when an unknown object hits Earth and causes a massive tsunami. Ray heads back to Florida to help family and friends who've survived the devastation-and soon learns the so-called natural disaster could have unnatural consequences..

The third book in the Thunder and Lightning Series Navy lieutenant Podkayne, daughter of Ray Garcia-Strickland, is tired of her job as Martian consul in California-and Earth's oppressive gravity. So she's OK with getting called back to Mars even if it's because her great-grandmother is sick and being put into suspended animation. After a family reunion, Podkayne's next port of call is Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, where she can finally realize her dream of being a singer. But just when her life seems to be improving for the better, disaster strikes and Podkayne is put into her own state of suspension. Awakened ten years later, she will discover a solar system in turmoil-where the very survival of humanity is at risk ...

Red Thunder, Red Lightning, and Rolling Thunder-"action-packed, science-packed homages to Heinlein's best work"-now in one volume (Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing). Enjoy all three novels in Hugo and Nebula Award—winning author John Varley's Mars saga! Red Thunder As Chinese and US spacecraft compete to be the first to land on Mars, a former astronaut, his cousin, and four teens from Florida have a chance to beat them both-thanks to an inventive new power source that can propel them to the Red Planet within three days. No guts, no glory... Red Lightning Son of one of the first men on Mars, Ray Garcia-Strickland is over the Red Planet and its gravity-dependent tourists. And when an unknown object hits Earth and causes a massive tsunami, he'll get his own chance at interplanetary adventure . . . Rolling Thunder Stationed on one of Jupiter's moons, Podkayne, a Martian navy lieutenant and daughter of Ray Garcia-Strickland, is finally realizing her dream of being a singer when disaster strikes. Put into a state of suspended animation, she awakens ten years later to face her-and humanity's-greatest challenge.