Red Desert - Point of No Return by Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli Page A

eyes, but it’s so
difficult. I sense light through my eyelids.
    How have I ended up
here?
    Finally I open my
eyes. My sight is dim. I see a white environment, with dark
figures. One of them is close to my legs. I’d like to move,
retract, but I can’t. I’m sore, terrified.
    That touch again,
followed by the pain.
    “Jack, I think her
ankle is sprained.”
    Who spoke? Perhaps I’m
still dreaming. It sounded like a female voice, hoarse.
    Another silhouette
comes closer. It becomes bigger and darker, casting a shadow on my
face. I open my mouth to speak, but no more than a gasp comes from
it. I feel my vocal cords locked. I try to raise my head, but I’m
dizzy. I try to move my hands and they hit on something wrapping my
body. Something warm. A blanket.
    “Can you hear me?” the
figure over me says. It’s the deep voice of a man.
    “Jan…” I murmur.
    It looks like the man
is shaking his head. “No, I’m not Jan.”
    He reaches out over me
to touch something on the white wall. Another light comes on. This
time it’s brighter. I start seeing more details. His face is close
to mine. He is a man with dark eyes and a benevolent smile. His
hair is white. His face is run by long wrinkles, as deep as
canyons.
    Like Valles
Marineris!
    I was there. I was
dying. Am I dead? Am I looking at God’s face?
    No, his name is
Jack.
    “Welcome, Anna
Persson.”
    I think I can hear a
child laughing in the distance.
     
     
    ###

    Do you want to know what happens
next?
     
    The second book,
“ Red Desert – People of Mars ”, will be published on 1
September 2014. Join the mailing list ( www.anakina.eu )
to be notified every time a new book is published.
     
    In the meantime you
can follow Anna Persson ( @AnnaPerssonDR )
on Twitter!
     

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book?
     
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Acknowledgements
     
    I’d like to thank all
those who contributed to the creation of this book:
    - Richard J. Galloway,
who carefully revised and improved the English translation;
    - Martina Munzittu,
for her suggestions during the English translation;
    - Julia Gibbs for the
accurate proofreading of this book;
    - my cousin Alberto
Casu, for his precious help in the design of the cover (the Martian
desert’s background is his work);
    - Fabio Delfino, who
created the book trailer;
    - Polydream, who gave
me permission to use their song “Catch Me If You Can” for the
promotion of the series;
    - the Italian ESA
astronaut Luca Parmitano, for his friendliness and constant
inspiration;
    - my whole publishing
team in Italy, who worked with me on the original version of the
“Red Desert” series: Veronica De Lorenzo, my aunt Gabriella
Serrenti, Alessandra Fadda, ChiaraOB1, Stefania Mattana, Diego
Luci, Luca “Adso da Melk” Cassia, Emanuele Piccolini, Marco Mark,
Giovanni Venturi, Germano Dalcielo, and all those who encouraged my
work with their comments and support;
    - Omar Serafini and
the whole FantaScientificast.it crew, who supported me in
Italy;
    - my parents, who on
this occasion turned into science fiction fans;
    - and above all
Federico Fadda, my first reader, for his constant and loving
support.

Bibliography
     
    “Red Desert” is a
science fiction work, so part of the scientific aspects are the
result of my imagination, but the remainder is mostly based on what
is reported in the following sources, which sometimes served just
as a hint and which I suggest you take a look at for a thorough
examination.
     
    “ The Case For
Mars ” by Robert Zubrin (non-fiction). Latest edition: Free
Press, ISBN 9781451608113. Also available for Kindle. – Information
on Mars. Technologies for reaching, exploring, and colonising the
planet.
    “ First Landing ”
by Robert Zubrin (novel). Edition: Ace, ISBN 9780441009633. Also
available for Kindle. – The story of