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Red Mars
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Read Red Mars
The Mars Trilogy: Book 1

Red Mars (1992) (edit title/settings)

by Kim Stanley Robinson (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

For eons, sandstorms have swept the barren desolate landscape of the red planet. For centuries, Mars has beckoned to mankind to come and conquer its hostile climate. Now, in the year 2026, a group of one hundred colonists is about to fulfill that destiny. John Boone, Maya Toitavna, Frank... read more

Summary edit see section history

Red Mars starts in 2026 with the first colonial voyage to Mars aboard the largest interplanetary spacecraft ever, the Ares, with a crew of whom are to be the first hundred colonists, composed for the most part of Russians and Americans. The book details the construction of the first settlement... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Red Mars starts in 2026 with the first colonial voyage to Mars aboard the largest interplanetary spacecraft ever, the Ares, with a crew of whom are to be the first hundred colonists, composed for the most part of Russians and Americans. The book details the construction of the first settlement on Mars, called Underhill. A debate among the colonists breaks out about the advisability of terraforming the planet, focusing on the two extreme views personified by Saxifrage "Sax" Russell, who believes their very presence on the planet means some level of terraforming has already begun and it should be continued, a viewpoint held by a group called the "Greens"; and by Ann Clayborne, who represents the viewpoint that humankind does not have the right to change entire planets at their will and Mars should be left in its original state, a viewpoint held by the "Reds". Hiroko Ai represents a middle ground, believing that a new way of living could evolve on Mars, a philosophy referred to as Areophany.

The Greens eventually win out, through direct intervention in some cases, and the first steps to terraforming Mars start during the novel. At the same time, new towns are developed across the planet, increasingly open as new technologies and materials allow pressure to be contained in new ways. However, because of the greed of the transnational corporations that come to dominate and control the nation states of Earth, the new Martian towns become overcrowded and undermaintained. Several cases of sabotage of terraformation infrastructure occur, blamed on the anti-terraforming Red forces. The situation results in a violent revolution in 2061, in which many of the First Hundred are killed, and much of Mars' infrastructure, notably the space elevator and Phobos, are destroyed. Most of the surviving members of the First Hundred are forced into hiding underground — in this case a literal underground shelter created by Hiroko Ai under the Martian south pole.

Characters edit see section history

  • John Boone: The first man on Mars and one of the "First Hundred" sent to colonize Mars.
  • Frank Chalmers: One of the "First Hundred", head of the American Contingent.
  • Maya Toitovna: One of the "First Hundred", head of the Russian Contingent.
  • Nadezhda "Nadia" Chernyshevski: One of the "First Hundred", A Russian engineer
  • Arkady Bogdanov: One of the "First Hundred", A Russian engineer with anarchist leanings.
  • Saxifrage "Sax" Russell: One of the "First Hundred", an American physicist and leader of the "Green" Movement for the terraformation of Mars
  • Ann Clayborne: One of the "First Hundred", an American geologist and leader of the "Red" Movement for the preservation of Mars
  • Hiroko Ai: One of the "First Hundred", a Japanese expert on biology, agriculture, and ecological systems.
  • Michel Duval: One of the "First Hundred", a French psychologist tasked with monitoring the psychological welfare of the First Hundred.
  • Vladimir "Vlad" Taneev: One of the "First Hundred", a Russian biological scientist. The oldest of the First Hundred. Head of all medical treatment and research projects on Mars.
  • Phyllis Boyle: One of the "First Hundred", an American geologist who favors corporate control of Mars.
  • Desmond "Coyote" Hawkins: One of the "First Hundred", a Trinidadian stowaway. Friend and supporter of Hiroko. Fervent anarchist communist.
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First Sentence edit see section history

Mars was empty before we came.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Part One: Festival Night
Part Two: The Voyage Out
Part Three: The Crucible
Part Four: Homesick
Part Five: Falling Into History
Part Six: Guns Under the Table
Part Seven: Senzeni Na
Part Eight: Shikata Ga Nai

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

  • Terraforming: The hypothetical process of deliberately modifying a planet's atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology to be similar to those of Earth to make it habitable by terran organisms.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 4 in The Mars Trilogy. (standard series)

Followed by Green Mars.

This is book 95 of 100 in National Public Radio's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy. (authoritative list)

Preceded by The Caves of Steel, and followed by Lucifer's Hammer.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Kim Stanley Robinson (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Don Dixon (Cover Artist) - Cover art

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Spectra
Country: U.S.A.
Publication Date: 1992
ISBN: 0-553-09204-9
Page Count: 519

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PS3568.O2893 R44 1993
  • Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Adults

Adult content

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • The Martians
  • Green Mars
  • Blue Mars

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