Re: Well, according to the bookcover . . .
Your conclusions are based upon too little information, S_M.
You insist that the Viking missions account for conditions over the entire surface of Mars, and you state that life cannot exist in water-ice away from sunlight.
I insist that the Vikings were isolated tests and that there are other conduits for Solar energy other than direct contact.
Once you get down to the micro- and nano-levels, you're playing an entirely different game.
Dan