Rating: 
Summary: Mixed Feelings
Review: This book is one of the few books that I have read on the subject of Mars exploration that has been written by an expert in the field. It is therefore well informed and Highly Interesting. Robert Zubrin put forward a convincing plan to bring man to the red planet. Unfortunately in the second part of the book the author goes a bit beyond his field. The economic arguments for colonizing mars are at time doubtful and naive. The plan to terraform Mars appears to be more science fiction than science. Finally the philosophical reason for the colonization are a matter of opinion that might not be shared by all. Over all the book is interesting, but one feels that the author should have more to the subject he knows well and not venture out to much into speculation, which blunt the overall effect of the book
Rating: 
Summary: Too self-congratulatory
Review: Zubrin is a bit too self-congratulatory. The time he takes in each chapter to pat himself on the back drags down an otherwise interesting, if unrealistic, study of human space travel to Mars. All his assumptions leave little to no margin of error. Recent events have shown that accidents do happen to either expensive and/or tragic results. We're not yet to the point emotionally, economically or politically where we can be as cavalier as Zubrin's plan requires.On writing style, Zubrin manages to take an interesting subject and turn it into something dry and tedious to read. The pieces where he actually sticks to the science of Mars and of space travel, it's a quick and interesting read with informative graphics but these bits are hidden amongst long passages of minutiae relevant only to Zubrin.
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