It is the end of the 21st century and the American base on Mars is about to expire. All attempts at rescue have failed and a dozen astronauts are facing starvation. Close to despair, NASA turns to the military and strikes gold. Naval officers David Hewish and Nobohito Kazu are willing to take risks that no normal man would contemplate. "Viking Village takes science fiction to a new level. For many of us, sci fi books have been a constant through our childhood, teenage and early university years. However, once adulthood catches up, the interest seems to diminish and some of the things we read in our youth seem too optimistic and simplistic as we get older. Steve Cutts has solved this problem brilliantly. Viking Village is science fiction for adults, its has a mature, realistic plot full of true and knowledgeable science. It has some bedroom scenes and a little violence, but in moderation, just enough to make it interesting and real. It touches on some of the most imponderable topics, war and love, but with a realism and sincerity that we rarely see in a science fiction novel. The language is vibrant, and the plot is intriguing, recounting the eventful voyage and rescue mission to Mars of two men, Nobohito and Hewish. Alas, on reaching their destination the would-be rescuers are surprised to find that whether Mars residents actually want to be rescued is very questionable. But gritty events on Mars, which are gradually unravelled, go a long way to explaining the residents' uncannily diffident attitudes to their guests."