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![Denver Moon: The Minds of Mars (Book One) by [Warren Hammond, Joshua Viola]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/518sbYNRH7L._SY346_.jpg)
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Denver Moon: The Minds of Mars (Book One) Kindle Edition
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Earth is dying. Luna is uninhabitable. Mars is our last chance.
Once considered humanity’s future home, Mars hasn’t worked out like anybody hoped. Plagued by crime and a terraforming project that's centuries from completion, Mars is a red hell.
Denver Moon, P.I., works the dark underbelly of Mars City. While investigating a series of violent crimes linked to red fever—a Martian disorder that turns its victims into bloodthirsty killers—Denver discovers a cryptic message left by Tatsuo Moon, Mars City co-founder and Denver's grandfather. The same grandfather who died two decades ago.
Twenty-year-old revelations force Denver on a quest for truth, but Tatsuo's former friend, Cole Hennessy, leader of the Church of Mars, has other plans and will stop at nothing to keep Denver from disclosing Tatsuo's secrets to the world.
Hell-bent on reclaiming her grandfather's legacy, Denver—along with her AI implant, Smith, companion android, Nigel, and shuttle pilot, Navya—set out on a quest to find the answers they hope will shed light on the church's true agenda, the origin of red fever, and the mysteries surrounding Tatsuo's tragic death.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateApril 14, 2018
- File size8986 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"This novella is recommended for all fans of speculative mysteries."
--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Take the Mars of Total Recall, the cybertech of Ghost in the Shell, the noir of Blade Runner, the action of Cowboy Bebop, and accelerate them to twelve times Earth escape velocity, then you will find yourself with the pure awesome joy that is Denver Moon."
--Matthew Kressel, multiple Nebula Award and World Fantasy Award finalist
"Denver Moon: The Minds of Mars combines Blade Runner and the original Total Recall with a dash of old-school detective noir that is hard to put down and leaves the reader wanting more."
--IndieReader
"This is Mars done as well as Elton John did it, as well as John Carpenter did it, as well as Total Recall did it. Move over, Andy Weir. Step aside, John Carter. Denver Moon is swaggering into this red landscape, and her footprints in the dust, they're going to last a few generations, I'd say."
--Stephen Graham Jones, bestselling author of Mongrels and Mapping the Interior
"A searing mystery with a superlative, gun-toting protagonist."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Denver Moon: The Minds of Mars is noir sci-fi at its best. A powerful story that is hard to put down and highly recommended for mystery and sci-fi fans alike."
--D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
"Crisp and compellingly told, Denver Moon is a high-tech, mystery-packed tale of our Mars-colonized tomorrow. Fans of Andy Weir and James S.A. Corey should take note."
--Jason Heller, Hugo-winning editor and author of Strange Stars
"A tense story of a well-imagined Mars where belief is more powerful than a gun."
--Richard Kadrey, bestselling author of Metrophage and the Sandman Slim series
"With a richly imagined and well-balanced mixture of Mickey Spillane and Philip K. Dick, the stories of Denver Moon deliver thought-provoking excitement, cunning twists, and deeply human characters (even the androids!). Put this on your must-read list."
--Carter Wilson, USA Today bestselling author
Product details
- ASIN : B078ZV4BYJ
- Publisher : Hex Publishers (April 14, 2018)
- Publication date : April 14, 2018
- Language : English
- File size : 8986 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 249 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #862,140 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,127 in Cyberpunk Science Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #3,795 in Cyberpunk Science Fiction (Books)
- #123,955 in Literature & Fiction (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Warren grew up in the Hudson River Valley of New York State. Upon obtaining his teaching degree from the University at Albany, he moved to Colorado, and settled in Denver where he can often be found typing away at one of the local coffee shops.
Warren is known for his gritty, futuristic KOP series. KOP was released 2007 to be followed by Ex-KOP in 2008. The third book in the series, KOP Killer, won the 2012 Colorado Book Award for Best Mystery.
Warren's latest, Tides of Maritinia, is a spy novel set in a science fictional world.
Always eager to see new places, Warren has traveled extensively. Whether it's wildlife viewing in exotic locales like Botswana and the Galapagos Islands, or trekking in the Himalayas, he's always up for a new adventure.
Joshua Viola is a four-time Colorado Book Award finalist and co-author of the Denver Moon series with Warren Hammond. His comic book collection, Denver Moon: Metamorphosis, was included on the 2018 Bram Stoker Award Preliminary Ballot for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel. He edited the Denver Post #1 bestselling anthology, Nightmares Unhinged, and co-edited Cyber World—named one of the best science fiction anthologies of 2016 by Barnes & Noble. His fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies, Birdy magazine, and on Tor.com. He is owner and chief editor of Hex Publishers.
Customer reviews
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Denver and her A.I. companion, Smith, both make for likable and fun characters, especially as they banter with each other. As the cast expands, they too are enjoyable to read. From the beginning of the book, as a reader, there were three main things I had questions about: who was the person in the prologue, was her grandfather really dead and what caused Red Fever? All of these are answered by the end of the book. Both Hammond and Viola did a good job crafting the story as there wasn't really anything that stood out to me as badly done or unfinished.
The only critique I can really give would be that while the mystery was solved in a satisfying way, it wasn't really surprising either. When the twist came, it wasn't anything that made me go wow. Despite that the pacing of the story was well done and it was an enjoyable read.
This is generally a readable book. The protagonist was likable enough, as were her three main associates (Nigel, Navya, and Smith). Plenty of readers will also appreciate the novel's lack of profanity and graphic sex scenes. The manga-style artwork that appeared in places was likewise a nice touch.
Although I think the authors did a good job with coming up with and explaining the Martian society worked, they neglected to provide any specific details on why or how Earth is becoming uninhabitable. Readers are only told in passing that it is, which I found a bit problematic. After all, these people certainly wouldn't continue to live in such an inhospitable place if something horrific wasn't going on back on Earth. Yet Denver never elaborates on the subject.
The plot also isn't as suspenseful as the Amazon description page would lead you to believe. Readers can quickly guess Denver’s grandfather is alive and that she’s going to take action once she’s figures out what’s actually been going on.
I additionally had to go back and look up who Victoria was since she makes one random appearance in an early chapter, but serves no other narrative purpose other than keeping Denver from wanting to go back to her apartment. She could easily have been left out.
It's still a decent story that's probably worth reading if you happen to be a science fiction fan.
The Kindle edition consists of “The Minds of Mars” novella, a prequel short story, “Metamorphosis”, and a preview chapter of book two in the series. The prequel provided some extra character background not found in “The Minds of Mars” and the sneak peak ended on a plot twist that’s sure to leave readers eager for more!
While perhaps not as sophisticated as some of the other Mars centric novels, I think most fans of sci fi will enjoy getting to know Denver Moon! 3.5 stars!
If there was ever a reason to eat popcorn and read, it would be Denver Moon! The plot, characters and world are unique. Protagonist, Denver, is a private eye on Mars, investigating murders by those plagued with red fever, an illness that turns Martians into murderous psychos. Because Denver is colorblind, she’s immune to the “feve”. As she uncovers the creepy truth about the fever’s origins with the help of her sidekick Smith (who is one of the most unique characters I’ve seen in ages — an AI installed in Denver’s Smith & Wesson), Denver discovers her long dead grandfather might actually be alive and holds the key to eliminating red fever.
The writing is top-notch and the pacing is lightning fast. Don’t miss out on a truly unique science fiction adventure.
Denver battles space pirates and even takes up against the megalithic Church of Mars. A lot of fascinating political intrigue and mystery, wonderfully woven into the galactic plot. There's an exciting DENVER MOON prequel story called METAMORPHOSIS that complements the book really well!
Great read - so excited for what's next.
Top reviews from other countries

The world of Denver Moon is the best thing about it. While I had initially felt that the sci-fi elements were merely introduced to add interest to what was otherwise would be a typical crime fiction, the two genres build together through the plot progression and mystery elements. This genre blend, along with adding interest, also compensates from some of the novel's weaknesses. If it were solely a mystery novel, the fact that the PI protagonist is, at times, woefully unintuitive would be hugely irritating and the predictability of some plot elements would make it a pointless read. By weaving it together with the sci-fi setting - complete with a struggling society and an extremist religion reacting against a destructive plague – these negatives are mostly negated. While it is quite obvious from the outset who will live, who is telling lies, and who wears a mask, the sci-fi elements add a level of unpredictability as it is harder to determine HOW these things have been achieved.
The novel is a definite starter novel for a series and naturally leaves a lot of questions unanswered about the world and the characters. In Denver Moon, however, the authors have sprinkled just enough information to draw the audience in and leave them looking forward to whatever sequel he produces.

The main character is refreshingly entertaining, although this is occasionally at the expense of character depth. The relationships between various people in the story are well developed, as is the mystery itself. This book is a real page-turner, and I'm excited to see where the authors choose to take it next.
The highlight of Denver Moon is definitely the world-building aspect of it - if you enjoy being fully immersed in a totally unique universe, I highly recommend this book.