Rating: 
Summary: Are the Robinson Reviewers in the Same Fan Club?
Review: At its best, this series is tedious and unimaginative. There are no cutting-edge ideas, the writing is pedestrian, and the characters are right out of a made-for-TV movie. After reading the many glowing reviews about this series, one has to wonder whether the publisher is on propoganda blitz or something. Many of the reviews appear to have been submitted by the same people multiple times, apparently in an effort to stuff the ballot box. The long and the short of it is that Robinson is just not a very imaginative or interesting science fiction writer. He's sort of like the sci-fi equivalent of day-time TV.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre & Juvenile
Review: ...as are the many gushing and giddy, over-the-top reviews of this book and this series.
Rating: 
Summary: A mediocre epic
Review: "Red Mars," the first of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy, is a derivative work of science fiction that redeems itself through its epic scale and variety of characters. The basic plot is rather simple: earth has gone to hell in a handbag, and Mars is mankind's new hope. The story begins with the arrival of 100 settlers in 2026 and spans roughly sixty years following the first expidition. During this time, rivalries among the settlers lead to dramatic changes in both the planet and the characters. Robinson's pace makes the sixty years go by very briskly; he does not waste time giving too many details about how the planet was colonized and insead focuses on the characters. With all of the Latin names given to surface features on Mars, it is hard to keep them straight, but the planet provides for a dramatic setting that matches the conflicts between the various characters. I disliked Robinson's decision to begin the book with the death of John Boone, the first man on Mars, and then regress to the first settlement of Mars. The plot follows a linear structure for most of the book, and while this introduction provides a hook, it's inconsistent with Robinson's writing style. Another thing I disliked was the petty nature of many characters. Although the settlers of Mars are supposed to be intelligent and resourceful, they are also childish and manipulative. Robinson exaggerates these features until they resemble a soap opera. "Red Mars" deals with many themes, the most obvious of which is the inevitablilty of progress. The book has a bleak tone to it. But the settlers of Mars are victims of progress, both technological and societal, and the most interesting feature is how the Martians begin to develop a culture and a folklore that is distinct from that of earth. Fans of "Hard" science fiction should probably stay clear of "Red Mars," but readers of conventional fiction may use this novel as a means of getting into sci-fi novels. The futuristic background is merely a canvas for painting the picture of a group of humans, all frail in their own ways, as they stumble towards their inevitable destiny. I thought that "Red Mars" was okay but I will not be reading the rest of the Mars Trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: A classic--not just of SF, but of literature, too
Review: Robinson's Mars series is one of those rare SF novels (and yes, despite being 3 books long, it forms a single novel) that breaks the bounds of the genre and can hold its own in the general arena. In other words, one does not have to be a science-fiction fan to enjoy it. It explores the human condition and the universe as well, and the relationship of the two, through the eyes of some of the most beautifully developed characters to be found in all of literature. It is both cosmic and very, very human in its scope. While I greatly enjoy SF, Robinson sets the bar higher for a genre that is often too comfortable in its niche. He looks at where we are going, and points to a bright future--one that is possible to achieve if we have the heart to try.
Rating: 
Summary: Epic, yet wooden
Review: Red Mars is equally an epic novel of space colonization and a rambling bore of a book. I typically don't stop reading a book midway, but I did with this one. However there were messages and ideas powerful enough in the book to pull me back to it. In fact, I started the book again from the beginning, and read it straight through the second time. Most importantly for me, the ideas were strong enough to keep me thinking about them long after I put the book down. The book is divided into sections, and each section concentrates on a different character. While this is an interesting way of showing conflicting points of view, it is a little difficult because the characters are developed and their points of view are articulated individually and not as a group. Also, each section has a tendency to build vivid main characters and leave every other character a bit wooden and one-dimensional. Then, sometimes abruptly, the section ends, and the process begins with another character. The following sections never seem to go back to the previously developed characters. In a way, this shows the isolation each character has from each other, and helps to highlight the impossibility of building a new society from scratch. But I found this frustrating because just as you get to know a character, that character is yanked away from you, and not brought back into the story in any major sense again. The book is very linear as well. Each section is after the previous, sometimes by a span of months or years. Because of this, there is no way to see how opposing characters react to the same crisis or scenario. Again, this heightens the sense of isolation between characters, but I really would have liked to see more interplay between Arkady, John, Nadia and Frank throughout the whole book. Where Red Mars really shone was in the areas of politics and extrapolating how Earth might react to an independent Mars society, rich with minerals and most importantly, space. With a booming Earth population and rampant crime and monstrous disparity between rich and poor, the idealistic colonists try and build a society from scratch. The society they want to build is little more than a fool's Utopia, complete with economic freedom from the vagaries of money and capital, a new social order based on output alone, and isolation from the "real world", in this case, Earth. It is of course easy to realize that the new society will not unfold as planned, especially in light of problems on Earth, but Robinson does weave a very interesting case for how and why this new Utopia is the only just and morally right choice. The politics and debates over the society, and finally the struggle between the main characters desire to see Mars one way and the masters on Earth forcibly willing their view on the planet is really quite fascinating. On the whole, the politics and issues that Red Mars explores outweigh any negative sentiments I had with the book. I do believe it is an important book to read, especially as we begin to seriously look at colonization of Mars and other planets. For these reasons, Red Mars rates 4 stars out of 5, while the same novel without the ideas and politics would surely rate no higher than a 3.
Rating:
Summary: A work of Genius! (Includes response to bad reviews)
Review: I have just read through the bad reviews and have seen a clear theme. People that don't like this book are those that do not like to exercise their imagination or depth of thought. You know the kind: they must be "entertained" to hold on to their attention. Stanley's book is genius, because, if you are paying attention, you will see a multi-dimension story that captures the human spirit (good and bad). There are many books to read about Mars itself; this book is more about the socialization of Mars. The dynamics of social possibilties are captured in a simple and brillant way. As far as the actual science goes, I don't know if its all true (many arguments in the reviews), but it is all believable and well put together. Genius is not for everyone, and particularly not for those who want quick, thoughtless entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: The Definitive View of Mars
Review: Red Mars is an epic, mind blowing, looking glass into the future. It is filled with startling realizations of what could be done to mars and how all these accomplishments can be fulfilled through brilliantly described scientific or political means. Robinson presents a plan for this giant under taking- the colonization of Mars. All steps are thoroughly laid out from the journey from Earth to Mars, to the construction of the first habitat, to the arrival of other groups, and beyond. But this colonization is not at the forefront of the story. It acts more like a solid background for an emotionally charged tale dealing with what direction Mars should be taken on in three key points: whether to terraform or not-the process of changing mars to become habitable for humans-, who really controls Mars, the governments or the huge transnational companies, and what to do with vast amounts of resources that Mars holds, who controls these resources and should they be shipped back to earth. In the midst of all this chaos are the original 100 colonists that have their own ideas what should be done to with Mars. Two of these key points, terraforming and resources, rely heavily on science to be made believable. No worries though, Robinson flawlessly backs these points up through plausible ideas and concepts that he thought up after years of research. Robinson explains through his character Sax, that a raise in temperature, the detoxification of the atmosphere, and an increase of air pressure are necessary for the successful completion of the terraforming of Mars. Sax even delves deeper into the science by explaining how these goals can be accomplished through simple yet innovative processes. Some of these ideas include adding genetically enhanced bacteria to the world, which will discharge several important gases which will release oxygen into the atmosphere, and building windmills that will raise the temperature of the Martian atmosphere. Robinson's knowledge and research doesn't end at terraforming. He has also created a character, Nadia, who describes the machines that are able to answer some of the problems the colonists may find on Mars such as the construction of habitats, mining, and the travel of long distances. Builders that can be programmed to build mines, habitats and even other builders, rovers, blimp-like airships, and even the space craft the colonists traveled to Mars in are all items of his imagination. These devices keep the reader grounded in the story as nothing is left to be guessed about or to wonder how anything was completed. Robinson is so thorough with his science that nothing is left out. The other key point where conflict occurs on Mars is politics. Robinson is almost as in depth with the construction of his political world as the scientific one he creates. Robinson successfully modeled a believable future world where the people in power are some large transnational companies, such as Armscor, that have more control then many countries, some new organizations that think they control Mars, UNOMA, and of course the governments of larger countries like Russia and The United States. These companies, organizations, and countries are in a power struggle for Mars and its resources. For the companies their goal is money, organizations are working for a balance between the companies and countries, and the countries are trying to gain some much needed resources that are required to stay in power. And how the original colonists fit into all these agenda's creates a great story fueled with political tension. Keeping inline with the rest of his world Robinson generates detailed characters on par with his science. Every character has a motive, a desire, and a web of relationships. The reader will support and then root on the characters, whether it is Sax for his terraforming ideals, Ann for wanting to leave Mars alone, Frank for doing what the government wants, or Arkardy for his radical ideas. Each of these characters gets their fair share of the spot light through Robinson's technique of changing the character who is narrating the story. This technique guarantees that the reader will be able to understand each character and that person's ideas which are trying to shape Mars. Through the creation of such an intricate political storyline, and a believable science world filled with realistic characters, it was almost inevitable that Robinson in some sequences in the story would drone on about some non-important issue, like the type of economy on Mars, something he has already explained, the terraforming debate, or continue to build on already established relationships, such as Maya's interactions with Frank and John. These parts tend to become boring and tedious. They also seem like they could have been cut shorter and yet still provide the same atmosphere or fulfill the same purpose. Don't worry though; these parts do not affect the overall story to the point where it becomes unreadable. Robison has created a heavy book, yet still readable, filled with ideas and opinions supported by real science. But Red Mars isn't a textbook. Red Mars is a projection into the future and an entertaining one at that.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Sci-Fi. Roadmap for colonization
Review:
At the rate we're going, I don't think we're going to have government-sponsored Mars colonization, but commercial-sponsored. But if we do have government-sponsored, Robinson has a pretty good plan here.
The romantic angle he throws in concerning Coyote and Hiroko stretches a bit, but is the most entertaining part of the book.
It's a pretty hefty novel, but it reads right through, perfectly blending action with good science and a good storyline.
-- JJ Timmins
Rating:
Summary: Astounding
Review: I admit, it took me a few tries to get through this book, but that's only because there's so much going on. This book is epic in the true sense of the word: dozens of well-developed characters, romances, political infighting, splintered-off cult factions, all set against the backdrop that is the grandeur of Mars. I'm a huge fan of anything related to Mars, and this book also incorporates cutting-edge technology along with some technology that may not ever be possible, but certainly seems feasible in the context of the book. If you've ever been slightly interested with space travel, read this book immediately. Fascinating, addictive, a great novel even if you're not into science and space.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best books i have read
Review: before you pick this book up, there are some things you should know about it...and about yourself
first off, if you are not the kind of sci-fi fan who likes in depth scientific stuff...
put this down
you will be bored out of your mind, or find yourself skimming over things.
if you like, or at least mildly interested in biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, and just science in general...then read on
for me, this was one of the things that made the book enjoyable. i find a lot of sci-fi authors just gloss over the science aspects of their books. robinson takes the time to explain things (sometimes in quite a lot of detail). about the book itself.
the book details the colonization of mars, from the start. the book begins in medius rex...(in the middle of things) with the murder of one of the central charecters.
after the murder, you flash back to the beginning of the colinization, from the trip out, to the establishment of the settlements
the main charecters are the 'first hundred', the first 100 settlers to mars. there are a few other charecters who pop up, all quite interesting, that are not from the 100. each of the 8 segments of the book follows around one different charecter (one of the 100), and their interactions with everything. the human aspects of this book are incredibly poignant, and very touching. combining this with the time setting (relatively near future...2020-2060) this makes the charecters very believable. the major conflict comes in when additional emigrants begin making the sojourn to mars. initially they are simply more explorers and scientists, who plan on staying on the planet for life. the trouble comes when transnational corporations (think microsoft + aoltimewarner + general motors + general electric and you get the idea of the money and power behind them) who have grown more powerful and wealthy than all but about ten countries, start to send people up, to mine for metals. the transnationals have approached mars as an untapped resource, and will stop at nothing to get their way. over all, this is one of the most well written books i have had the pleasure of reading in quite a while.
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