[Johnson] presents efficient thumbnails of astronomers like Percival Lowell, who popularized the idea of visible 'canals' on Mars as evidence of an alien civilization; Carl Sagan, who suggested that big, turtlelike organisms 'are not only possible on Mars; they may be favored'; and Maria Zuber, the only woman among the 87 investigators on the 1996 Mars Global Surveyor science team. Along the way, you come to appreciate the astonishing ingenuity required to safely send rovers the size of Mini Coopers several hundred million kilometers through a frozen vacuum, land them on another planet and drive them around by remote control. Most compelling are Johnson’s memories of formative moments ... Johnson’s prose swirls with lyrical wonder, as varied and multihued as the apricot deserts, butterscotch skies and blue sunsets of Mars ... beautifully dramatize[s] the emotional precarity of having one’s career pinned to the fate of space hardware ... exemplifies the humanity of science: Johnson laughs, grieves, hopes, fails, tries, fails and tries again.
... vivid ... Through a mix of personal memoir and scientific primer, [Johnson] illuminates the history of astronomers and explorers who have been fascinated by this neighbouring world, known to the ancients as a ruddy dot shining in the night sky ... The strength of Johnson’s narrative lies in interweaving these better-known stories with her own development as a planetary geologist ... don’t expect to read much about Europe’s or India’s exploration of Mars — this is a strictly US perspective...Still, there’s no better guide to what NASA’s various Mars missions have revealed ... a true love letter to geology, on this world and others.
As [Johnson] displays the love of discovery that drives so much scientific inquiry, it’s easy to cheer her on ... The Sirens of Mars is an elegy, though its author may be too hopeful to realize it ... Ms. Johnson remains upbeat: Life, she writes, is 'stunningly resilient.' Maybe it lies buried beneath the Martian soil, where we haven’t found it yet. Conceivably it could arise from 'an entirely different molecular foundation.' She likens this notion to 'trying to imagine a color we’ve never seen'—and when she does, her yearning for signs of life starts to feel more like fantasy than science. What might be a cautionary tale becomes for her an opportunity to wax lyrical ... Great advances can spring from apparent defeat, of course. Perhaps the Mars Perseverance rover, scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral in a few weeks, will enjoy better luck. At some point, however, we may want to admit that the red planet is a dead planet—and that the search for life on Mars is a siren song.
Johnson details her call to science as a girl, her experiences as a female scientist, and how her involvement with Mars began in 2004 when, as a graduate student, she went to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California to observe the rovers Curiosity and Opportunity as they roamed the Martian terrain. A heady and thoughtful history for space and science buffs.
Part natural history of Mars and part personal story, this narrative is accessible and eloquent, making it essential for armchair explorers and Mars enthusiasts. Johnson’s journey is also inspiring to women interested in S.T.E.M. careers.
... enthusiastic and lyrical ... Evincing a gift for vivid imagery, she shares memories from her own work, including of how computer software transforms images of the Martian surface into detail-packed, 'psychedelic swathes of colors.' She also provides a general timeline of the four Mars rover missions, detailing the goals and findings of each one, always focusing on the discoveries’ implications for the search for alien life, as when a rover discovered traces of the elements required for life: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. Johnson’s skillful narrative will engage serious students of planetary science as well as armchair adventurers curious about 'a wilderness stretching off into the horizon, vast and full of possibility.'
In accessible and sometimes captivating language, Johnson tells the stories of the people and technologies driving these pioneering quests to study the red planet’s biochemical and geographical makeup. She also deftly unpacks the existential stakes that underlie scientists’ aspirations to demonstrate that humans are not alone in the universe. Blending professional and personal narratives in her discussions of major discoveries—e.g., Mars' surface once held water; Martian rock samples contain the elements required for life—she provides a lucid portrait of the countless challenges and breakthroughs of planetary science. The author also demonstrates how the field of extremophile biology is a key component in the Mars efforts. These recurring themes of optimism, persistence, and survival anchor the book and infuse Johnson’s writing with philosophical weight ... A vivid, poetic account that leaves readers eager to see what's next in the quest to find extraterrestrial life.
