In The Season of Passage the United States in the year 2004 are going on their first expedition to mars. The Russians had beaten the United States to mars but their crew never came back. Dr. Lauren Wagner and the rest of the astronauts are sent to mars to see if there really is any life on mars and to find out the fate of the previous group that had gone before her. Once they reach mars they find out that all of the Russians were dead but one who wasn't really alive but turned into a Martian vampire because of a curse cast on mankind eons ago by the Asurian monsters who had lived on mars.
Lauren Wagner and Gary the pilot return to earth as vampires sent to turn all of earth into monsters. The only people who know of the danger are Lauren's fiancee and her sister Jennifer who is the goddess chaneen of ancient times. The key to the defeat of the Martians is hidden in a story written by Jennifer. .
The theme of the novel is that the dead planet mars is seeking revenge on the living on earth. The planet lures people to come to it with illusions of canals seen through a telescope that are actually underground and Martian footsteps in photographs from the rover. Once humans come to mars they are turned into the monsters that inhabited mars before because of a curse millions of years ago. Its purpose to change all of the humans into the Asurians so they may live again.
Lauren, the character that the novel mostly revolves on went through many struggles. Before the mission she contended with nightmares and voices in her head entreating her to love them. Finding out the truth to what happened to the missing Russians and having to face the evil that killed them. Even guilt for leaving her precious sister alone to commit suicide. At first these conflicts overwhelm her until she realizes that it is up to her to save the human race.
""We are not evil" a voice said, deep inside Lauren's mind.