4 Stars!

I have read Nadia Afifi's works before so I knew I was in for a treat with this one. While hard science fiction is not my normal genre anymore, I used to be a big fan of the genre and still enjoy it when it is well-written. I had taken a chance on Afifi a couple years ago and am happy that I did. When I saw A Rebel's History of Mars was coming out in June from Flame Tree Press, I wasted no time in requesting a review copy and diving in.

Kezza knows that she can never go to Earth. She is an aerialist in Martian circus and is trapped on the planet forever. Her life is not an easy one. It is a constant struggle to get by as well as to maintain her weight at a specific level in order to keep her job. The one thing that keeps her going is the anger within her and the thirst for revenge against the man who caused her to have to live this way.

Azad lives 1000 years in the future from Kezza but their fates are soon to be intertwined. He seemed to live an idyllic life on the planet of Nabatea, but he was not happy. His life was too controlled. Too regimented. Seeking adventure, he joins a group of space-traveling historians and finds his way to the Martian desert in search of the reason for his ancestors abandoning the planet. It is here that he encounters Kezza through the use of technology and learns the hidden past of his people.

Afifi knows how to build a world and A Rebel's History of Mars is a great example of this. It takes a special talent to make science fiction feel real. Since the story takes place in a world far from ours in both time and space, it can be difficult for the reader to become completely drawn into the story. This is not the case with this novel as Afifi creates such a vivid and "realistic" world that it is easy to fall in step right beside the characters. The world in this novel is a flawed world much like our own, and that is what makes it so real. From the pomp of the circus to the dusty wasteland of the desert, I never once felt as if I was watching a story unfold so much as taking part in the story. Great work and masterful world building by Afifi for capturing the setting so exquisitely.

As for the story, this is well put together as well although there can be some confusion and even repetition at times. Some of this is by design as the historians use a "time projector" to explore the past, so their visions of the past overlap, but it can make the story a little tedious and repetitious in small intervals. I also got a little confused at times as the past and present overlap and strongly reflect each other requiring some work to keep the events straight. Overall, though, this is an exceptional science fiction novel that is sure to appeal to those who enjoy "hard" science fiction but may be a little too much for the casual sci-fi fan. Quite simply, Afifi is an amazing writer and A Rebel's History of Mars is another testament to her talent. This book is highly recommended.

I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. A Rebel's History of Mars is scheduled to be released on July 15, 2025.

Sometimes when I’m reading science fiction I don’t understand what is going on. I find the best strategy is to continue reading until my brain adjusts to the concepts being presented. Sometimes I give up. The Rebel’s History of Mars kept me going, even though I kept getting mightily confused with the change of timeline. I’m not sure what might be confusing about Kezza on Mars in 2195 or thereabouts (date and location at each chapter heading), and Azad from Nabatean in 1200 (founding years).

Except… Kezza is very like Ledo, who Azad is searching for, and a whole load of people that Azad falls in with are searching the historical record for Kezza, and using a very interesting time projector to see what actually went on at various points in the past (but without sound). These leads to some repetition of events or significant features, that have different interpretations in one timeline and the other. I think.

The world-building is superb, save only for the confusion of names and similarities of symptoms, which make the reader think they’ve misunderstood. In fact, it’s only on reflection that I realise I wasn’t being stupid, there really were differences in the two strands which were down to different points of view and misinterpretation of available data. But it all comes well at the end. Exceptionally well, in one final respect.

Nadia Afifi has wrought an excellent unreliable narrator into her engrossing tale of the founding of Mars colonies by rich oligarchs who want to build a world of their own design. I’m only just beginning to realise just how good this book is, and I think I’ll go and read it again.