by Christopher Pike
Tor Forge, $14.99, 388 pages
If you recognize the name of author Christopher Pike, you likely read his books in the 1990s when young adult readers gobbled up anything he published. Pike is back, reintroducing one of his adult novels to a new audience, 19 years after its debut. The Season of Passage is a blend of fiction, fantasy, horror, and suspense. Dr. Lauren Wagner is the medical officer on a second space flight to Mars. The first team arrived safely 10 years ago, but never returned. Lauren and her crew are assigned to investigate the mystery and answer the age old questions of whether there is life on Mars. Throughout the story, Pike transitions seamlessly between the present and the past. He has a style all his own that can’t be compared to today’s new writers in the same genres. After all, Pike was writing before many of the new writers were born. His characters are well developed. Pike is a master at creating twists and turns that the reader never sees coming. Returning fans and readers discovering Christopher Pike for the first time will agree that The Season of Passage is one of the author’s best novels.
Reviewed by Kathryn Franklin