John Evans

CHARACTER · Sustainable systems engineer

A twenty-five-year-old engineer from Port Alpha on Mars, John specializes in closed-loop water, food, and environmental infrastructure. He joins the Solar Alliance’s Reclamation Initiative on Earth.

Character and perspective

Patient, observant, and guided by practical ethics, John sees connections between failures that others might treat separately. He also takes on too much responsibility and struggles to share uncertain threats. The book tests his tendency to carry responsibility alone against the work of preserving evidence and trusting other people.

A recurring idea

Stop one failure from becoming five.

Explore further

• Character directory
• 39 Minutes
• Themes

Reader’s companion to John Evans: 39 Minutes, based on the Revision 13 manuscript.