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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
A space ship carries one hundred(?) colonists to Mars to establish the first permanent colony on the planet. The colonists begin butting heads immediately, disagreeing on the direction they should take the planet, disagreeing on which aspects of their new life deserve priority, and disagreeing on how much influence should be accepted from their superiors back on a rapidly-declining Earth. Over the course of decades the colonists are joined by new arrivals, as Mars spirals toward revolution and civil war.
This is my second Robinson novel (after 2312), and I gotta say, the folks I've talked to about him have really sold his work short. I keep hearing how dry he is, and how "cardboard" his characters are, and while I agree that his stories function as broad strokes more than in immediate emotions and interactions, I still feel that his characters are something more than basic functional. Here in particular he uses the varied perspectives to show just how unreliable each individual perspective is, not only on the behaviors of everyone else, but in their views of themselves as well. As the first part of a trilogy, it's hard to judge the work as a total, but so far it's very enjoyable, and if the later entries pay off this setup, I'll be very pleased.
3.5 Stars
Slow Start and so very much description!
I ended up really liking the book but it took me a while. The character development is great. The interpersonal relationships good, the growing politics was also very good.
It had a feel of a lot of the older scifi's I've read recently, Mars was just a setting for Man vs Environment, Man vs, Man, and Man, and lastly Man vs Society.
Unlike a lot of the newer stuff with a lot more battle's and tech and "otherness".
Slow Start and so very much description!
I ended up really liking the book but it took me a while. The character development is great. The interpersonal relationships good, the growing politics was also very good.
It had a feel of a lot of the older scifi's I've read recently, Mars was just a setting for Man vs Environment, Man vs, Man, and Man, and lastly Man vs Society.
Unlike a lot of the newer stuff with a lot more battle's and tech and "otherness".
Truly a classic for a reason - kind of a historical epic of a future that we once imagined - like the best historical epics it combines the inconceivable scale of all humanity (and space!) with the deeply personal detail that makes up individual human life. I might have my quibbles with little sections here or there, but the book as a whole is a clear masterpiece.
I read almost all of this, and I have the copy that Abby read in school, she gave it to me. But it just got so bogged down in politics and the years... It became a chore for me to read, not what I'd been looking for and I could never finish.
Plus the audio version kept disappearing and then I'd be back on the hold list for weeks.
Plus the audio version kept disappearing and then I'd be back on the hold list for weeks.
3.5 stars
Got off to a somewhat slow start, but picked up steam a little past the halfway mark and built to a compelling conclusion
Got off to a somewhat slow start, but picked up steam a little past the halfway mark and built to a compelling conclusion
adventurous
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A well thought out book that dragged on in places. The story was intriguing but I think it could have used a heavy hand in editing. None of the characters were particularly likable so I wasn't really rooting for any outcome. The timeline was also unclear to me at times which caused general confusion of the plot but, eventually, it does settle down. Overall, good book but just a bit too long.
Oh I don't know, it's been awhile, will it hold up, it's gotten older, perhaps it hasn't aged well, perhaps my tastes have changed...
No. It is a masterpiece.
No. It is a masterpiece.
I resisted reading this in the 90s when it was new because it looked too hard-sf for my tastes in high school. I'm glad I waited until now, because I enjoyed it much more than I would have then. It did get a little dry at times, but the setting was vivid and the plotline tumultuous, and eventually all the main characters pulled me in. A fascinating vision of Mars.
i like this more in retrospect than i did while actually reading it