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Maybe I just read this at the right time, but this was exactly what I needed. Red Mars is a meticulously researched book about the colonization of Mars. It starts with the first 100 colonists then follows all the way through attempts at terraforming and massive influx of immigrants on Mars. The science seems to be solid and holds up very well, even 30 years later. I found it believable that this may still be how we would go about colonizing Mars. Robinson even for saw some use for AIs.
There is a lot of science in the book, with long breaks just explaining concepts for terraforming, various landmasses on Mars, various theories about the geological history, and ideas about how human colonists would live and settle the world (including a space elevators and revolution.)
Besides the science, I found the human side compelling as well. Robinson put a lot of effort into the various political factions and characters that may come to bear in a colonization. How it is unlikely we would be able to leave all of our prejudices back on Earth, despite what dreamers may hope. It suffers from a lot of hard SF that the characters aren't completely 3D, but it does much better than most. I did care when different people died (which also helped with suspense throughout the book because Robinson was clearly willing to kill main characters.)
As hinted above, the story is on an epic scale. Robinson made a very smart decision to tell the story through very specific and well placed characters. Not everything is completely believable, but it helps ground the story. These are interspersed with interludes describing the changing landscape and history of Mars and the Solar System. The people help keep the story grounded and propelling forward, with a nice high speed chase at the end.
Anyway, if you're looking for some nice well-researched hard SF to geek out about, this is a great place to start.
There is a lot of science in the book, with long breaks just explaining concepts for terraforming, various landmasses on Mars, various theories about the geological history, and ideas about how human colonists would live and settle the world (including a space elevators and revolution.)
Besides the science, I found the human side compelling as well. Robinson put a lot of effort into the various political factions and characters that may come to bear in a colonization. How it is unlikely we would be able to leave all of our prejudices back on Earth, despite what dreamers may hope. It suffers from a lot of hard SF that the characters aren't completely 3D, but it does much better than most. I did care when different people died (which also helped with suspense throughout the book because Robinson was clearly willing to kill main characters.)
As hinted above, the story is on an epic scale. Robinson made a very smart decision to tell the story through very specific and well placed characters. Not everything is completely believable, but it helps ground the story. These are interspersed with interludes describing the changing landscape and history of Mars and the Solar System. The people help keep the story grounded and propelling forward, with a nice high speed chase at the end.
Anyway, if you're looking for some nice well-researched hard SF to geek out about, this is a great place to start.