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Liked It “Third part of the Mars Trilogy. Amazing work. See Red Mars for a slightly longer review.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “Mostly devoid of plot. These books are kind of like textbooks on future human history. I enjoyed the technological advancements described, such as the high speed space travel and the interstellar colonization efforts, but felt like it was just too long and utterly lacking in any kind of climax.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Third part of the Mars Trilogy. Amazing work. See Red Mars for a slightly longer review.”
amphibian wrote this review 15 hours ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Mostly devoid of plot. These books are kind of like textbooks on future human history. I enjoyed the technological advancements described, such as the high speed space travel and the interstellar colonization efforts, but felt like it was just too long and utterly lacking in any kind of climax.”
Kelly D wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The concluding book in the Mars trilogy. Really good analysis of the potential future for Earth, and the consequences for continuing our culture.”
RidePlanet wrote this review Wednesday, November 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Not as good as Red Mars, but better than Green Mars”
booktoad wrote this review Thursday, November 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Good to read more about the colony on mars but got boring towards the end.”
Lynn wrote this review Wednesday, August 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I liked this one the least of all the books mostly because it felt kind of repetative. While I have read the whole series twice, my second time through this book I left it somewhere and couldn't finish. From what I remember my first read through, the end was anti-climatic. It felt like there either needs to be one more book or it should have wrapped up many of the loose ends better. I still love the series and recommend it for anyone who likes these kinds of stories.”
Kim S wrote this review Sunday, August 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Good gracious, this book took me *forever* to plow through. About ten years ago I had read Red Mars and Green Mars, the previous two volumes in this trilogy, but had never gotten around to reading Blue Mars. (I think it had something to do with the sudden arrival of babies in the family...) Anyway, I finally snagged a copy of this one and dove in.
Steve C wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The story is basically the events following the Second Martian Revolution (which happened at the end of Green Mars), in which Mars becomes further terraformed (life taking hold), and in which the hard work of building a state and a government post-revolution takes place. The book is told in large sections from the perspectives of a number of the "first 100", switching back and forth as their stories unfold.
What I liked: Watching how a constitution convention works in a technological age was fascinating, if only because the management of human capital is what's really required. I think I've become a fan of light political fare, as long as it doesn't get too dry. I also liked the weird time shifts as all the first 100 start to get truly old (their longevity solutions result in more than two centuries of life). By the end of the book, the characters had become intriguing, but they took me a long time to get used to.
What I didn't like: There were lots of bright spots, and lots of places that just seemed to drag along. I think this could have really used a harsher editing pass.
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“This book absolutely sucked. Kim Stanley Robinson's R/G/B Mars series was a serious waste of my time.”
jct wrote this review Saturday, December 13 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Finally got around to reading this, the 3rd in the 'Colored' Mars trilogy. I read the other two probably around 10 years ago. As I remember, they were tough reads (for me), which was probably why I never finished up this one. This one's no different. But like those, it's well worth the effort.
Robert wrote this review Friday, April 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I put these 3 books in the 'realistic future' sub-genre of science fiction. They always struck me as capturing a lot of the likely scenarios that will play out once Earth colonizes Mars. Sub-populations escaping political or social oppression to start a new life in a new world (think: America). Factions emerging and creating intra-colony strife. Earth-Mars differences that grow over time (given distances), and ultimately explode. Revolution. Tented cities. Attempts to terraform.
Some of what I thought was unique in the trilogy: heavy Arabian emigration to Mars. Metanational entities that are the real power structures (above nations) on Earth. The importance of space elevators/cables to move people and materials between near space and planet surfaces. Terrorism. People going 'off the grid', hiding out.
One thing I didn't like or find realistic (in the time time frame of the stories): longevity treatment that allows people to live hundreds of years. I think this was basically a device that allowed the author to keep the same set of characters around for the whole long period spanned by the 3 books.
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