Red Mars was a science fiction bestseller, a Hugo Award nominee for best novel, and a critical triumph. Thrilling readers with its drama, realism, and provocative ideas, Red Mars has become an instant classic of the genre. Now Kim Stanley Robinson returns with the eagerly awaited second novel in his epic saga of the colonization of Mars, a thrilling and timeless tale of humanity struggling to survive at its farthest frontier.
Nearly a generation has passed since the first pioneers landed, but the transformation of Mars to an Earth-like planet has just begun. In Green Mars the colonists will attempt to turn the red planet into a lush garden for humanity. They will bombard the atmosphere with ice meteorites to add moisture. They will see the red deserts with genetically engineered plants. Then they will tap the boiling planetary core to warm the planet's frozen surface.
But their heroic efforts …
Red Mars was a science fiction bestseller, a Hugo Award nominee for best novel, and a critical triumph. Thrilling readers with its drama, realism, and provocative ideas, Red Mars has become an instant classic of the genre. Now Kim Stanley Robinson returns with the eagerly awaited second novel in his epic saga of the colonization of Mars, a thrilling and timeless tale of humanity struggling to survive at its farthest frontier.
Nearly a generation has passed since the first pioneers landed, but the transformation of Mars to an Earth-like planet has just begun. In Green Mars the colonists will attempt to turn the red planet into a lush garden for humanity. They will bombard the atmosphere with ice meteorites to add moisture. They will see the red deserts with genetically engineered plants. Then they will tap the boiling planetary core to warm the planet's frozen surface.
But their heroic efforts don't go unchallenged. For their plan to transform Mars is opposed by those determined to preserve the hostile and barren beauty of Mars. Led by rebels like Peter Clayborne, these young people are the first generation of children born on Mars, and they will be joined in their violent struggle by original settlers Maya Toitovna, Simon Frasier, and Sax Russell. Against the cosmic backdrop, passions, rivalries, and friendships will explode in a story as big as the planet itself.
A novel of breathtaking scope and imagination, of lyric intensity and social resonance, Kim Stanley Robinson employs years of research and state-of-the-art science to create a prophetic vision of where humanity is headed—and of what life will be like on another world.
As the middle book of a trilogy, Green Mars is bound to have less "shock value" than Red Mars. Still, the progression of original characters and the new characters is quite interesting. The issues of self-governance and representation that fueled the U.S. revolution are presented in a very believable fashion, as is the evolution of events on earth, which is sadly relevant here in the early 21st century. Some call it slow, but I appreciate the deliberate pacing of Green Mars. Overall a fascinating book.
