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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Excellent and interesting science fiction, but not a great story. Character and plot development are not the author's strong points. If you want in-depth, multiple-page, minutiae-laden descriptions of theoretical terraforming science (and other physics) in action, you'll enjoy it. Otherwise, I'd skip it...
Good not great. Best quote "ignorance is a choice. As we choose to ignore information that doesn't fit our preconceptions."[
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As good this time as it was almost 30 years ago when I first read it. Robinson makes you feel as though you are right there with his characters, living their lives and adventures with them. It doesn't hurt that he - to quote another story about Mars - "sciences the shit out of it." Politics, economics, the environment. It's all here. I'll pick up Green Mars to read again a little bit down the road.
I grew up in the era of the original Star Trek TV series and the Apollo missions. I was a big sci-fi fan in my teenage years, but gradually transitioned into other genres. This may explain why I somehow overlooked Robinson's Mars Trilogy until I saw a recent news blurb about it being made into a TV series (Red Mars was published in 1993). Better late than never! It's a real swash-buckler, with plenty of drama and conflict, and just the right amount of technobabble so that I was intrigued but not overwhelmed, or heaven forbid, bored. There's a wide range of characters, from brave heroes to sultry sirens to mad scientists to despicable scoundrels, and that's just for starters. One aspect of reading it 20+ years after the fact was the opportunity to compare the technology Robinson dreamed up with what has actually come to pass since 1993. I won't spoil it for you, but let's just say he either had some amazing predictive skills, or many of today's tech nerds were big Robinson fans back in the 90s and used his ideas for inspiration. As for the story itself, it's big. We have the grand themes of humanity and culture clashes. We have the interpersonal squabbles, petty jealousies, love affairs. All are set among a backdrop of one series after another of life-and-death situations, and that's as it should be. Not much happens on Mars that won't very likely end up killing you.
Reading Red Mars was also an interesting contrast since I had read The Martian (which I also loved) this past year. Both are highly entertaining in completely different ways. Two very different treatments. The Martian is a Robinson Crusoe/Castaway tale. Red Mars is more of a soap opera - think Michael Bay does Dynasty. If you're a sci-fi fan like me who somehow missed the memo on this one, grab it before the TV series comes out. I hope the series lives up to the original.
Reading Red Mars was also an interesting contrast since I had read The Martian (which I also loved) this past year. Both are highly entertaining in completely different ways. Two very different treatments. The Martian is a Robinson Crusoe/Castaway tale. Red Mars is more of a soap opera - think Michael Bay does Dynasty. If you're a sci-fi fan like me who somehow missed the memo on this one, grab it before the TV series comes out. I hope the series lives up to the original.
3 stars
I have some mixed feelings about this book. I wanted to love it more than I did, but it could have been I was just not in the right frame of mind for it, or because I was expecting something a bit more rooted in hard science and less having to do with social science.
The story is about the colonization of Mars, and they do talk about the coalition of Americans and Russians working together to land the first colony ship, establishing a settlement (Underhill) and sending out colonies on the moon Phobos, as well as the arguments about terraforming and making the planet habitable. I honestly started getting lost with all the arguments as they talked about the pros and cons of terraforming which eventually resulted in Red and Green factions. There were also arguments about connecting with Earth (through a space elevator), and about whether they should have their own government, entirely independent of Earth or if there should be more direct influence between the two planets. Anyone who loves learning about the history of political structures and developing nations would probably love this book. But for me, there were too many characters with their own agendas, some forming uneasy alliances, and I started getting lost about who wanted what and why. Perhaps this is something that I should have read along with the narrator. The narrator, by the way, was excellent, so if someone wants to listen to the audio, I can definitely recommend Richard Ferrone's narration. I just think I could have used a family tree style diagram to keep track of all the individuals at the very least, or maybe just have the book to follow along.
There were certain characters that I started to become invested in, but the author is careful to not make any one player seem more like the main protagonist than any of the others. They are each flawed, but ultimately, you get the feeling, most of them are trying to do the best they can in this new world with some being a little more selfish than others.
In terms of the colonization and science, I mentioned above that I thought this would be more rooted in science or at least that the author would include more of the science. While there were arguments about terraforming, they didn't spend much time about the how so much as whether they should. The space elevator from Earth? I have a hard time picturing such a thing and I wasn't sure how that was supposed to happen. I've always seen Mars as a harsh planet, but I was surprised that there weren't more accidents or other dangers associated with the colonization of Mars. Most of the danger was man-made, which is great for those who love stories about the machinations of humans. This book is very messy, but in a way that reflect real human behavior, so I was impressed at how well he was able to incorporate all of that in this story.
So will I continue with this story? Very likely. Any book I rate 3 and higher in a series tends to get a second look from me. But based on my experience with this book, I will probably download the kindle of book 2 and read along with the narration and see if I have an easier time keeping up with the story and the people.
I have some mixed feelings about this book. I wanted to love it more than I did, but it could have been I was just not in the right frame of mind for it, or because I was expecting something a bit more rooted in hard science and less having to do with social science.
The story is about the colonization of Mars, and they do talk about the coalition of Americans and Russians working together to land the first colony ship, establishing a settlement (Underhill) and sending out colonies on the moon Phobos, as well as the arguments about terraforming and making the planet habitable. I honestly started getting lost with all the arguments as they talked about the pros and cons of terraforming which eventually resulted in Red and Green factions. There were also arguments about connecting with Earth (through a space elevator), and about whether they should have their own government, entirely independent of Earth or if there should be more direct influence between the two planets. Anyone who loves learning about the history of political structures and developing nations would probably love this book. But for me, there were too many characters with their own agendas, some forming uneasy alliances, and I started getting lost about who wanted what and why. Perhaps this is something that I should have read along with the narrator. The narrator, by the way, was excellent, so if someone wants to listen to the audio, I can definitely recommend Richard Ferrone's narration. I just think I could have used a family tree style diagram to keep track of all the individuals at the very least, or maybe just have the book to follow along.
There were certain characters that I started to become invested in, but the author is careful to not make any one player seem more like the main protagonist than any of the others. They are each flawed, but ultimately, you get the feeling, most of them are trying to do the best they can in this new world with some being a little more selfish than others.
In terms of the colonization and science, I mentioned above that I thought this would be more rooted in science or at least that the author would include more of the science. While there were arguments about terraforming, they didn't spend much time about the how so much as whether they should. The space elevator from Earth? I have a hard time picturing such a thing and I wasn't sure how that was supposed to happen. I've always seen Mars as a harsh planet, but I was surprised that there weren't more accidents or other dangers associated with the colonization of Mars. Most of the danger was man-made, which is great for those who love stories about the machinations of humans. This book is very messy, but in a way that reflect real human behavior, so I was impressed at how well he was able to incorporate all of that in this story.
So will I continue with this story? Very likely. Any book I rate 3 and higher in a series tends to get a second look from me. But based on my experience with this book, I will probably download the kindle of book 2 and read along with the narration and see if I have an easier time keeping up with the story and the people.
This was an interesting read, but it took me a really long time to get through it. Stanley's commitment to realism and scientific accuracy impressed the socks off me the whole way through, but when that realism tread the territory of politics and international (interplanetary?) law, my attention span tended to dwindle. I cared very much about the characters, including Mars itself. I'll definitely follow up with the others in the trilogy, after I read some fluff.
I will not leave rating because this book simply isn’t for me. I just cannot connect with main character, an angry male unable to control himself. And then I bumped into some scientific inaccuracies.
You know, this could be my verdict on most space operas, but I think not. This book (the first of a trilogy, OF ALL THINGS) kept me fairly involved for five sections, then fell completely apart during the last three. The problem is the scope and all the stuff being jammed in like sausage in a casing - only this author is not capable of handling this much with any kind of deft touch.
The novel is at its best when Robinson is talking about the journey to Mars and the initial settlement building and terraforming. Having established a basis for a colony, Robinson then leaves the reservation, so to speak. Mars goes right from pioneer village to a network of economically viable cities with thousands of residents. He goes way into the deep end of politics and power plays with The First Hundred, the small cadre of first settlers who seem to hold a mystical power over all who come later. Seriously, the author has these guys and gals carrying clout far in excess of any justification from their achievements. Problem with what's going on? Let's have the First Hundred have a Love-In and call the United Nations - that will work! Did I mention that the First Hundred represent most nations and races, men and women? Did I mention that for most of the last half of the book members of the First Hundred wander near-aimlessly over the surface of the planet, showing up at random settlements where they are feted and re-supplied (without bringing any tangible benefit to the other settlers)? Oh, and the First Hundred have come up with some medical treatment to extended their life spans, so by the end of the book those remaining are in their 80's but still as vital as when they arrived 30 years before, and anticipating many more years of youthful function?
I ground through this book and skimmed the last 50 pages. I get it, Robinson has an ecological agenda and has some issues (to say the least) with transnational corporations and world governance organizations, as well as some problems with nearly every political philosophy to see the practical light of day. I suffered through the hackneyed, uneven and thin characterization of people so inflexible in their ideologies over times as long as normal adult life spans - it really gets that ridiculous. For this reader at least, the death of members of the First Hundred (in particular John Boone, Frank Chalmers, and Arkady Bogdanovich) were mercy killings in that at that point I no longer had to read about their primitive politics.
Needless to say, I will not be reading either Green Mars or Blue Mars.
But hey, your mileage may vary. I've read other space operas that were much more engaging, where the political ideas were much better informed, where the author didn't try to throw in the kitchen sink without exploring things in more narrative depth.
The novel is at its best when Robinson is talking about the journey to Mars and the initial settlement building and terraforming. Having established a basis for a colony, Robinson then leaves the reservation, so to speak. Mars goes right from pioneer village to a network of economically viable cities with thousands of residents. He goes way into the deep end of politics and power plays with The First Hundred, the small cadre of first settlers who seem to hold a mystical power over all who come later. Seriously, the author has these guys and gals carrying clout far in excess of any justification from their achievements. Problem with what's going on? Let's have the First Hundred have a Love-In and call the United Nations - that will work! Did I mention that the First Hundred represent most nations and races, men and women? Did I mention that for most of the last half of the book members of the First Hundred wander near-aimlessly over the surface of the planet, showing up at random settlements where they are feted and re-supplied (without bringing any tangible benefit to the other settlers)? Oh, and the First Hundred have come up with some medical treatment to extended their life spans, so by the end of the book those remaining are in their 80's but still as vital as when they arrived 30 years before, and anticipating many more years of youthful function?
I ground through this book and skimmed the last 50 pages. I get it, Robinson has an ecological agenda and has some issues (to say the least) with transnational corporations and world governance organizations, as well as some problems with nearly every political philosophy to see the practical light of day. I suffered through the hackneyed, uneven and thin characterization of people so inflexible in their ideologies over times as long as normal adult life spans - it really gets that ridiculous. For this reader at least, the death of members of the First Hundred (in particular John Boone, Frank Chalmers, and Arkady Bogdanovich) were mercy killings in that at that point I no longer had to read about their primitive politics.
Needless to say, I will not be reading either Green Mars or Blue Mars.
But hey, your mileage may vary. I've read other space operas that were much more engaging, where the political ideas were much better informed, where the author didn't try to throw in the kitchen sink without exploring things in more narrative depth.
3.5 stars - It could of been so much shorter. RIP to the real ones (except Frank)The 7th and 8th part was where it got juicy