'Full of intrigue, like a beautifully narrated adventure detective story - which left a satisfying thirst of wanting to know more.' PROFESSOR LUCY ROGERS, AUTHOR OF IT'S ONLY ROCKET SCIENCE

Mars is never far from our news Mars is never far from our news headlines or imaginations: there has never been a better time to acquaint never been a better time to acquaint ourselves with its dramatic history and astonishing present.

The history of Mars is drawn not just on its surface, but also down into its broken bedrock and up into its frigid air. Most of all, it stretches back into deep time, where the trackways of the past have been obliterated and there is no discernible trace of where they started from or how they travelled, only where they ended up.

From the planet's formation 4.5 billion years ago, through eras that featured cataclysmic meteor strikes, explosive volcanoes and a vast ocean that spanned the entire upper hemisphere, to the long, frozen ages that saw its atmosphere steadily thinning and leaking away into space, Dr Simon Morden presents a tantalising vision of our nearest neighbour.

Piecing together the latest research, data, theories and informed speculation, The Red Planet is as close as we can get to an eye-witness account of this incredible place.