-
Mars, Inc.
- The Billionaire's Club
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Series: The Billionaire's Club, Book 1
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $23.07
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Power Challenges
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is time to start colonizing the solar system. Ex-astronaut, current space advisor, and all-out troubleshooter for the president, Jake, is determined to make it happen. And what better way than to return to America’s glory by returning to the moon and setting up a permanent moon-base which can then serve as the launching pad for Mars and beyond. But as usual, political intrigue and conflicting priorities are threatening the whole program.
-
-
Happy Ending
- By Phillip Smith on 09-03-21
By: Ben Bova
-
My Favorites
- A Collection of Short Stories
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Ben Bova, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Alex Hyde-White, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Exploring the boundaries of the genre, Bova not only writes of spaceships, aliens, and time travel in most of his titles, but also speculates on the beginnings of science fiction in “Scheherazade and the Storytellers,” as well as the morality of man in “The Angel’s Gift.” Stories such as “The Café Coup” and “We’ll Always Have Paris” dip into speculative historical fiction, asking questions about what would happen if someone could change history for the better. This expansive collection is a key addition for Bova fans and sci-fi lovers alike!
-
-
Great collection
- By L. F. C. on 05-11-22
By: Ben Bova
-
The Kinsman Saga
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 19 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a startling future that's coming closer every year, Chet Kinsman is an astronaut ace who has done everything one can in space - including commit the first murder. It's a secret he can never escape, not even on the moon, where he's head of the first U.S. lunar colony. A series of shocking yet strangely inevitable circumstances will force Kinsman to confront his hidden past and decide Earth's destiny. In a desperate countdown to nuclear annihilation, Kinsman will struggle against a deadly dilemma: if he rescues the world, he risks destroying himself.
-
-
Better than reported!
- By Matthew on 11-01-13
By: Ben Bova
-
Death Wave
- The Star Quest Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Kell and his team return to Earth many years after their departure, they find that their world has changed almost beyond recognition. Not only has a second wave of greenhouse flooding caused sea levels to rise, but society has been changed by the consequences of the climate shift. Few people want to face Jordan Kell's news. He must convince Earth's new rulers that the human race is in danger of extinction unless it acts to forestall the death wave coming from the galaxy's heart.
-
-
The Strongest Book in the Trilogy, but Not Great
- By The Meatball on 07-25-21
By: Ben Bova
-
Powersat
- The Grand Tour Series
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two hundred thousand feet up, things go horribly wrong. An experimental low-orbit spaceplane breaks up on reentry, falling to earth over a trail hundreds of miles long. And in its wake is the beginning of the most important mission in the history of spaceflight.
-
-
Great book but substandard recording
- By Greg on 11-25-11
By: Ben Bova
-
Able One
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a nuclear missile launched by a rogue North Korean faction explodes in space, the resulting shock wave destroys most of the world’s satellites, throwing global communication into chaos. U.S. military satellites, designed to withstand such an assault, show that two more missiles are sitting on launch pads in North Korea, ready to be deployed. Faced with the threat of a thermonuclear attack, the United States has only one possible defense: Able One.
-
-
Wasted
- By Michael on 03-08-10
By: Ben Bova
-
Power Challenges
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is time to start colonizing the solar system. Ex-astronaut, current space advisor, and all-out troubleshooter for the president, Jake, is determined to make it happen. And what better way than to return to America’s glory by returning to the moon and setting up a permanent moon-base which can then serve as the launching pad for Mars and beyond. But as usual, political intrigue and conflicting priorities are threatening the whole program.
-
-
Happy Ending
- By Phillip Smith on 09-03-21
By: Ben Bova
-
My Favorites
- A Collection of Short Stories
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Ben Bova, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Alex Hyde-White, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Exploring the boundaries of the genre, Bova not only writes of spaceships, aliens, and time travel in most of his titles, but also speculates on the beginnings of science fiction in “Scheherazade and the Storytellers,” as well as the morality of man in “The Angel’s Gift.” Stories such as “The Café Coup” and “We’ll Always Have Paris” dip into speculative historical fiction, asking questions about what would happen if someone could change history for the better. This expansive collection is a key addition for Bova fans and sci-fi lovers alike!
-
-
Great collection
- By L. F. C. on 05-11-22
By: Ben Bova
-
The Kinsman Saga
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 19 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a startling future that's coming closer every year, Chet Kinsman is an astronaut ace who has done everything one can in space - including commit the first murder. It's a secret he can never escape, not even on the moon, where he's head of the first U.S. lunar colony. A series of shocking yet strangely inevitable circumstances will force Kinsman to confront his hidden past and decide Earth's destiny. In a desperate countdown to nuclear annihilation, Kinsman will struggle against a deadly dilemma: if he rescues the world, he risks destroying himself.
-
-
Better than reported!
- By Matthew on 11-01-13
By: Ben Bova
-
Death Wave
- The Star Quest Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Kell and his team return to Earth many years after their departure, they find that their world has changed almost beyond recognition. Not only has a second wave of greenhouse flooding caused sea levels to rise, but society has been changed by the consequences of the climate shift. Few people want to face Jordan Kell's news. He must convince Earth's new rulers that the human race is in danger of extinction unless it acts to forestall the death wave coming from the galaxy's heart.
-
-
The Strongest Book in the Trilogy, but Not Great
- By The Meatball on 07-25-21
By: Ben Bova
-
Powersat
- The Grand Tour Series
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two hundred thousand feet up, things go horribly wrong. An experimental low-orbit spaceplane breaks up on reentry, falling to earth over a trail hundreds of miles long. And in its wake is the beginning of the most important mission in the history of spaceflight.
-
-
Great book but substandard recording
- By Greg on 11-25-11
By: Ben Bova
-
Able One
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a nuclear missile launched by a rogue North Korean faction explodes in space, the resulting shock wave destroys most of the world’s satellites, throwing global communication into chaos. U.S. military satellites, designed to withstand such an assault, show that two more missiles are sitting on launch pads in North Korea, ready to be deployed. Faced with the threat of a thermonuclear attack, the United States has only one possible defense: Able One.
-
-
Wasted
- By Michael on 03-08-10
By: Ben Bova
-
The Sam Gunn Omnibus
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Richard Brewer, Emily Janice Card, Gabrielle de Cuir, and others
- Length: 29 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A hero without peer or scruples, Sam Gunn has a nose for trouble, money, and women, though not necessarily in that order. A man with the ego (and stature) of a Napoleon, the business acumen of a P. T. Barnum, and the raging hormones of a teenage boy, Sam is the finest astronaut NASA ever trained and dumped. But more than money, more than women, Sam Gunn loves justice—and he really does love money and women.
-
-
Quaint collection of short stories
- By HL on 10-04-13
By: Ben Bova
-
Voyagers
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Ben Bova
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stoner knew. The fiery object hurtling toward the Earth was an alien spacecraft. But the world might never know. He was trapped in an iron cordon of secrecy, for the discovery had shattered the world power balance, setting off a brutal struggle for supremacy that raged from the sacred halls of the Vatican to the corridors of the Kremlin and the Pentagon. The forces of fear and treachery would use any weapon at their command, from mind war to sabotage, to keep the world in darkness.
-
-
davjonz
- By David on 08-21-06
By: Ben Bova
-
14
- By: Peter Clines
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment. Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much. At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s.
-
-
Not smart sci-fi
- By John on 06-29-17
By: Peter Clines
-
11-22-63
- A Novel
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Craig Wasson
- Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King - who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer - takes listeners on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it.
-
-
Great! Boring. Good again... Boring. Too long.
- By Taxvictim on 06-04-12
By: Stephen King
-
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- The Millennium Series, Book 1
- By: Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland - translator
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why we think it’s a great listen: How do you one-up a book that’s already a global literary phenomenon? Hire Simon Vance to (flawlessly) interpret the loves, lives, and murders of Sweden’s cold and secret-filled world. A spellbinding amalgam of murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue. It's about the disappearance 40 years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden.
-
-
A Classic Mystery with Wonderful Characters
- By Robert on 12-22-08
By: Stieg Larsson, and others
-
Atlas Shrugged
- By: Ayn Rand
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 62 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a scrap heap within an abandoned factory, the greatest invention in history lies dormant and unused. By what fatal error of judgment has its value gone unrecognized, its brilliant inventor punished rather than rewarded for his efforts? In defense of those greatest of human qualities that have made civilization possible, one man sets out to show what would happen to the world if all the heroes of innovation and industry went on strike.
-
-
Good with some caveats
- By Mike M on 09-09-12
By: Ayn Rand
-
World Without End
- By: Ken Follett
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 45 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1989 Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, set in 12th-century England. Readers and listeners ever since have hoped for a sequel. At last, here it is. Although the two novels may be listened to in any order, World Without End also takes place in Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building their exquisite Gothic cathedral. The cathedral is again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge.
-
-
Ten Stars
- By Laura on 12-17-07
By: Ken Follett
-
Angels and Demons
- By: Dan Brown
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization, the Illuminati. Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra.
-
-
unfortunately bad
- By Julie on 07-08-04
By: Dan Brown
-
Mr. Mercedes
- A Novel
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes. Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.
-
-
Dean Koontz Lite
- By Charles on 07-09-14
By: Stephen King
-
Artemis
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Rosario Dawson
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent. Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down.
-
-
Finally a book I didn’t want to turn off…
- By Love me some on 02-27-18
By: Andy Weir
-
The Innocent: A Novel
- By: David Baldacci
- Narrated by: Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Will Robie may have just made the first - and last - mistake of his career.... It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C. But something about this mission doesn't seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable: He refuses to kill. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people.
Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a wayward teenage girl, a 14-year-old runaway from a foster home. But she isn't an ordinary runaway....
-
-
Story Is OK. Performance, Not So Much.
- By Bill on 08-23-15
By: David Baldacci
-
Under the Dome
- A Novel
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Raul Esparza
- Length: 34 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when - or if - it will go away.
-
-
The end sucks!
- By Jace Nuzback on 11-07-13
By: Stephen King
Publisher's Summary
Bova, a six-time Hugo Award winner and past president of theNational Space Society, returns to his most popular and best-selling subject: the quest for Mars!
How do you get to the Red Planet? Not via a benightedgovernment program trapped in red tape and bound by budget constrictions,that's for sure. No, what it will take is a helping of adventure, science,corporate power plays, a generous dollop of seduction - both in and out of theboardroom - and money, money, money!
Art Thrasher knows this. He is a man with a driving vision:send humans to Mars. The government has utterly failed, but Thrasher has gotthe plan to accomplish such a feat: form a "club" of billionaires to chip inone billion a year until the dream is accomplished. The problem is, these menand women are tough cookies, addicted to a profitable bottom-line anddisdainful of pie-in-the-sky dreamers who want to use their cash to makesomebody else's dreams come true.
But Thrasher is different from the other dreamers in animportant regard: he's a billionaire himself, and the president of a successfulcompany. Still, it's going to take all his wiles as a captain of industry andmaster manipulator of business and capital to overcome setbacks andsabotage - and get a rocket full of scientists, engineers, visionaries, anddreamers on their way to the Red Planet.
The man for the job has arrived. Art Thrasher is prepared todo whatever it takes to put humans on Mars - or die trying!
More from the same
Author
Narrator
What listeners say about Mars, Inc.
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rick Moyers
- 02-10-21
Disappointing by any standard
I listen a lot and seldom write reviews, but Mars, Inc. moved me to action. I made it to the end, but this novel has the least likeable or relatable protagonist I've ever encountered, and is packed full of gender stereotypes and physical descriptions that made me wince. He had an "oriental" appearance? Really? I disliked the main character so much that when he finally found love I found myself incredulous that anyone could fall in love with him. And while I don't expect every novel to have a "Me Too" sensibility, this book felt more like something written in the 1960s or 1970s than a novel published in 2013. I expected more and better from a Hugo Award-winning novelist. What a disappointment.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rainer
- 12-21-20
Just What I Wanted To Hear
This is a masterfully written story, though I have to admit I am partial to the subject matter. I am new to Ben Bova having started with the Exiles Trilogy. What a long career and if this is representative, he only got better with age. Though I tend to like Stefan Rudnicki's performances, I also think any reader would be transported into the story through the way he read this one.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- E. Weiss
- 10-07-20
Very Disappointed... First foray into Bova's works
The narration by Stefan Rudnicki was excellent as always.
I ventured on to start reading Bova's works after an interview with Stefan and Scott Card.
The story was really poor though and revolved mostly around a misogynistic lead character. Very little science and exploration of Mars itself. It's rare that I won't complete a book that I have started but this one feels like a chore.
I will not let this get in my way of finding other Bova's works. Hopefully will find some better ones.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Matthew
- 07-16-21
Bova/Rudnicki team maybe losing edge.
To be honest, this is mainly a Ben Bova issue. Rudnicki does his usual, if not sometimes over the top, presentation job. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a lot to work with. Bova seems obsessed with how women are dressed, what they look like, and how they manipulate men. For that matter, I would say 1/4 of the text in this offering is descriptive of clothing, eye colour, shoes, etc. The characters are almost childlike in their obviousness, and their behaviour is predictable and derivate of previous books.
I have been a fan of Bova for years, but I can't, in good faith, recommend this offering.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- wolfspyder
- 02-03-14
More Space Scenes Might HAve Been Nice
Would you listen to Mars, Inc. again? Why?
Yes, this book is worth another listen. It will probably be a year or more before I get the chance to listen again, as I have a large and backlogged library to go through before then, and by that time it will be fresh again in my mind.
Would you recommend Mars, Inc. to your friends? Why or why not?
The story is solid. I didn't find anything particularly predictable, which was nice in an earth-only book. I felt as if there should have been more space scenes, but that was just a personal taste.
Which scene was your favorite?
My favorite scene was near the end as the central mystery began to be solved. I won't say more because I don't believe in spoilers.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It would be worth staying with it that long if one wanted to. I was not in a "thrills & chills" state of mind, but certainly not bored either. A good, solid eight hours of entertaining prose. I consider my credit well spent.
Any additional comments?
Rated R for profanity, coarse jesting and Mature themes. Adults only please.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 04-29-21
Has Nothing ToDo With Space
The story was good and the reading was good. The story really had nothing to do with Mars. I say that because I like story’s about space travel and alien worlds.None of that in this book really. I enjoyed it but not as much as the title made me think I would.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Julia Olivier
- 03-08-21
Dr Bova will be missed
Another great book by Dr Bova even if it is more down to earth. This book is timely considering that a large portion of crewed exploration already involves large corporations with visionary leaders. It’s not a shot’em up asteroids war book but it’s a good one.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Antony Kipingor
- 11-24-20
illuminating
I think the book starts of well, It hard it's fair share of intrigue and suspense, and I loved the ending
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Karl
- 04-28-22
Some good some cringe worthy
Not sure if I’m supposed to like or hate the main character. He is a sexist jerk. The way women are generally portrayed made me think this was written in the 70s. The book is ok if you can get past how women are portrayed.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- WhatMeWorry
- 03-08-22
Wow such a good book.
Well crafted story by Ben brought to life by Stefan. Why more have not found this book surprises me.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 10-22-21
sexist
Based on his description of women author seems to be very horny. Stopped listening when he out of the blue started comparing rocket launching to having sex.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Matt Watson-Power
- 03-21-22
Great story good narration apart from….
… his Australian accent! Not a big issue - liked a lot and the rest of it was great.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- s p henderson
- 03-05-22
Not really about Mars
While I was excited to return to the world so dramatically fleshed out in his popular Mars series, the writer is showing his age, too many lingering lines exploring voluptuous women who seem to only get ahead based on how attractive they are to men. Feels very last millennium.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- J. D. Stewart
- 10-09-21
engrossing tale
it started very slowly, but built the interest quite quickly. The author engendered empathy for the main character, but less so far the tertiary characters. All in all, a very good listen
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 09-02-21
Billionaires club
An intreeging story about the people who make things happen or otherwise.
Very well related, enjoyable to listen to.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- BEHNAZ
- 12-08-16
interesting
It was a good length and interesting story, not too deep in science but at the point to make u curious about new sciences.