THE AUTHOR EXTENDS his appreciation to the following persons for their assistance in the research and development of this novel: Koji Mukai, Tom Scheelings, Randy Kennedy, Phil Unger, Bob Liddil, Gardner Dozois, Sheila Williams, James Patrick Kelly, Kent Orlando, Doug Ferguson, Malcolm Hopker, Mike Nugent, Gary Freeman and Bob Eggleton. I’m also grateful for the continued support of Deborah Beale, Charon Wood, Ginjer Buchanan, Susan Allison, Carol Lowe, Martha Millard and Shelly Powers. Special thanks, as always, are also due to my wife Linda.
Most of the scientific background and technological extrapolation has been drawn from the published papers of the first three ‘Case for Mars’ conferences, held at the University of Colorado in Boulder between 1981 and 1987; much of the rest was gleaned from such diverse sources as space-science and astronomy texts, newspaper clippings and interesting plastic model kits. However, the most controversial source for this novel is its very springboard for inspiration: the so-called ‘Face’ and the nearby ‘City’ in the Cydonia region of Mars.
Most of the details of these alleged ‘alien artifacts’ were derived from two books which have been published about the subject: The Monuments of Mars by Richard C. Hoagland and The Face on Mars by Randolfo Rafael Pozos. While some of the theories and conjectures about the Cydonia anomalies have been included in this novel, others have been left out, and more than a few are completely the product of this author’s imagination.
In real life, the oddities which were photographed by the NASA Viking orbiters in 1976 have been either hailed as certain proof of extraterrestrial intelligence or dismissed as wild-eyed pseudo-science. The truth probably lies somewhere between the opposite poles of fact and fantasy; the verdict isn’t in yet, and perhaps won’t be conclusively delivered until the first manned expedition is made to the Cydonia region. We can only hope this happens within our lifetimes.
For the purposes of this work, the Face and the City are treated as if they do indeed exist, but this should not be misconstrued as whole-hearted endorsement of the ‘Face on Mars’ theories: the author neither claims to be a believer nor a disbeliever. This is intended as a work of science fiction, nothing more or less.
Your acceptance of the underlying premise, or your skepticism of the same, are both welcome.
September 1987-December 1991
Rindge, New Hampshire
Sanibel, Florida
St Louis, Missouri