Red Mars (Mars Trilogy Book 1)

Can't believe I had never read this before. Such a credible depiction of what life on Mars would look like. Got a bit thrown by some of the politics but the adventure continues. I'm on to Green Mars!

If you are looking for a Mars colonization story that covers every aspect of what such an endeavor might look like, down to the level of finest detail, this is the trilogy for you. Everything is described, including but not limited to: the tools used for building and fixing various elements; how the colonists shower; chemical compounds they have to manufacture to create concrete and other materials; and a healthy dose of love interests and "office politics". It doesn't quite fit the mode of a "Space Opera," but it is ambitious in what it attempts to convey, both on the level of world building and human interaction.That said, it's a challenging read because the work-up to the main conflict and action takes time. It's fair to say the story would've benefitted from a more aggressive editor, cutting back on some of the exposition and every day dialog. The author wants us to know what it would literally be like to live and work on Mars with a collection of strong personalities, but the truth is as readers, it's better to be spared some of the more mundane or tiresome details. Making a work of fiction too much like real life, is not necessarily a virtue.What would also benefit the story are a few well-placed illustrations or line drawings, showing us (instead of telling us) what some of the complex habitats, rovers, and other components actually looked like. It can be difficult to actually picture the things the author talks about at points. In fact, at points I felt this work might be better experienced as a trilogy of 2-3 hour movies or an HBO mini-series, marrying the detailed story with some impressive visuals.Overall the quality of story-telling is good but I've rated this three stars for the amount of effort required to get through, and the lack of visuals where warranted.

I thought RED MARS was a sensational read, stimulating, imaginative, rigorous, intelligent and sophisticated in applying contemporary science and politics to a story about the future colonization and ‘terraforming’ of the ‘red planet.’So enthusiastic am I, that I am dismayed by some of the negative notices on the first pages of this review section. I can only assume that readers who were disappointed expected something more on the order of a space opera like “Star Wars,” with it’s black hats and white hats and Ming the Merciless-style villains. I can appreciate a good space opera, it’s an old and loved SF staple, and I spent the early part of Covid lockdown compulsively reading through the eight part The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey, the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (the ninth and last book is due out in 2021, and it’s a TV series carried on Amazon Prime. The rights to dramatize Robinson’s MARS trilogy are apparently held by Spike TV). The Expanse is a space opera full of plot, violence, action, drama and incident. It’s an engine in full throttle that rarely lets up and it’s wonderful escapist reading. And I recommend it to those readers who have trashed the Mars Trilogy. It may be more like what you expected.RED MARS has all those things and much more, but done in an entirely different style. Kim Stanley Robinson is a writer of elegance, restraint, and cool observation and his vision of the colonization of Mars feels meticulous, realistic and credible, which is no easy achievement. It’s not an entertainment machine, it’s a means of thinking about the political, scientific and philosophical ramifications of space travel. He takes the crosscurrents of nationalism and volatile politics and extrapolates what those could mean to a space colonization of Mars. His vision is thoroughly believable, which is all the more remarkable since it was written during the elder Bush administration. This is not a dull book. It is full of varied characters, passion, action and violence. There is plenty of story and plot. There is also a sense of the awe-inspiring grandeur of an alien world and the deep fervor it inspires in its colonists.It is cerebral, so be prepared for a rigorous (not passively languorous) book that makes demands on readers. If traveling down various byways of science isn’t for you, stay away from RED MARS rather than criticizing a genuine achievement that happens not to be your style

Robinson is absolutely brilliant. The amount of research that has gone into making this book as accurate as possible is really remarkable. Plot is admittedly secondary. It's a degree of realism that's hard to find.

Having had this series of books in paperback for some years I was delighted to see that they have (eventually!) been release on Kindle. I nervously purchased them as sometimes publishers, in their rush to get their products converted to e-format in order to cash in on the success that Kindle has been, release such products without proof-reading them first. However, no such worries here as the publisher has done a vary good job of the conversion and I had no proplems at all with it.This is a fascinating story of man's first venture to Mars with the view of populating it. The book starts off a little ahead of this feat but then goes back to the training astronauts had, their journey to Mars and subsequent landing and building. It's a novel of (quite believable) science fiction, relationships, economy, politics, ethnicity, sabotage and intrigue.I find it's a book you need to really settle into and to read carefully as there is so much there that you might miss something. A book that each time you read it you realise something new.Thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next two books in the series (on Kindle): Green Mars (Voyager Classics)  and  Blue Mars (Voyager Classics)Green Mars (Voyager Classics)Blue Mars (Voyager Classics)

La trilogia di Marte di Kim Stanley Robinson è senza dubbio un must per chiunque ami leggere o scrivere di questo pianeta. Di certo è un’opera immensa sotto molteplici punti di vista.Questo primo libro si concentra sulla prima colonizzazione del pianeta immaginata in un futuro molto prossimo rispetto al presente, mentre il libro è stato scritto nel 1993. Continua poi in un arco di tempo di alcuni decenni descrivendo l’inizio di un progetto di terraformazione.Da una parte si nota il solito ottimismo di questo tipo di fantascienza nell’immaginare un evento di proporzioni titaniche in tempi relativamente brevi, che verrà di certo sbugiardato dalla realtà dei fatti. Al di là di questo, si può difficilmente definire questo libro un romanzo. Certo, ci sono dei personaggi con le loro storie, legate le une con le altre, ma dal punto di vista strettamente narrativo appare più come una serie di episodi, mostrati da punti di vista diversi, offrendoci così una narrazione corale, in cui non esiste un vero protagonista se non lo stesso Marte.Le singole storie, però, appaiono essere solo un pretesto per il tentativo dell’autore di immergersi in altri campi, per lo più scientifici, sebbene tenda spesso a sfociare nella sociologia, nella politica e persino nella psicologia. Il risultato è un libro che tende più a sembrare un trattato speculativo che un vero romanzo. Ne soffrono un po’ i personaggi, che finiscono ai margini. La maggior parte di loro non fa molto per farsi amare. Ammetto che ho avuto difficoltà ad affezionarmici. L’unico che mi è veramente piaciuto è Frank, forse perché l’ho trovato il più umano, con i suoi pregi e soprattutto con i suoi difetti. Peccato che sia stato poi colpito dal karma di certe storie americane un po’ troppo politically correct, secondo cui, se fai qualcosa di riprovevole, alla fine in qualche modo devi pagare.Il libro è comunque per larga parte interessante, soprattutto se quello che cerchi è un approfondimento pseudoscientifico. Alla base della speculazione c’è una scienza molto accurata, frutto di notevoli ricerche. Forse il difetto peggiore di questo libro è proprio l’aver voluto eccedere in questo senso, soffermandosi troppo su aspetti puramente tecnici a scapito della finzione.In alcune parti mi sono annoiata e ho saltato a pie’ pari delle pagine. Non me ne pento. A un certo punto, nella parte raccontata dallo psicologo della spedizione, l’autore parte per la tangente con una noiosissima e inutile disquisizione psicologica. Quando l’ambito trattato era più puramente scientifico, ho letto con maggiore interesse.Una cosa che stride è il voler essere ossessivamente accurato dal punto di vista scientifico per poi espandesi senza limiti nella parte speculativa, arrivando a mio parere a eccedere.Il finale scade nel catastrofismo, argomento che non sopporto e non solo nella narrativa, lasciandoti con l’amaro in bocca, poiché il mood della storia parte da una base ottimistica per poi arrivare in un crescendo di drammaticità a un epilogo eccessivo.Dovendo dare un giudizio complessivo, è senza dubbio un libro notevole, ma non una lettura facile, vista la sua complessità e soprattutto lunghezza. Di certo, però, ti lascia qualcosa.Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli, autrice di  Deserto rossoDeserto rosso

Gostei bastante da forma como a trama se desenrola e as características de cada personagem aparecem e evoluem ao longo da estória. Nos faz nos empolgarmos como o desfecho que dos dramas individuais de cada personagem e nos deixa com vontade de continuar lendo para sabermos mais.A forma de exploração e assentamento em Marte é bem plausível assim como as questões éticas a cerca da terraformação do planeta. O livro foi escrito há bastante tempo e embora a ciência tenha avançado bastante em alguns temas em relação à data de publicação, o livro continua atual.

The Mars mission seems now to be so close to home that this book has a virtually contemporary feel. The mission will be of enormous public interest. I found this book quite easy to read - it is a very compelling subject. This is no longer really Sci-Fi and I am sure everyone involved with the mission will or has already read it. As well as covering a wide range of the physical challenges we will face, it is also a very human story touching on psychological complexity which will invariably play a role.A key theme and one of great interest is how society will evolve given what is in effect a clean canvas. But how much baggage are we importing from our Earthly culture? What of those primitive instincts we harbour? KSR goes a long way in speculating on these questions. I was rather sorry to see all the progress made in colonising Mars go up in smoke as the `Terrans`, ( a rather apt sounding word for the powers back on Earth), want to step up mineral exploitation amidst rebellion from the Martians. However KSR manages his own veering from utopian into dystopian without too much disruption and with some fascinating calamitous occurrences although the plot did seem to evaporate a bit towards the end.