Denver Moon: The Minds of Mars
GENRE
SCIENCE FICTION
Core Theme
MAN VS. HIMSELF. THE NEEDS OF THE FEW VS. THE NEEDS OF THE MANY.
TIME PERIOD
Future
COMPARABLE TITLES
RED PLANET, THE EXPANSE.
CHARACTER LIST
• DENVER: 31. LEAD. A BADASS CAPABLE WARRIOR.
• HENNESSY: 60S-90S. THE NEFARIOUS CO-FOUNDER OF THE PLANET COLONY.
• SMITH: N/A. DENVER’S INTERACTIVE AI.
• OSIIJAN: 60’S-80S. DENVER’S BELOVED GRANDFATHER AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE MARS COLONY.
• NAVYA: 20S-40S. DENVER’S PILOT FRIEND WHO FLIES HER TO HER GRANDFATHER.
• NIGEL: N/A. A ROBOT PROSTITUTE WHO HELPS DENVER.
Logline
Denver Moon, PI, works the tunnels of Mars City, a struggling colony ravaged by the mysterious red fever. While investigating a series of crimes, Denver discovers a cryptic message left by Tatsuo Moon, Mars City co-founder and Denver's grandfather. The same grandfather who died two decades ago.
Target Audiences
Age: 18-34,35-54
Target Gender: Universal
Setting
Mars, Space
Based on a True Story
No
Publishing Details
Status: Yes: with a Publisher
Publisher: Hex Publishers
Year Published: 2018
Starting Description
While investigating a series of violent crimes linked to red fever—a Martian disorder that turns its victims into bloodthirsty killers—Denver discovers a cryptic message left by her grandfather, Tatsuo Moon, who died two decades ago.
Ending Description
Cole Hennessy, leader of the Church of Mars, will stop at nothing to keep Denver from disclosing Tatsuo's secrets to the world. Hell-bent on reclaiming her grandfather's legacy, Denver hopes to expose the church's true agenda, the origin of red fever, and the mystery of Tatsuo's tragic death.
Group Specific
Information not completed
Hard Copy Available
Yes
ISBN
978-0-9997736-6-6
Mature Audience Themes
Extreme Violence
Plot - Other Elements
Philosophical Questions,Twist
Plot - Premise
Internal Journey/Rebirth,Quest,Overcoming Monster/Villain
Main Character Details
Name: Denver Moon
Age: 30s
Gender: Female
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Confident,Heroic,Honorable,Leader,Underdog,Sarcastic,Skillful,Outspoken,Empathetic,Blunt,Complex,Badass,Adventurous
Additional Character Details
Name: Smith
Age: AI installed in Denver's Smith & Wesson
Gender: Other
Role: Sidekick
Key Traits: Charming,Blunt,Empathetic,Engaging,Insecure,Funny,Outspoken
Additional Character Details
Name: Nigel
Age: AI android sex worker turned hero
Gender: Male
Role: logical
Key Traits: Adventurous,Badass,Charming,Funny,Masculine,Sexy,Selfless,Honorable,Heroic,Heartthrob,Gracious,Empathetic
Additional Character Details
Name: Dr. Werner
Age: unknown
Gender: Other
Role: antagonist
Key Traits: Skillful,Greedy,Sophisticated,Manipulative,Secretive,Visionary,Power Hungry,Villainous
Development Pitch
Genre
ACTION, SUSPENSE, DRAMA, RELIGION, FANTASY
Brief
Denver is a resident of Mars in the future where disease has ravaged the population. When she gets a strange message from her beloved grandfather, she goes up against his former partner to try and find out if he’s alive. When she finds out her grandfather is the architect of a massive human engineering project her feelings and her alliances change. She destroys the project.
Overall Rating
GOOD
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: EXCELLENT
Characterization: FAIR
Commerciality: GOOD
Franchise Potential: EXCELLENT
Pace: EXCELLENT
Premise: FAIR
Structure: GOOD
Theme: GOOD
Accuracy of Book Profile
No book profile was provided.
Draw of Story
Strong main character and the prospect of adventure on Mars.
Possible Drawbacks
No
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY RELIES HEAVILY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
Cool sci-fi action and a bad-ass female lead who goes on a personal quest with planet-wide implications.
Fanbase Potential
Medium. There could be a more compelling and interesting story. It seems to end too early. Would like to see more “cool” sci-fi elements.
Awards Potential
Perhaps for special effects.
Envisioned Budget
LARGE BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
RED PLANET, THE EXPANSE
What’s New About the Story
There isn’t much I can find that’s original here. Although the author is a very good writer, as far as sci-fi goes, nothing really jumps out as new. There’s a badass protagonist who seems to be a bounty hunter/PI. There’s a religious movement which is interesting for another planet but not particularly delved into. The more original part is the “fever” and then at the end when it’s revealed that there are empty shells of people who grew up somehow on a space barge but are for some reason expendible to the protagonist although they are to repopulate the planet. There’s a bit of an interesting twist where her sainted grandfather turns out to be not so great and she is forced to form an alliance with her perceived enemy. The insect/alien species they discover isn’t particularly novel either.
Lead Characters
She’s a very capable, well-trained warrior.
Uniqueness of Story
In a word, story. Again, there is a very good writer who hasn’t come up with anything very interesting or exciting despite all the possibilities that a new planet and new life forms could provide. Instead of it revolving around terra-forming, perhaps the religious movement could be explored more and somehow linked to an alien species with nefarious intent.
Possible Formats
Film: Studio, Streaming
Analyst Recommendation
WORK IN PROGRESS
Justification
There isn’t an interesting or original enough story to sustain a major feature.
Tips for Improvement
A total revamp of the story and more fleshed-out and unique characters.
Brief
Denver is a bounty hunter/private investigator on Mars where the dying earth has established a colony. Her grandfather, who has been presumed dead for 20 year, sends her a message – he’s alive somewhere. Battling the nefarious head of the colony, she finds her grandfather and discovers that his plans for the planet were not as benevolent as she’d thought.
What We Liked
Mars is a fascinating subject and possible future destination. When the granddaughter discovers the co-founder of the Earthling colony (missing for 20 years) she embarks on a dangerous quest to find him. In her way are a radical religious movement, Martians riddled with a dangerous fever, and agents of the co-founder of the colony. She’s as capable as her quest is dangerous, and with the help of her AI and friends, she finds her grandfather is alive – but that his plans for Mars, including an alien species, are not so benevolent.
Film: The science fiction possibilities of another planet in the future make it rife with possibility. There is a bad-ass female protagonist, robots, dangerous sick people - and the fate of the colony that is in her hands.
TV: Not for TV.
Key points: Another planet; The future and its technology; Aliens; A quest for a beloved relative; Sexy characters
Synopsis
A man wakes up in a stone room with no memory of how he got there or how long it’s been. Denver, 20s, female, is color blind which protects her from the fever that has driven many of Mars’ colonist mad and violent. A religious order believes that their beliefs keep the sickness away. She has an AI implant she communicates with as part of her modified supergun for her job as a private investigator.
She gets a message from her dead grandfather, as do others. He’s alive somewhere and she’s determined to find him. It’s been 20 years since his alleged death. She visits Hennessy, who co-founded the colony on Mars with her grandfather. They were partners and friends – or so she thought. He insists that her grandfather is dead.
She seeks help from a Dr. Werner who knows nothing about her grandfather being alive. Someone tries to assassinate her in an elevator. She changes her look. A fanatical faction of a megachurch (which Hennessy controls) tries to kill her. She goes to a pimp named Jard who owes her a favor and he dispatches his male robot prostitute Nigel to help her. With the help of her AI, they find a spot of life somewhere far off on the planet – her grandfather. She discovers an insect like, changeling alien posing as a small child which tries to kill her.
She reconnects with her pilot friend Navya who flies her and Nigel to a small structure hours away and she finds her grandfather – alive but befuddled. Since his memories have been stored, he gets them back and tells her there is a giant cargo spaceship that is registered to her name. Her and Nigel are flown to it by Navya, and they find it’s been active for 20 years and is filled with empty vessels that are human beings, used as experiments to exploit humanity via mind control. The vessels have been tortured and drained of life and their bodies have been merged into a monstrous, near-lifeless mass of flesh in a vegetate-like state behind glass.
Her grandfather explains that they made a deal with the aliens to teraform Mars in much less time than humans were capable of. Denver thinks that the world would be better without the vegetative-like mass of flesh and scuttles this and the cargo barge into a volcano with the help of Hennessy.