Mavis is desperate to leave Earth and her father's Oklahoma chicken farm behind. When she finds out about the resettlement program on Mars for single women, she signs without reading the fine print. Once on Mars, it seems near impossible to back out of the arranged marriage deal. To avoid marrying a stranger, Mavis flees together with Walt, who finds himself in a similar situation. The unlikely pair move to Olympus Mons to start a chicken farm, of all things.
Of course, things don't go as smooth as Mavis hoped. Breaking a contract guarantees legal troubleseven on Mars. And despite her heart being in the right place, Mavis also has a knack for putting her foot into her mouth. When arson destroys part of the community, Mavis, Walt and their new neighbours and friends need to up their game to resist the forces in power. But when Mavis unites the women she arrived with in the Martian (and martial, when needed) Bride Network, nothing seems impossible for these women ready to stand up for their rights and their new families.
Written from the point of view of Mavis, wdhenning brings to life the colony on terraformed Mars as a space-age version of the old west with its frontier towns, luck hunters, and postal brides. He paints lovable and diverse characters and infuses the entire story with his wonderful humour. From Mavis and Walt to Godzilla, the rooster, or Strawberry, the Mollusc, the protagonists of the story find their way into our heart. And the antagonists — well, they get what they deserve.
This is a well written and entertaining science fiction novella of the colonisation sub genre. It could also be marked as space western or expansion era fiction. While the story forms part, or rather the beginning of a series, it can be read as a standalone. But beware, you might crave more of the fare once you devoured this one.
Despite an underlying romantic element, the story is plot driven and deserves a general rating. It is definitely a fun read and my favourite story of the ONC 2024 entries — highly recommended.
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