Synopses & Reviews
Praise for
Phobos: "Drago's exceptionally well-written first novel is a police procedural set on Mars in the twenty-second century. Once the investigation gets going, plot, pacing, and characters blend well. And suspense rapidly builds as we realize that some of the plots afoot threaten death tolls that make the ambitions of the terrorists Brogue foils early on seem mild. More, if you please, Mr. Drago."--Booklist
"Phobos is a very impressive debut novel."--Mike Resnick
"Set on 22nd-century Mars and the larger of its two moons, Phobos, Drago's first novel successfully combines hard science (biotech and nanotech) with military and social SF. The SED corporation, which mines a vital metal christened barsoomium, calls the shots on the colonized Red Planet. When Lieutenant Michael Brogue, the only native Martian colonist in the Peacekeepers, rescues a visiting Terran politician from terrorists, he discovers that no good deed goes unpunished. He gets transferred to Phobos, where he replaces the moon's popular Peacekeeper officer recently killed by a mysterious life form known as the Phobos Beast. He also encounters the formidable Sergeant Choi Min Lau and the equally formidable Wilber Isaacs and his daughter Gabrielle, entrepreneurs running the Agraria research station on Phobos. Tracking down the Phobos Beast tangles Brogue in a web of intrigue involving near-mutiny, kidnapping and murder. The author hardly sets a foot or a word wrong. This is a strong candidate for the year's best SF debut."--Publishers Weekly
"A speedy pace and lots of action scenes make this a good choice for readers of sf adventure and intrigue."--Library Journal
"Military murder-mystery set on Phobos, one of the hurtling moons of Barsoom-er, Mars. An intriguing whodunit with well-developed characters whose mostly stock situations Drago handles with flair and skill: a newcomer worth keeping an eyestalk canted towards."--Kirkus Reviews
"A well-written story in a well-thought-out milieu, with themes that touch upon today's societal conflicts. The story is a page-turner, and the science is believable and coherent. It's reminiscent of Heinlein's military stories, and leaves ample room for a sequel. An altogether good read."--Walter H. Hunt
"Phobos is a great police procedural science fiction tale that hooks the audience from the moment Mike works the mayoral abduction case until he completes the dangerous moon probe. The story line works for both genres as Mars and Phobos feel genuinely colonized and in dispute with the mother planet while the investigation seeks to uncover the villain behind the homicides. The key cast members whether they are from Earth or Mars are fully developed so that the audience receives a great tale reminiscent of Sean Connery's Outland."--Harriet Klausner, Midwest Book Review, January 2004
"Phobos is an exciting, high-speed ride. As Lieutenant Michael Brogue attempts to sort out the brutal murders, cutting-edge science, and alien environment on the Martian moon, you will be just as intrigued as he is. Ty Drago is a writer to watch."--Nancy Kress
Review
"This is a strong candidate for the year's best SF debut." Publishers Weekly
Review
"This is a strong candidate for the year's best SF debut." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Lt. Mike Brogue is one of a kind: the only native Martian to be a commissioned officer. He's the military's poster boy for relieving political tensions between Mars Colony and Earth---but he wants nothing to do with it. Brogue is just a man trying to do his job as a tactical analyst and prefers to leave the politics to civilians and government subcommittees.
After he manages to save a top Terran official from an extremist plot, however, the only way to avoid the spotlight is to get offplanet. So he pulls some strings and gets shipped to one of the small moons of Mars to help unravel a mystery.
Some people at the research station on the Martian moon Phobos have been killed, and it seems like the culprit is a native life form. The first military team sent in quickly discovered just how lethal the Phobos beast could be.
Brogue, however, doesn't focus on the dust clouds and barren rock that compose the beast's lair but rather turns his attention to the high-tech research facility and its crew. He soon learns that there's no such thing as a safe haven from political upheaval.
About the Author
Ty Drago is a computer programmer, husband, father, and a born Quaker who has lived in New Jersey almost his entire life. An avid fan of history, he has traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe. Many years ago, Isaac Asimov gave a book signing in Philadelphia to promote his non-fiction work,
One in a Trillion. Drago went to obtain an autographed copy, and when Dr. Asimov learned that Drago was a struggling young SF writer, he penned the following:
To Ty: Please keep trying. Isaac Asimov. And he did.