Mr. Ballingrud makes this whole strange scenario work with surprising ease ... Characters sometimes act unbelievably, and there are jarring moments of darkness ... I would have preferred to explore more of this new/old Mars. I wanted to meet the ancient, John Carter-style aliens who may have lived there and the tribes that escaped Europeans by living in the Martian deserts.
The horror elements feel like the most original and interesting threads, but they seem somewhat desiccated by their subordination to the novel’s plot and Annabelle’s mindset ... An excellent and unexpected balance of inspirations and innovations. The specific homage to Bradbury’s atmosphere is remarkable enough, but this is more than a pastiche.
The Strange wouldn’t be half as good without Ballingrud’s extraordinary characterization ... Diversity is touched on only briefly. To its credit, it never feels crass and exploitative, yet never feels thorough ... The narrative might be uneven, but I enjoyed it immensely.
Ambitious but not wholly successful ... While their perilous journey is suspenseful, and unraveling the horrible secrets of the Strange makes a fascinating mystery, the unsatisfactory conclusion leaves more questions than it answers. Readers will put this down being more frustrated than fulfilled.
