The Fifth Man, by John B. Olsen and Randall Ingermanson

In the sequel to Oxygen, winner of the 2002 Christy Award, the mission to Mars continues as astronauts Valkerie Jansen, Bob Kaganovski, Alexis Ohata, and Kennedy Hampton search the arid, lifeless desert terrain of Mars for any signs of life, even the most microscopic. They've survived great obstacles to reach this point - an early flight explosion on their trip to Mars, the discovery of a potentially life-threatening bio-organism shortly after the accident, and personal difficulties in their relationships - but it all seemingly pays off as Valkerie discovers a microscopic organism buried in a deep tunnel protected from the sun's harsh cosmic rays. Despite her uncertainty about how to deal with Bob's awkward marriage proposal - especially considering their claustrophobic conditions - she's elated at the prospect of doing what so many have dreamed and theorized about: discovering life on Mars.

However, trouble is brewing under the surface. While Commander Kennedy Hampton shows increasingly aggressive, confrontational behavior towards the rest of the crew, Bob Kaganovski feels watched out of the corner of his eyes. He's gone through all the psychological studies and training, and is well aware of the potential stresses of being alone with only three other people on a desolate planet - but still, he feels certain that something is out there, watching their every move. Coupled with the pang of unrequited love, the foundations for an explosive decompression are laid. When Valkerie and Kennedy fall ill with an unexplained sickness and start hallucinating sounds and an other presence, a match is held very close to burning flame.

Meanwhile, things are unraveling at NASA in Houston. As top flight officials face mounting pressure over whether or not they should bring back their sick astronauts and risk "back-contamination" - contaminating Earth with a potentially extraterrestrial bacteria - it becomes clear someone at Mission Control can't be trusted. Whether it's a Russian spy or one of their own gone bad, a hacker is on the loose, determined to do everything in their power to ruin the mission and strand their astronauts on Mars forever.

Commander Kennedy goes insane and attacks Valkerie and Bob; someone steals the Rover and sabotages vital equipment and supplies, and strange things go "bump in the night". Have they all gone mad with a Martian disease...or is there a "fifth man" among them?

This is a novel I REALLY wanted to love; in fact, I did for most of the story. Olsen and Ingermanson lay down a narrative that's tense and suspenseful, the science is plausible and believable, and there are a lot of Red Planet (Val Kilmer) and Mission to Mars (Gary Sinese) vibes that really makes the reader wonder: is a Christian science fiction novel going to go where no Christian science fiction novel has gone before, (pun intended), and declare life on other planets?

**SPOILER ALERT** Alas, the spookie heebie jeebies are explained away, making this once again a "safe" Christian science fiction novel that colors within the lines. The skill to tell an engaging story is here, and while many won't blink twice at the novel's ending, I'm sure more than a few will feel a little disappointment upon discovering the "fifth man" isn't who/what we were hoping.

This is an enjoyable, suspenseful novel for the most part, but if you were hoping for boundary-pushing science fiction that'll pose interesting questions concerning theology and life on other planets like Rendezvous With Rama, and Rama II by Arthur C. Clarke, this isn't it, despite skillful writing and attention to detail.