Overlords of Mars - Inception

Overlords of Mars: Inception was quite a surprise for me. I'm a fan of -good- sci-fi, especially near-future and alt-history, and anything involving conspiracy theories is right up my alley (I grew up on a steady diet of Art Bell, X-Files, and the like.) That said, such stories are often lacking; authors who devote themselves to accuracy of detail within these sub-genres have tended to be shallow on characterization, and the tropes within the genre are worn pretty thin. I didn't know what to expect going into the book, but it floored me because the author did such a good job at avoiding those pitfalls. I purchased the Kindle edition, read it over the course of a few hours over the weekend, and can't wait to get the next book.I'll avoid spoilers, but Filotto's characters are interesting. The protagonist is definitely a Heinleinian "Competent Man," but without coming off as indestructible. He knows danger and adventure await, and relishes in it. The other characters in the story are realistic and sufficiently introduced given the length of the book itself; he spends a good amount of time on each of the other characters in a "getting to know you" setting. It works very well within this story.The plot itself is intriguing, as it contains a mix of historical fact, fiction, conspiracy-theory, and observation. Many of the historical and theoretical aspects are handled through what some would call lengthy "info-dumps," and while that is often considered a derisive term, the way in which the author handles all of that information it is the absolute best way -any- author can do it, and fits well with the nature of the protagonist (a man who clearly studies everything of interest) and the story itself. Few authors can successfully pull that off without damaging the integrity of their stories, but this is top-shelf.There is not a lot of -action- in this story, but it is clearly leading up to something huge. There is a bit of "action" that the protagonist gets, though, and that was well-played.My only complaint with the book was technical: there are a few times where the font becomes inconsistent (changes between one font and another.) Whether that is the result of my device being a POS or bad encoding I cannot say; I'm not docking any points over it, it's just something to be aware of.Overall it's a four star story; extremely good, probably one of the best in contemporary conspiracy-heavy sci-fi, but it is the first in the series and I generally hold back a star until I see how well the rest of a series turns out. I'm definitely going to pick up the next book as well as the authors' other works.

For years I avoided Sci-Fi simply due to a lack of interest directly related to the poor quality of the current catalog of most publishers. There are a few exceptions, but the Science Fiction of my youth generated excitement, a sense of adventure and wonder at what potential worlds would be like and how would men from Earth survive. Many of the popular award winning authors and nothing but inept writers who would rather offer another shallow version Star Trek and throw in a couple of junior high sex fantasies. Science Fiction should spark the imagination, not insult the reader. “The Overlords of Mars” has more spark than a Fourth of July celebration.I knew we would see fiction become reality when my parents took me, a five year old child, outside on a cold October night in 1957 to watch a bright ball of light cross the Kansas sky. Sputnik was tangible evidence of what could be. The great science fiction authors fueled the “what if” inside of me. However, the last 20 years has seen the rapid decline of quality sci-fi, but there are signs that the tide is turning. Giuseppe Filotto is one of those who has his hand on the wheel and is pulling hard to steer science fiction back on the right course.When I first scanned he premise of the book, I have to admit I was skeptical since the primary characters and events included Nazis, Moon Nazis, Mars Nazis, Nazis buried in secret bases deep in the polar regions, Grey aliens, Blue aliens, the lost ancient Martian civilization and what happened to them, fantastic anti-gravity ships and strange technology. Surprisingly, it all pulls together to make for a captivating adventure as our guide, Joe (Giona) begins his involvement with the complex political minefield generated by differing lifeforms who all possess the technological ability to destroy not only individuals, but entire worlds.The book is a prelude to what promises to be a continuing series of intrigue and excitement. The character’s psychological and sociological profiles are just as important as the technology they use. What are the real motivations of each person? Who are they; are they as they seem or is it all manipulation. Some are pragmatic, others are driven by destructive ideology, and others desire to be protectors of their species even if they have to sacrifice millions.This book is well worth your time.

Hardly anyone writes sci-fi like this anymore. It's a wonderful blend of near-future technology, conspiracy theories, what-if speculations, and solid observations about humanity. It reminded me of Golden Age sci-fi "can-do" hero, sharpened and hardened to a keen edge, about to be set loose in a wild frontier.The slow parts aren't slow, they are fit in very well with the story line. Getting the reader up to speed in the world is handled adroitly, Mr. Filotto's protagonist is a man with an insatiable appetite for knowledge, even if the facts are uncomfortable and challenge long-held beliefs. I couldn't but help liking Joe, he's the type of hero that a setting like this needs.That said, this is clearly a book aimed at mature readers, Mr. Filotto doesn't shy away from all aspects of the human experience, including sex. His treatment of the subject is foundational for not only his world-building but also character growth and creation. But it's intense and graphic yet it's done without being lurid.That's my only warning about the story.I did have an issue, as another reader noted, with random font changes. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it and it only was apparent on my Paperwhite, the web-based reader didn't show that problem.The rest of it, well, how can you go wrong with Moon Nazis, anti-gravity technology, ancient civilizations, different alien groups on the periphery, and savage Mars waiting for the hero? Mr. Filotto delivers well on the book's start, by the end, I was disappointed it had ended already.This isn't an action book, it's not supposed to be. It's a solidly paced setup for the series, leaving the reader wanting more.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very different from most Sci-Fi I read and had a very original plot as well as some sections of real history that were incredibly interesting because I was not aware of any of it before and some of it is just so bizarre, yet also true. I actually ended up doing a bit of my own research after I finished this book! The characters are quite well developed and the plot-line takes so many little twists you just find yourself hooked without even realising it. The author has also put some notes at the back of the book and these alone were worth the price of the book as I found them amusing, informative and actually very entertaining.There is also at least one pretty graphic sex scene, and I had never seen realistic sex scenes done in SF before, but this one really worked within the context of the story. I'm not saying much about the story itself because I don't want to give any spoilers, which is hard to do because it's so jam-packed with original concepts, part of the reason I really liked it is that the story flows really naturally but at the same time you are thinking "Oh! yeah, that would work! Wow!" but it's done in a pretty subtle way too. If you are a SF fan I would definitely recommend this book, and I'm definitely buying the second one as soon as it's out.

I was a bit of a skeptic picking up this book , SF books rarely appealed to me ,But started reading it anyway .And yes in the beginning it starts a bit slow , on the other hand you realize that all the descriptions are necessary to be able to immerse yourself in this different from our perception of the reality .Once you clear the descriptive part , this book becomes gripping and involving ,its difficult to put it down . The Author is combining very well some controversial facts with SF in a way it reminded me of Dan Brown. And just when you arrive at Mars ,the book ends. You'll feel anxious to continue , so Mr. Filotto give us the next installment ,please .All in all very entertaining read ,absolutely recommend it

I read a lot of sci-fi and this book was some of the more thought provoking seeming likely to send the reader on a search for more information on the topics addressed.

This was my first scifi book, which was recommended to me by a friend. I was initially skeptical as this is not my preferred genre. What a surprise! I genuinely enjoyed the book and remained engaged throughout. There was enough detail for my imagination to flow without being tiresome, which is what has often put me off from previous attempts at reading scifi books. It also has a strong human story to it, which made the story seem plausible and realistic. If i can find more books written like this, i would be a scifi convert. At the price offered on Amazon, this book is a bargain and definitely worth the read. Well done Mr. Filotto!

Just finished reading the paper copy. When is the next book available.Awesome SI FI. One of those books I found hard to put down. I love themix of fantasy and real facts proper scary and amazing at the same time.If you like your SI FI check it out. Great value.