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The Fifth Man (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Fifth Man is a futuristic Christian novel
by John B. Olson and Randall S. Ingermanson.
discovers signs of microbial life
--and might be dealing with a threat from much larger forms of life.
s, but suffer repeated mishaps that strongly suggest the presence of a fifth man on Mars with them.
On Earth, the Mars Mission Director, working with an agent of the FBI, races to discover who sabotaged the mission before the crew even arrived on Mars—and who might be trying to strand the crew on Mars now that they're on it. He is shocked to discover that his own Flight Director committed the initial sabotage—he was trying to seed Mars with a bacterium that would be taken as evidence of life on Mars, thus ensuring continued funding of Project Ares, the official name for the program.
But when the life-sciences specialist falls ill from an actual microbial infection—from live bacteria which she has subsequently discovered—the mishaps multiply, with a corresponding increase in the physical danger to the crew. Someone other than the Flight Director is responsible for this. At the very end, that someone is revealed to be a NASA
engineer who fears that the crew, now on their way back to Earth, are bringing back a germ that could potentially kill millions of people—this although the crew clearly showed that the germ was sensitive to the antibiotics they had carried with them. The mission ends with the psychiatrically challenged commander sacrificing his own life to save the rest of the crew—and the marriage of the two mission specialists aboard their Earth Return Vehicle.
, the nobility of self-sacrifice, and the folly of trying to out-guess God.
, an earlier novel in which the same crew suffers damage due to explosion that almost causes them to die of suffocation.
, uses concepts adapted from the Mars Semi-Direct mission profile proposed, and under active research, by the Mars Society. As such, these novels are two of the most realistic novels yet written that describe what the first crewed mission to Mars, and the program of which it is a part, might look like and how it might actually work.
away from the preachy, tract-like novels of the 1990s and toward novels with "crossover appeal"--that is, novels that a non-Christian might appreciate nearly as well as does a Christian. Christian science fiction is very rare, primarily because of the inherent restrictions that apply to a Christian novel—in this case, that such a novel may not create a character or a situation for which the Bible holds no warrant. Thus, while the title of this work strongly suggests an extraterrestrial
visitor as an agent that assaults the astronauts (and ultimately murders one of them), some Christians find it impossible accept such a concept. Thus the agent of the mayhem that plagues and pursues the astronauts must be a human agent. The realization of this fact has led some readers to criticize The Fifth Man severely, accusing the authors of the literary equivalent of bait-and-switch.
Yet a close read of this novel and its prequel Oxygen
clearly shows that the same character responsible for killing Astronaut Hampton and almost killing the rest of the crew, was also responsible for the failed "lifeboat" mission in the earlier novel. More to the point, however, a Fifth Man does exist on Mars. The surviving astronauts see him very briefly before they make their hurried take-off. They do not recognize him, but anyone who has read the third chapter of the Biblical book of Daniel
probably will. Thus the Fifth Man is extraterrestrial, after all—but not in the usual sense in modern popular culture.
for the best futuristic Christian novel
published in 2002. It lost to Time Lottery. Another finalist in that same year was the novel Ice
.
Christian novel
A Christian novel is any novel that expounds and illustrates a Christian world view in its plot, its characters, or both, or which deals with Christian themes in a positive way.-The tradition of Christian fiction:...
by John B. Olson and Randall S. Ingermanson.
Plot introduction
The first crew to land on MarsMars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
discovers signs of microbial life
Life on Mars
Scientists have long speculated about the possibility of life on Mars owing to the planet's proximity and similarity to Earth. Fictional Martians have been a recurring feature of popular entertainment of the 20th and 21st centuries, but it remains an open question whether life currently exists on...
--and might be dealing with a threat from much larger forms of life.
Explanation of the novel's title
The Mars mission crew consists of only four astronautAstronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s, but suffer repeated mishaps that strongly suggest the presence of a fifth man on Mars with them.
Plot summary
Eight months into their stay on Mars, the life-sciences specialist discovers a microbial fossil. Subsequent to this, the crew begin to suffer various mishaps, including damage to mission property and direct attacks upon themselves. Complicating the situation is the apparent psychiatric breakdown of the mission commander and his definite attempts to injure or kill his fellow crewmembers.On Earth, the Mars Mission Director, working with an agent of the FBI, races to discover who sabotaged the mission before the crew even arrived on Mars—and who might be trying to strand the crew on Mars now that they're on it. He is shocked to discover that his own Flight Director committed the initial sabotage—he was trying to seed Mars with a bacterium that would be taken as evidence of life on Mars, thus ensuring continued funding of Project Ares, the official name for the program.
But when the life-sciences specialist falls ill from an actual microbial infection—from live bacteria which she has subsequently discovered—the mishaps multiply, with a corresponding increase in the physical danger to the crew. Someone other than the Flight Director is responsible for this. At the very end, that someone is revealed to be a NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
engineer who fears that the crew, now on their way back to Earth, are bringing back a germ that could potentially kill millions of people—this although the crew clearly showed that the germ was sensitive to the antibiotics they had carried with them. The mission ends with the psychiatrically challenged commander sacrificing his own life to save the rest of the crew—and the marriage of the two mission specialists aboard their Earth Return Vehicle.
Characters in The Fifth Man
- AstronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
Kennedy "The Hampster" Hampton, Mission Commander - Astronaut Alexis "Lex" Ohta, Pilot Officer
- Astronaut Bob "Kaggo" Kaganovski, Mission Specialist, Engineering Systems
- Astronaut Valerie "Valkerie" Jansen, Mission Specialist, Life Sciences and Crew Medicine
- Astronaut Joshua "Josh" Bennett, Flight Director
- Nathan "Nate" Harrington, Mars Mission Director
- Steven Perez, NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Administrator - Special Agent Crystal Yamaguchi, FBI
- Cathe Willison, engineer
Major themes
Space exploration, life on MarsLife on Mars
Scientists have long speculated about the possibility of life on Mars owing to the planet's proximity and similarity to Earth. Fictional Martians have been a recurring feature of popular entertainment of the 20th and 21st centuries, but it remains an open question whether life currently exists on...
, the nobility of self-sacrifice, and the folly of trying to out-guess God.
Allusions/references to other works
The Fifth Man is a sequel to OxygenOxygen (novel)
There is also a novel with the same title by Andrew Miller.Oxygen is a futuristic Christian novel by John B. Olson and Randall S. Ingermanson-Plot introduction:...
, an earlier novel in which the same crew suffers damage due to explosion that almost causes them to die of suffocation.
Allusions/references to actual history and current science
This novel, and its prequelOxygen (novel)
There is also a novel with the same title by Andrew Miller.Oxygen is a futuristic Christian novel by John B. Olson and Randall S. Ingermanson-Plot introduction:...
, uses concepts adapted from the Mars Semi-Direct mission profile proposed, and under active research, by the Mars Society. As such, these novels are two of the most realistic novels yet written that describe what the first crewed mission to Mars, and the program of which it is a part, might look like and how it might actually work.
Literary significance & criticism
The Fifth Man continues the trend in Christian fictionChristian novel
A Christian novel is any novel that expounds and illustrates a Christian world view in its plot, its characters, or both, or which deals with Christian themes in a positive way.-The tradition of Christian fiction:...
away from the preachy, tract-like novels of the 1990s and toward novels with "crossover appeal"--that is, novels that a non-Christian might appreciate nearly as well as does a Christian. Christian science fiction is very rare, primarily because of the inherent restrictions that apply to a Christian novel—in this case, that such a novel may not create a character or a situation for which the Bible holds no warrant. Thus, while the title of this work strongly suggests an extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
visitor as an agent that assaults the astronauts (and ultimately murders one of them), some Christians find it impossible accept such a concept. Thus the agent of the mayhem that plagues and pursues the astronauts must be a human agent. The realization of this fact has led some readers to criticize The Fifth Man severely, accusing the authors of the literary equivalent of bait-and-switch.
Yet a close read of this novel and its prequel Oxygen
Oxygen (novel)
There is also a novel with the same title by Andrew Miller.Oxygen is a futuristic Christian novel by John B. Olson and Randall S. Ingermanson-Plot introduction:...
clearly shows that the same character responsible for killing Astronaut Hampton and almost killing the rest of the crew, was also responsible for the failed "lifeboat" mission in the earlier novel. More to the point, however, a Fifth Man does exist on Mars. The surviving astronauts see him very briefly before they make their hurried take-off. They do not recognize him, but anyone who has read the third chapter of the Biblical book of Daniel
Book of Daniel
The Book of Daniel is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar,...
probably will. Thus the Fifth Man is extraterrestrial, after all—but not in the usual sense in modern popular culture.
Awards and nominations
The Fifth Man was a finalist for the Christy AwardChristy Award
The Christy Awards are awarded each year to recognize novels of excellence written from a Christian worldview. Awards are given in several genres, including contemporary , historical, romance , suspense, and visionary...
for the best futuristic Christian novel
Christian novel
A Christian novel is any novel that expounds and illustrates a Christian world view in its plot, its characters, or both, or which deals with Christian themes in a positive way.-The tradition of Christian fiction:...
published in 2002. It lost to Time Lottery. Another finalist in that same year was the novel Ice
Ice (novel)
Ice is a Christian science fiction novel by author Shane Johnson.-Plot introduction:A fictional Apollo 19 mission suffers a major system failure, forcing its crew to strike out on their own.-Explanation of the novel's title:...
.