The Secret of Life

There is life on Mars -- and now it's colonising Earth.

Slicks of a strange super organism found growing in the Pacific Ocean are traced back to a Chinese expedition to the North Polar icecap of Mars. As a second Chinese expedition is on the way to the red planet, the American government recruits its own team to search for Martian life, including Dr Mariella Anders.

Committed to the fundamental truths of science, Mariella wants only to discover the truth about the strange and marvellous organism that threatens to colonise Earth's oceans, but the motives of others involved in the search are less noble. Faced with corporations, activist groups and a clash between superpowers, Mariella's path to knowledge is perilous, and although her work may reveal the secrets of the origin of life on Mars and Earth, who can be trusted with the truth, and what price will it exact?

Shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award


Paul McAuley pulls off that rare balancing act of examining big concepts while telling an absorbing and entertaining story. ― New Scientist

Paul McAuley's balanced grasp of science and literature, always a rare attribute in the writer of prose fiction, is combined with an equally rare ability to look at today's problems and know which are really problems, and what can be done about them ― William Gibson

Spectacular ideas, life-sized characters, credible and provocative politicking and maneuvering ― Kirkus Reviews

A stirring saga of science, Mars, and life -- Infinity Plus