A review by robertrivasplata
A City on Mars by Kelly Weinersmith, Zach Weinersmith

adventurous challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

4.5

A down-to earth progress report for the state of human space colonization. A fascinating & humorous round-up of the technologies & sciences (including social sciences) that would be required to create colonies on the Moon, Mars, Lagrange Points, etc. The Weinersmiths make it clear throughout that they believe no aspect of the required science, technology, & even philosophy is anywhere near mature enough to establish or maintain actual sustained (let alone self-sustaining) outer space habitation, pointing out that many of the questions (e.g. human reproduction outside earth gravity) that remain haven't been & aren't being seriously researched. Explodes many myths about space madness, space mutiny, & Antarctic brawls. The book spends a lot of time on the hypothetical effects of international law on space settlement, & on space settlement's potential implications for international law. I am a little skeptical of the durability of the international legal regimes in this era of climate change & right-wing/fascist ascendancy, but I enjoyed their treatment of the topic & they make some important points, especially the importance of remembering that events on Earth can't be ignored when thinking of going to space. This is especially important to keep in mind because so much of the enthusiasm for building the proverbial city on Mars is in its escapism. I have indulged in fantasies about the minimum space & amenities I would require for my Martian or Enceledean habitat. Of course, the lessons from designing that habitat for on the dry wastes of Mars or the freezing ocean Enceladus will serve me well designing habitats for the ruins & boiling seas of future Earth. The little comics & illustrations by Zach are wonderful. Makes me want to re-read Tom Gauld's Mooncop, & read the Forever War comic by Marvano. I really appreciate the Weinersmith's skeptical & critical viewpoint. Definitely the strongest work I've read by them. I could read more of this; I'd be down to read the “gigantic dossier on literally everything about space settlement” version of this book hinted at in the acknowledgments.