Stowaway To Mars Av John Wyndham

<p><b>''It was a desert. A vista of reddish rocks and drifted sand, arid and hot, extending to the limits of their view. A dreary waste upon which nothing moved or grew . . .''</b><br><br>For British pilot Dale Curtance the Keuntz Prize - to be awarded to the first person to take a spaceship to another planet and back - is the ultimate challenge. Not only has he to build a ship to survive the journey, assemble a top-notch crew and choose a destination, he''s also got to beat the Russians and Americans.<br><br>Soon the GLORIA MUNDI blasts off from Salisbury Plain, bound for Mars. There''s only one problem - a stowaway called Joan. Not only does her presence wreck calculations and threaten the mission, but her tale suggests that Mars may be a more dangerous destination than they ever expected. <br><br>''Perhaps the best writer of science fiction England has ever produced'' Stephen King</p>