LOVE ON MARS
Twelve astronauts look for the X-Factor in Victor Dixen’s Ascension
Ever since Neil Armstrong first made his giant leap for mankind in 1969, the space race has been played out on television. Now in Ascension – the first volume in the Phobos series – Victor Dixen is taking it to the next, logical level, pairing up the 12 astronauts for a mission to Mars through a reality TV programme.
“When we go to Mars, I’m convinced it will be the biggest show of its time,” the author tells Red Alert. “A speed-dating game could well be the shape it could take. After all, to create a human colony on a new world, you need couples first, and how unique a show would it be, to see astronauts fall in love in space!”
Selecting the nationalities of the dozen young adult astronauts from the 12 countries that are currently investing the most in space exploration, the story is told from the point of view of 18-year-old French orphan Leanor, who believes that it is at least an improvement on her former job in a dog food factory.
“I tried to imagine what could prompt individuals to renounce everything on Earth and take that incredible leap of faith to leave for another world,” explains Dixen. “Each character has an official reason to go, proudly announced during the Genesis Programme’s selection rounds. But the human psyche is complex, and each character has a secret that’s carefully hidden from the other characters.”
Ascension will be followed by Distortion in October before the final instalment is released next year. “I’ve tried to push my two main themes one step further in each book,” teases Dixen. “The exhilarating fascination of space on one hand, and the dangerous fascination of screens on the other.”
Ascension is published on 28 June by Hot Key.