From the back cover of Bantam paperback July 1993:

It is a world shrouded in mystery -- a planet pocked by meteors, baked by ultraviolet light, and covered by endless deserts the color of dried blood.

To this harsh and unforgiving planet travel the twenty-five astronauts of the international Mars mission. Now, as the landers touch down and the base dome is inflated and the robotic explorers are sent aloft, they must somehow come together in a struggle of discovery and survival.

Battling deadly meteor showers, subzero temperatures, and a mysterious "Mars virus," these intrepid explorers are on their way to the most incredible and shocking discovery of all.