Red Mars

I had a love-hate relationship with Red Mars.? Let?s start with what I loved.? There are lots of classic science fiction novels that incorporated life on Mars, and I have read a bunch of them.? This is the first that made it actually sound somewhat possible.? The concept of systematically terraforming a completely uninhabitable and hostile world, was cleverly made to sound believable and possible by Kim Stanley Robinson.? He really did his research.

I also loved the social aspects woven into the book.? Robinson does a terrific job of depicting how an advanced group of people might build a society and political structure if they were to begin from scratch.? Watching various groups and cultures evolve and interact under the harsh Martian environment was a lot of fun.

Now, here is what I did not love.? For me, the book read a little more like a history book than a novel.? Given the depth to which Robinson went to build this new world and society, he had to convey a lot of details from many different character perspectives.? It left me unable to get behind or really get into any one character.? It also made for a long, and at times, dry story.? There were not many places in the book where I felt like I just couldn?t put it down, and had to find out what happened next.

If you want to think ?outside the box? about science, exploration, and society, this is a must read.? However, if you are looking for a fast-paces sci-fi story with lots of action, this is definitely not for you.

Hope this helps you find your next book.

Terry

 

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