This is a good choice for libraries looking to update their solar system bookshelves with a book on Mars that covers developments through 2016. It is a fun and comprehensive introduction to Mars and Mars exploration, featuring lots of topics of current interest (astrobiology, the search for present and past water) as well as up-to-date summaries of the latest Mars explorers. There's a two-page spread on Curiosity, followed by a pages on planetary protection, several on what we have to do to prepare for human exploration, and a final spread on terraforming. ( )