Mars

After Jupiter, I went back to start with the first book in Ben Bova's series - Mars. It is a gripping page-turner of the first manned mission to Mars, and the hopes of making the most startling of discoveries - life on another planet. The book's tension comes from a great balance of the personal story of the astronouts, the hard-science of the mission, and the all-too-realistic dimension of earthly politics. Real drama cloaked in a scifi setting. Looks like I'll be reading the whole series now!