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Summary: When I die I want to go to Mars
Review: Yeah, the plotting is plodding, the characters, save one, are cutouts and the politics ponderous but I know I'll remember the trilogy throughout my life and it's probably going to be one of the few things I'll take the time to re-read. The one character, of course, is Mars. That's the deal. You either buy into it or not.
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Summary: Martian Colonization In Detail
Review: Kim Stanley Robinson undoubtedly has mastered the idea of Martian colonization, its effects on Earth, and the events following the first landing. In a somewhat lengthy, and sometimes dry, novel, the author clearly and accurately portrays what might hold in our future.Readers are drawn in with a murder in the beginning of Red Mars and quickly zips back to the launch of the Ares, the space vessel holding the "First Hundred". Robinson's detailed narrative focuses on these characters to examine the issues of colonizing a new planet. Subjects such as how Terraforming should be conducted, what social rules are in order, and other scientific facts, are mentioned in Red Mars. Robinson addresses the social, economic, and scientific problems humanity will face when interplanetary colonization occurs. Although somewhat slow and boring, if one can pull through Red Mars, he or she will be satisfied. The scientific babble Robinson mentions requires no great outside knowledge, but some would be helpful for better comprehension. Yet, the imaginative events that occur in Red Mars are superb! Space elevators, fully-functional colonies, etc. Red Mars is a wondefully written science-fiction per se that anyone who is interested in what might come of the future in space should read.
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Summary: WOW, but whoa
Review: Ah, nice to fine a SF book with plot now and then. Robinson deals with the colonization of Mars and the expectations of this colonization, both of the people that are there and people of earth. I'll leave it there as to what happens, don't want to give away too much. He is very good at his charactizations, you really get to know about 8 - 10 characters very well, almost where you can predict what they're going to do or say. He also does descriptions very well, of the planet, the work that they do, the people there, etc. The story is excellent, but it's not a heavy SF book in terms of science, the only thing that he talks about at any detail is the lighter gravity, which is not a bad thing. A lot of SF books get bogged in the S and forget about the F, this one doesn't have that problem. There's only a few issues about this book, one, and I got to say this is probably my problem, is that's it's long, like Tolkien long, a lot of trivial happenings, again good for character development, but... The other problem I had was the ending, I hate it when books just kind of stop with no resolution. This one just leaves you right there saying where's the end? Still worth reading though.
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Summary: Is it #1 or #2 on the all-time best list?
Review: When I finished reading Arthur C. Clarke's "Rama" series, I believed that I had just read the greatest science fiction series ever written. While that is still probably true, Kim Stanley Robinson's "Mars" series ("Red Mars", "Green Mars," "Blue Mars") is definitely a contender. The series tells the story of the birth and growth of a human civilzation on Mars, with "Red Mars" introducing the First Hundred colonists, describing their trip to Mars, and detailing their struggle to establish the colony. By the way, if you think the names of the books are unimaginative (I did before reading them), you'll find that they have underlying meanings that make them very appropriate. While the "Mars" books are technically a trilogy, Robinson's "Antarctica" is a very good prequel (like "The Hobbit" is to the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy), and his "The Martians" is a good follow-up, albeit somewhat melancholy. Why do I like these books? 1. The writing itself is excellent. You find few, if any, editing mistakes or contradictions. The viewpoint shifts between main characters to give you a fuller picture (also done brilliantly in George R. R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series). 2. The characters are believable, engaging, and very three-dimensional. You come away feeling that you know these people, and that these would be the types of people who would be sent to colonize Mars. 3. Hard issues are dealt with in realistic ways. Do they reshape Mars to fit humans (and lose the harsh beauty of Mars and its geological record), or do they reshape themselves to fit Mars (which is much harder and limits the inhabitability of Mars)? Do they do government and economy and society according to one or more existing models, do they follow the dictates of Earth, or do they (and can they?) create something new? 4. There is a healthy dose of adventure in this book. 5. The technology involved in the story is beyond what we have now, but only JUST beyond. If you doubt this, read NASA's recent plans regarding Mars. Are they copying Robinson, did he know what they were planning, is it a little of both, or are we just witnessing a convergence of art and reality? If you're new to science fiction, start either with the "Mars" series or Clarke's "Rama" series. Either one will make you a lifelong fan.
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Summary: RED MARS = NO STARS
Review: Due to the hype, I bought--stupid stupid stupid!--all three of the books in this trilogy. I did finish the book, although I am not sure how I did it. Here's the storyline: Describe the landscape for 20 pages, describe in INTRICATE DETAIL what all the little widgets and gadgets that the colonists brought with them are, talk about the beautiful scenery some more, have sex, some more technical stuff, make a failing attempt to develop the characters, have sex again, etc. The back of the book talks about how the last hundred pages go at the speed of light. Sorry, but I didn't find the ending memorable at all. Then there's this hard-to-visualize part where they have an LONG elevator or something attached to one of Mars' moons. I felt like I was reading Pecos Bill and how he would lasso a tornado with his rope, only this time he's doing to a moon. Highly over-rated. See that bright red dot outside your window? I suggest you take your copy of Red Mars and throw it out the window in an attempt to knock the red planet out of the sky. No aliens, either. This book makes A Princess of Mars look good.
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Summary: A great book - but only for the hardcore
Review: I really enjoyed this trilogy, but readers considering it should probably at least consider the following up front: * You're gonna be subjected to miles of dialog-free prose, more than I've ever seen in any book that proports to be a novel. If you're into the science, and into visualizing what you read, you'll have no problem. But if you're used to Crichton, forget it. The pace will kill you. * If you don't already know geology, keep a dictionary handy. He uses 150 geological terms I'd never heard of. * The book has two main topics: Mars and Politics. Don't expect a thriller. * There are gaps in the science that you'll have to overlook. He's weak on the biological, but strong on the astrophysical. * The characters are pretty archetypal, so you'll probably relate to at least one of them. But also, some are, well, pretty darn annoying. But they add to the story anyway if you can stand them. So given that, if you're not scared off, read it. Read all three. You'll like them, and in the end you'll feel like you know a lot about Mars. It's an epic, and a great one despite its occasional shortcomings.
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Summary: Realism and imagination bound, a landmark of science fiction
Review: Kim Stanley Robinson's RED MARS rightly deserved the 1993 Nebula Award and its place among the classics of science fiction. A epic tale covering over three decades of Mankind's first years on Mars, this book is truly awe-inspiring. Robinson's prose is clear and flowing. He writes very much the way a storyteller should. His characters are haunting, and their dysfunctions go to show that although humanity can move beyond Earth, it cannot move beyond itself. In any large group of people, there will be at least a few unusual types. Characters like Hiroko, the religious innovator, Arkady, the leftist revolutionary, and Ann Clayborne, the ecological conservative, all represent realistic viewpoints that will confront each other when Mars is colonized. Critiques of the book from reviewers below about the book's focus on "leftism" miss the point; humanity is always made up of dissenting viewpoints. And in this case, the trying conditions on Mars and the lack of resources make socialism and communism worth examining, even though they cannot have worked on Earth. But Mars really is the main character of this book, even if it plays its role quietly. Robinson's description of the Red Planet is so precise and well done that one can perfectly visualize each scene's environs. That Robinson was able to capture Mars so well in this book is especially stunning because it predates the 1996 Sojourner mission, which is where much of the newer surface data comes from. Robinson obviously had to painstaking research the earlier missions, and the latest findings only prove the conclusions he beautifully portrays. Meticulous science, passionate characters, and an sweepingly epic tale that moves the reader across time. RED MARS is one of my favourite novels' Its wonderful sequels, GREEN MARS and BLUE MARS, also deserve a look.
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Summary: Oh Dear! I thought Reds under the beds was gone!
Review: I loved this book. There I said it, i'll keep an eye out for the CIA snooping vans outside. it seems to me that the only good reviews of this book were those that didn't make any reference to personal inbred prejudice. Numerous references to 'the left' and communism (which one reviewer claimed people fled from it, they must not have realised that there has never been a real communist state). I foget who said it but one guy rightly talked about injust complains of it not being about 'White Christian Republicans Colonise Mars' (i think) that made me laugh but, not as much as some of the wafer thin reviews against this wonderful book. The characters in this are compelling, a huge timescale is kept from being tedious by being written in a new (to me atleast) style of broken narrative. All the science in this first book is viable, the follow up books are a little less believable but hey Scince FICTION. These books made me fall in love with Mars. being born around the time of the characters in the book i related to them (hey that could be me one day). Me and some friends saw parallels wih people we know and in My opinion any author who can make me treat his charcters as real, or atleast templates for people deserves a shake of the hand and all the plaudits availble. Oh yeah and one last thing, all you right wingers probably think of me as Pinko(?) or hippy but i seriously don't care. Being from england i don't get the same extremism as you guys in the good ol' US of A but it seems to me the youth of this nation isn't as scared of politics as alot of the reviewers i read here.
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Summary: Strong characterizations, timeless conflicts
Review: Mars might as well be Long Island, NY or any other Earth area where environmentalists are battling developers. The terraforming movement in "Red Mars" comes into conflict with those who want to leave Mars as "red" as we found it, moving the plot along nicely in this book and its sequels. But what really drives this book are strong characterizations...men and women who have believable motivations and interactions (loves, enemies, and sometimes combinations of the two). Although the series peters out a bit by the third book, it is an extremely worthwhile read and should satisfy fans who like hard science as well as those seeking character-driven plots. "Red Mars" is one of the modern classics that deserves to be read and reread!
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Summary: Should be titled BORING Mars
Review: This book has been a huge disappointment. I keep reading it hoping a real story will develop. Yes, the science of terraforming Mars is intriguing, but all too simplistic in Robinson's account. The characters are paper thin and for the most part ANNOYING. The only real character is conveniently disposed of just as an actual plot was developing. The only reason I will finish this is is out of a hope that Frank, Maya, Hiroko and the rest of the annoying lot will somehow meet a cruel and painful death at the hands of Ray Bradbury and Edgar Rice Burroughs at the end. If you want a classic about Mars, go read Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles."
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