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Green Mars (Mars Trilogy #2)

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 12,251 ratings · 284 reviews

In the Nebula Award winning Red Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson began his critically acclaimed epic saga of the colonization of Mars, Now the Hugo Award winning Green Mars continues the thrilling and timeless tale of humanity's struggle to survive at its farthest frontier.

Nearly a generation has passed since the first pioneers landed, but the transformation of Mars to an Eart...more

Paperback, 640 pages

Published May 1st 1995 by Spectra (first published 1993)

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May 23, 2013 Clouds - (¿head-in-the?) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-series, locus-sci-fi, hugo, science-fiction, reviewed, read-in-2012

Christmas 2010: I realised that I had got stuck in a rut. I was re-reading old favourites again and again, waiting for a few trusted authors to release new works. Something had to be done.

On the spur of the moment I set myself a challenge, to read every book to have won the Locus Sci-Fi award. That’s 35 books, 6 of which I’d previously read, leaving 29 titles by 14 authors who were new to me.

While working through this reading list I got married, went on my honeymoon, switched career and became...more

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Oct 11, 2010 Meggan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

KSR has been described as writing philosophical sci-fi novels of suspense. To me his philosophical questioning in Green Mars goes as deep as Valles Marineris. This trilogy is about answering the question "how do we live together when we have no home." A similar sci-fi treatment, Battlestar Galactica, attempted to answer this--but KSR plays with the question without any heavy-handed mysticism, magic, or deus-ex-machinas. In other words, "how do we live together" can only be answered within the bo...more KSR has been described as writing philosophical sci-fi novels of suspense. To me his philosophical questioning in Green Mars goes as deep as Valles Marineris. This trilogy is about answering the question "how do we live together when we have no home." A similar sci-fi treatment, Battlestar Galactica, attempted to answer this--but KSR plays with the question without any heavy-handed mysticism, magic, or deus-ex-machinas. In other words, "how do we live together" can only be answered within the bounds of natural law (no faster than light travel here). In effect, when we move away from the fantastic and toward the mundane, the question of how we live together becomes more political: what happens when science has been appropriated by astro-capitalism? At what point is Mars a "colony," and at what point is it independent of Earth? With questions like these, Green Mars is about process of preventing dystopia, instead of making dystopia our starting point.

The second volume is just as good as the first, and here is why: the characters, like terraforming the planet, change. The stakes are higher for the small underground band of anarchists, revolutionaries, and scientists to succeed. Earth in the 2100's plays a much larger role than in Red Mars, resulting in richer world building. How genetic advancements stretch the limits of human memory is explored here. And a sense of history presses on every page, so that every action, every word of dialog, makes sense for the world they inhabit. KSR convinces you that if we were to colonize Mars, it won't go down any other way but this.

The Mars trilogy isn't for everyone. You really have to crave a steady diet of science and philosophy to love these novels. In Green Mars, a scientific conference takes up most of one chapter. A political conference takes up another. You have to deal with sentences like this:

"The halocarbons in the cocktail were powerful greenhouse gases, and the best thing about them was that they absorbed outgoing planetary radiation at the 9-to 12-micron wavelength, the so-called 'window' where neither water vapor nor CO2 had much absorptive ability."

Of course, I picked the most absurd example. Really the writing is quite literary, especially in the brief prologues that open each chapter. His Big Man mythos stories are stellar, for instance. Overall I can't wait to read the next volume to see how our future will play out 150 years from now. (less)

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Jan 09, 2011 James rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, character-studies, culture-and-politics, environment-and-earth-sciences, military, science-fiction, general-science-math-technology, suspense-and-mystery

Every bit as good as Red Mars was - this is a huge epic story, vivid and arresting; this trilogy, so far, is up there with the best of Frank Herbert. I'm looking forward to the third book, but at the same time not wanting it to be over that soon. This series cries out to be made into a trilogy of films, too.

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Jul 25, 2010 Daniel Bryan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy peaks in its central volume. Red Mars has a tight narrative and tightly controlled world-building, while Blue Mars expand the scope of the trilogy impressively, with a melancholy tone throughout.

In Green Mars, Robinson constantly amazes with displays of his mature and broad understanding of human nature and our intellectual wealth. His best characters are preoccupied by the intersection between the sciences and the arts. The events of the book hinge on the uni...more Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy peaks in its central volume. Red Mars has a tight narrative and tightly controlled world-building, while Blue Mars expand the scope of the trilogy impressively, with a melancholy tone throughout.

In Green Mars, Robinson constantly amazes with displays of his mature and broad understanding of human nature and our intellectual wealth. His best characters are preoccupied by the intersection between the sciences and the arts. The events of the book hinge on the union of this traditional dichotomy, and it is a rare achievement for an epic science-fiction narrative to be dependent on a theme so ambitious.

This central theme is emphasised by Nirgal and Sax, the characters the narrative in Green focuses on predominantly. Nirgal, a second-generation native child of Mars, has a childhood idea of the "Green World" versus the "White World" - animalistic, uncomplicated pleasure and belonging contrasted with the desire to rationalise, define and compute the world. He constantly returns to this symbol in his travels across Mars in its imperial era.

Sax, the famous scientist who began the terraforming of the planet in Red Mars, undergoes serious personal change as a combined result of living under a false personality, undergoing a massive, crippling stroke and taking neuroplasticity-enhancing drugs. The previously withdrawn, passive figure, almost the ideal of a disinterested scientist, becomes passionately engaged with the human sphere, and is ultimately the architect of the Second Revolution.

Nirgal's constantly shifting outlook, and Sax's transformation, represent the transformation of human society at large that Robinson envisions in much of his fiction, the synthesis of the lessons of the arts with those of science, and the final rationalisation and humanisation of economics and politics. Green Mars, in all its length and meandering narrative, is a book with a self-consistent philosophy covering every part of human life, a broad outlook attempted in very little fiction, and is neither judgmental nor idealistic. The novel leaves the ultimate fate and direction of Martian society ambiguous, and in Blue Mars the reader is confronted with the ugly reality behind the ideals formulated in Green Mars, and the corruption of good people by necessity and daily life, and the ultimate ambiguity (or failure?) of any utopian project - but Robinson is not fatalistic, and it's this realistic hope for humanity that is his real achievement.(less)

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Dec 30, 2008 Basswood rated it 3 of 5 stars

I would recommend this book, as I would 'Red Mars' (the first in the trilogy –I haven't read the final book yet). In many ways it is thought provoking and highly enjoyable to read. At times it is hard difficult to put down –what happens next? – yet at others it can drag; especially in relation to the descriptions of martian geography and geology,which I have to admit are not a specialty or particular interest of mine.

Whilst I applaud the character based approach to epic storytelling and greatly...more I would recommend this book, as I would 'Red Mars' (the first in the trilogy – I haven't read the final book yet). In many ways it is thought provoking and highly enjoyable to read. At times it is hard difficult to put down – what happens next? – yet at others it can drag; especially in relation to the descriptions of martian geography and geology, which I have to admit are not a specialty or particular interest of mine.

Whilst I applaud the character based approach to epic storytelling and greatly admire the decision to focus on the character's disparate emotional lives and interactions, at times their literary representation simply does not do them justice. On occasions the prose slips too far into simply narrating their inner existences, rather than embodying them through the text (admittedly a tall order...). Perhaps connected to this issue is also the sense that the characters sometimes exist more to articulate particular emotional and political responses to situations and viewpoints than as rounded beings in their own right. There are times when the dialogue seems stilted and cliched in this respect (especially for individuals who have known each other for so long). An example – the conversation between Sax and Coyote (towards the end of the 'Sax' section of the book), where the author's desire to articulate philosophical and political viewpoints seems to totally override natural and believable duologue.

That all said, I really did enjoy this book and it captured my imagination during the time I was reading it. My final thought would be the suggestion that perhaps the trilogy would be a good subject for an epic HBO series adaptation – do they do adaptations? I suggest this because, with sufficient length (it would need at least two series per book) and budget, both the human drama and aesthetic vision of Kim Stanley Robinson's Martian epic could be wonderfully conveyed; in addition, representation in a dramatic medium might help rectify the occasional weaknesses of characterisation and dialogue.
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Aug 04, 2011 Tim James added it

Considering that it took me the better part of 5 months to read this hard SF novel, it could well be believed that it was hard going and some heavy reading, and perhaps in some ways it was. But truth be told I really enjoyed this ongoing tale about the terraforming of Mars, and just could not find the time to read...

For the most part the books look at the changes wrought on the former red planet by man, and the unstable political situation that dominates Earth, and by default Mars, and the detai...more

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May 02, 2013 Kruunch rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is a tough book to critique because of the unusual nature of the writing and story telling and I'm rating (and reviewing) this book along with the other two books of this trilogy (Green Mars and Blue Mars).

The Mars trilogy details the terraforming and colonization of Mars from Earth in a very realistic fashion over the course of a few centuries.

The story follows the First 100, which are the initial engineers/scientists that begin the massive terraforming project. From the initial journey to...more This is a tough book to critique because of the unusual nature of the writing and story telling and I'm rating (and reviewing) this book along with the other two books of this trilogy (Green Mars and Blue Mars).

The Mars trilogy details the terraforming and colonization of Mars from Earth in a very realistic fashion over the course of a few centuries.

The story follows the First 100, which are the initial engineers/scientists that begin the massive terraforming project. From the initial journey to Mars, to the first landing site and settlement on to the exploration of Mars as a whole, the Mars trilogy takes the reader on a journey through all the terrains of Mars in detail, while unfolding a budding society attempting to invent itself while trying to learn from the mistakes of mother Earth.

These books are a cache of knowledge for the Martian terrain and provide really interesting (and plausible) glimpses in what the future for the next century may truly hold for us. both from a technical aspect as well as a growing society, while introducing some very interesting new concepts (both technical and social).

The problem I have with the series ... it's just not very fun to read (extremely tedious). The characters aren't particularly likable and are too consistent considering the life spans we're talking about (2+ centuries). Much of the premise would have many folks rolling their eyes at the lack of practicality involved and the scale yo-yoes too much between macro and micro (failing to achieve interest in either much of the time). Accordingly, many of the plot devices are really clunky and implausible (i.e. the elongated life spans, the macro building projects, the random tours of the planet by the protagonists, etc ...). Additionally, if you have no interest in geological minutia, you could literally drop about 75% of these books into the trash (or skim really fast).

While Robinson obviously did his research for these books and is incredibly knowledgeable and not a little bit ingenious with some of the concepts introduced, he misses on the connectivity of the subject matter (for me) which doesn't do the sheer amount of work presented here, justice.

Hence the two stars.
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Apr 08, 2013 Stuart rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: exploration, science-fiction, new-perspectives

The second installment of Kim Stanley Robinson's excellent Mars trilogy. "Red Mars" focused on the arrival and initial colonizing and terraforming by the First Hundred from Earth, and "Green Mars" picks up after the violent clash between Mars' pro-independence forces versus Earth's 'meta-national' private armies and corporate overseers. The terraforming, well under-way and led by the Green (pro-terraforming) faction, has transformed large swathes of Mars into almost-habitable areas. These effort...more The second installment of Kim Stanley Robinson's excellent Mars trilogy. "Red Mars" focused on the arrival and initial colonizing and terraforming by the First Hundred from Earth, and "Green Mars" picks up after the violent clash between Mars' pro-independence forces versus Earth's 'meta-national' private armies and corporate overseers. The terraforming, well under-way and led by the Green (pro-terraforming) faction, has transformed large swathes of Mars into almost-habitable areas. These efforts are systematically 'eco-taged' (that is, sabotaged) by fellow a Martian group, the Reds. The disparate political forces on Mars unite, however, in an uneasy alliance against their common enemy: the corporations of Earth.

That's just the gist of it. What adds real depth to the novels are the ever-changing opinions of the cast of characters, whose personalities are archetypal and basically conduits for discussing the whole spectrum of philosophical issues that are raised the first time humanity colonizes another world.

This trilogy is science-fiction with an emphasis on the science, natural and physical, as well as political. Each book is divided into a half-dozen 'chapters,' spanning many years, each from the perspective of the most importance political and scientific minds of the pro-independence movement. There are no sweeping narrative declarations or methodically plotted action scenes, and exposition is provided only when the characters themselves are in discourse. Reading "Green Mars" in particular, out of the three, reminded me why fans of the genres do indeed distinguish between 'space-opera' and 'hard' sci-fi. Although I dislike the latter term, it is nevertheless the easiest way to differentiate it from something like, say, "Dune."

Robinson's Mars Trilogy isn't for everyone, not even sci-fi fans in general. Precisely because of its uniqueness, however, I'd think it'd appeal to the intellectually-engaged reader of all genres. It requires a good deal of patience, not because the story or characters are uninteresting, but because Robinson creates an immersive, wholly believable world based firmly and uncompromisingly in scientific, political, and philosophical discourse. (less)

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Aug 04, 2012 Smcleish rated it 3 of 5 stars

Originally published on my blog here& in August 2000.

The second of Robinson's trilogy continues the story of the colonisation of Mars where the first left off. The series fits very snugly into an established science fiction tradition; colonisation of other planets has long been a favourite theme in the genre. As the years pass, we have come to know more about the other planets in the solar system. Conditions on Mars, for example, have gradually become understood to be harsher and harsher, so...more Originally published on my blog here& in August 2000.

The second of Robinson's trilogy continues the story of the colonisation of Mars where the first left off. The series fits very snugly into an established science fiction tradition; colonisation of other planets has long been a favourite theme in the genre. As the years pass, we have come to know more about the other planets in the solar system. Conditions on Mars, for example, have gradually become understood to be harsher and harsher, so that Edgar Rice Burroughs could write about a dry and warm Mars with a breathable atmosphere, while Robert Heinlein could still write of a planet on which a human could walk unaided by insulation and breathing apparatus for a few hundred yards. Both of them envisaged a planet inhabited by ancient civilizations. It was really the Viking and Mariner probes which showed that this was not the case, and that Mars was far colder, more barren and had less water than had previously been supposed.

At the same time, the technology which could be used to colonise a planet has advanced, as well as our idea of what could be done. This has meant that there is space for a new vision of Martian colonisation every few years, each with greater detail and less vagueness compared to its predecessors. Robinson may well stand at the end of this line; the beginning of the process as he describes it is generally close to current technology. Most of the extrapolations are small and obvious enough, at least in the first two books (which take the story up to 2127). The possible exception to this may be the gerentological treatments, drastically increasing the span of human life (at least, for the rich and important). Since the main uses of this are not germane to the colonisation process (it's major purpose is structural, to make it possible to have a group of characters who span the entire trilogy), it is not a particularly important issue.

The importance of the trilogy as a whole is clear, but the stature of the second part is distinctly (and inevitably) lower than that of the first. In Red Mars, the scene is set, the major characters introduced and the terraforming process set off; the challenges to be faced and overcome are in many ways greater. The main issues here are political, as those living (and, indeed, born) on Mars become more and more bitterly opposed to the rapacious exploitation of Martian resources by the ruthless metanational corporations of Earth. Robinson hands the character based political interaction far less well than the astronomy and engineering of Red Mars - a traditional failing of science fiction writers.(less)

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Apr 12, 2012 Michael Harry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

A fantastic sequel that continues the fascinating story of the colonization of Mars. The science is very detailed and believable, perhaps not the timescales (the author is a bit optimistic) but the events and processes are nicely done. I'm also sceptical about nanotech and von neumann machines being so close, AIs and robots more plausible but overall the book is believable.

The characters are richer and deeper than before even as they become more polarized and rigid in their ways. The way they ar...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-reports

Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, story of Mars's colonization and subsequent failed revolution excelled purely on the virtue of the sheer amount of included scientific detail. Green Mars offers much of the same, telling the story of the Martian underground's attempts at uniting, and the subsequent revolution. It goes heavily into political theory, psychology, and the ethical issues of terraforming.
The story starts at the point where Mars has been terraformed to the point Mars now has plants on...more Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, story of Mars's colonization and subsequent failed revolution excelled purely on the virtue of the sheer amount of included scientific detail. Green Mars offers much of the same, telling the story of the Martian underground's attempts at uniting, and the subsequent revolution. It goes heavily into political theory, psychology, and the ethical issues of terraforming.
The story starts at the point where Mars has been terraformed to the point Mars now has plants on the surface. The protagonists of the previous book are now largely living in the underground, varied pockets of resistance against the oppressive corporate government. The first parts of the book are largely focused on attempts to unite the underground, calumniating in the signing of the Dorsa Brevia Declaration, to create a government where all are equal and none are exploited. Then underground bases begin to be attacked, the moon of Deimos is destroyed, fighting breaks out and several major population centers are destroyed. The revolution is tentatively won when the capital city of Burroughs is flooded.
The book immediately improves over its predecessor by actually giving its characters depth. For example, in Red Mars the character of Saxifrage Russel is portrayed as little more than a hyper-focused scientist largely incapable of showing emotion. In this, he shows attachment to his work and the beginnings of deep concern for a suicidal character. “It was his Mars, evolving right before his very eyes, always in the process of becoming something new. Like a stab to the heart he felt the wish that he could seize Ann at that very moment, and pull her by the arm down the western moraine crying “See? See? See? (163)” Like its predecessor, it excels in the amount of scientific and political detail, such as the extensive discussions on heat added to the atmosphere throughout the book.
I would recommend the book, or rather the entire series, to anyone interested in political theory and the sciences who is old enough to understand the content. It has enough of both that you're very likely to learn at least one new thing. (less)

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Dec 17, 2011 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, sci-fi

As I read further in this series I like it more. I don't like it a ton but I liked this book better than the first in the series: Red Mars. It continues to hold my interest and I want to find out what happens to the characters. I may like this book better because I like the point of view of the characters that are highlighted in this second book rather than those from the first. Kim Stanley Robinson writes the books in a series of sections from one character's point of view. Which in this case i...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Dave rated it 5 of 5 stars

A very interesting book: very much like Red Mars in that the science is explained in almost excruciating detail, but in a good way, where you don't have to understand it all on your first time through. As with most middle books in trilogies, there are obvious storylines that won't be completely resolved, but unlike a number of those books, this one has some unusual ways of getting to the end.

The last part of the book isn't unexpected in terms of what happens on Mars, but the triggers on Earth t...more

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May 22, 2011 Dhamma rated it 5 of 5 stars

Second in the Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson, also one of science fictions classics and a must read for sci-fi fanatics. The book continues the story from Red mars from a different perspective. The perspective is mostly of the underground movement who are the protagonists in the story. The main themes are Economic and Political Justice, and Ecological sustainability. Ecological sustainability concerns terraforming which is a major centerpiece of the mars trilogy. Green Mars explores the di...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Nicholas Barone rated it 4 of 5 stars

The second book in Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy picks up the story of Mars and the Martians some 20 years after the end of book one, and it covers about 40 (earth) years time. It describes the aftermath of the 2061 uprising, the underground's attempts to get all of its factions working in concert, the continued successes of the terraforming project, and the growing chaos back on Earth. KSR continues to tell the story through a series of short stories, each from a different characters pers...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Carl Cranney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nprs-top-100-science-fiction-and-fa

I found this to be a much more enjoyable book than the first one in the series (Red Mars. While Red Mars focused too much on politics and yet another variety of the theme of "humans are wrecking the planet Earth" this one was more about terraforming Mars, how that might go about, and what kinds of factions would arise around the differences of opinions. "Reds" are the people who want the planet to remain in its pristine state, "Greens" those who want to terraform it. The politics involved is mos...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Bruce rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf-fantasy

While I really enjoyed this book and consider it among Robinson's best work, it doesn't have that laser boring into the brain wow this is really doing something really well that no one else has done before quality that Red Mars has.

If you've made it this far you obviously don't mind the hard science aspect of this trilogy. The main characters are mostly scientists (less so in this book than Red Mars) and there is lots of science here. Geology and Botany mostly.

Also the shifting character viewpoi...more While I really enjoyed this book and consider it among Robinson's best work, it doesn't have that laser boring into the brain wow this is really doing something really well that no one else has done before quality that Red Mars has.

If you've made it this far you obviously don't mind the hard science aspect of this trilogy. The main characters are mostly scientists (less so in this book than Red Mars) and there is lots of science here. Geology and Botany mostly.

Also the shifting character viewpoints; some of the characters not so likeable. For me Ann Clayborne is the worst-- I skimmed her section though there are still some really memorable moments in there.

I read this when it first came out um, 18 years ago and it still holds up as one of the very best.

Again, I think a lot of the criticism you will read here is due to the success of this trilogy. A much more widespread readership means that there will be more people complaining about the aspects of this book that make it unusual or special. It's not like the majority of stuff that's published, and majority tastes will find it a little complex for their palates.

Oh, and it really becomes clear with Green Mars that Kim Stanley Robinson meditates, maybe is enlightened, but definitely has experience in that area. He is not overt about it, but there are all sorts of little code words throughout, just like George Bush Jr did for the Fundamentalist Christians listening to his speeches. The repeated realization by different characters that it is all about "the present moment." The Dalai Lama meets the little red men. The Tibetan shamanic practices of one of Hiroko's inner circle. Nirgal's Lun Gom. Michel's radical personality shift, from Maya-like to stable. Hiroko's long periods of quiet. At one point he actually mentions one of the characters "appears to be meditating." Now that I list these it appears that they center around Hiroko's group. Off meditating under the southern polar ice cap during their long self-imposed exile.(less)

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Sep 06, 2011 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: random-comments-review

...On the whole I think Green Mars is not quite as good and Red Mars. I feel that Robinson tried to put too much information and too much very rapid change in the already compressed time-scale of the series. That being said, the attractions of the first novel are still present in this book. Robinson's vision of the colonization of Mars in frighteningly plausible in some respects and very well thought through. Despite the huge challenges being faced by the characters, there is a sense of optimism...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Louis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, ustopian

Wonderfully detailed description of Mars, down to the single grain. Geological and natural descriptions however were sometimes overdone, perhaps evincing the individuals' passions. But there are times when the descriptions are overdone. The word "laminate sand" is fully stuck in my head. And "lichens", thanks to Nadia, Ann and Sax.

Narrative device of one character, one chapter works to flesh out each character fully and teases one to read the subtext of each chapter.

To recognise that there are...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Dennis Boccippio rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

I liked this much more than Red Mars, but the plodding nature of some of the prose still kept it from being a 5-star review.

Green Mars delves (to its benefit) much deeper into the human and sociopolitical side of the story. The agonizing "travelogues" of Red Mars as mercifully truncated (most of the time, though occasionally replaced by equally dense forays into the mechanics of lichens). The historical sweep is wonderful and, amazingly, continues to be plausible.

Perhaps the most interesting fac...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Marc Goldstein rated it 3 of 5 stars

A generation passes since the end of Red Mars. The first children born on Mars grow into adulthood. The survivors of the First Hundred live on thanks to gerontological DNA treatments, some reaching more than 140 years old. The crux of the novel follows the work of the First Hundred and their children to rest control of Mars away from the giant metanational corporations that treat Mars like a strip mine and a waste dump. Sax Russell infiltrates one corporation to continue his terraforming researc...more

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Aug 02, 2011 kingshearte rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fiction, sci-fi

OK, seriously, blurb writer? Although the terraforming debate did kind of form a bigger part of this story than it did in Red Mars, it's still really not the main issue. And Peter Clayborne? Sure, he's around, but this story is so not even close to being about him, and he's certainly no leader of any anti-terraforming rebel group. It just really pisses me off when a blurb bears so little resemblance to the book it's allegedly describing that it might as well be about another book entirely.

Aside...more OK, seriously, blurb writer? Although the terraforming debate did kind of form a bigger part of this story than it did in Red Mars, it's still really not the main issue. And Peter Clayborne? Sure, he's around, but this story is so not even close to being about him, and he's certainly no leader of any anti-terraforming rebel group. It just really pisses me off when a blurb bears so little resemblance to the book it's allegedly describing that it might as well be about another book entirely.

Aside from that, Robinson is starting to frustrate me. He actually has quite a compelling story going on, with some very interesting socio-political commentary, but he buries it so deep in technical details and geographic minutiae that it's really hard to get into. On one hand, the technical stuff is kind of interesting. No miraculous Heisenberg compensators here. Every solution to the technical problems is, as far as I can tell, plausible, provided one has the unimaginably vast resources required. And that is pretty cool. But he goes overboard, and really, that remains the biggest complaint I have about this trilogy. I'm interested in the story and the people, and I certainly will read the final volume, but the details are killing me.

I also have to point out possibly the most hilarious simile ever: "... the new elevator cable rising out of it like an elevator cable ..." (99). The only thing I can figure is that, stumped for a good simile, he initially wrote that with the intention of coming up with something good later, and then forgot about it, which is understandable. I'm afraid I can't really forgive his editor for missing it, though.

In any case, I will read Blue Mars and I will hope that it will go in a different direction then the first two, which is some ways, read like two slightly different imaginings of basically the same thing (new society forming, leading to revolution, ending with the survivors escaping doom and heading off to somewhere safer). I will not bother to hope for fewer technical details.(less)

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Apr 05, 2011 Jack Hope III rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fine sequel to Red Mars, this book is both strengthened and sabotaged by the "hard" science that sometimes overpowers the narrative.

Someday, this book will be well-served by the interactive technologies of future e-readers. Those interested in the maps, lists of geological and geographical features as well as biological and astronomic terms will enjoy a much fuller experience. I listened to this as an audio book, but would have enjoyed it much more if I could have followed along with an iPad...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Meghan Fidler rated it 5 of 5 stars

With a deeper understanding of the characters my first annoyances with "Red Mars" were not present in "Green Mars." Riveting and exquisitely researched, Robinson presents a realistic model of loss and triumph for an emerging governance.
For those who have read the novel: (SPOILER ALERT, PLEASE DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK YET)

I find the depiction of Maya and her (probable) daughter, Jackie, intriguing. While Maya is debating her role in setting to leading men against one ano...more

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Oct 01, 2010 Paul Schulzetenberg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just as good as the first book. Robinson continues his series on the colonization of Mars. Where the first book left off with social strife, this one picks it back up. The issues of creating a habitation within spheres on Mars are no longer a big issue, now it is about creating the social structures, including politics and economy.

This book is an excellent continuation. Despite the timeline occurring centuries after the first book, it feels like an organic continuation. He is no doubt helped by...more

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Mar 04, 2013 David Cooke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

KSR has a thing about his books where they start off so incredibly, but I feel like by the end you're finishing them to finish them...this one isn't much different, though it does pick up again after that initial lull. There is an interest amount of material in this book about governance, but really the best parts are about the initial terraforming efforts and the first group of children on Mars.

One thing KSR does talk at length about further in this is the idea of corporations as countries as t...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Allie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Green Mars is an incredibly dense, thorough, and slow-paced continuation from the Mars colonization story that began in Red Mars. Green Mars features the development of a Martian ecology and society, and it is filled with many debates between disparate groups about how each of these things should develop. Many familiar faces show up as viewpoint characters, such as Nadia, Maya, and Sax, as well as a few new characters, such as the Martian Nirgal and the Earthman Art. For me, the story picked up...more

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May 04, 2012 Darren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow, wow... Continuing the epic settling of mars and somehow making it a scifi American revolution novel... If you don't know anything about American colonial and revolutionary history and you only want to read scifi, read this. Loved it, although it does take a lot of patience to figure out the scientific/geologic jargon Kim uses as he wraps you around Mars for a few decades.

Ps - just as in Postmortal these visionaries have seen a future where human lifespans are unnaturally extended and it's...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Terry rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fiction, science-fiction, audiobook

Green Mars extends the narrative of Red Mars with previously introduced characters driving the narrative. These characters show the effects of extreme longevity on memory and emotional stability and contrast to the experiences of the unique perspective of the Mars-borne.

While Red Mars focused on technology and psychology on Mars, Green Mars has a greater emphasis on biology, commerce, and government. There are fewer "aha" moments but they are still there, usually regarding things like the side e...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Michael Burnam-fink rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, sci-fi

Green Mars is still a good book, but it suffers a little but from a sophmore slump, as the conflicts and challenges are nowhere near as interesting as those in Red Mars. It doesn't help that many of the most interesting characters die during the last book. A bigger problem is that KSR seems too be losing touch with the scope and scale of what he's attempting. The best way that I can describe it is that in the book, people are fleeing an overcrowded Earth to move to Mars to live in tiny apartment...more

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About Kim Stanley Robinson

Kim Stanley Robinson is an American science fiction writer, probably best known for his award-winning Mars trilogy.

His work delves into ecological and sociological themes regularly, and many of his novels appear to be the direct result of his own scientific fascinations, such as the 15 years of research and lifelong fascination with Mars which culminated in his most famous work. He has, due to his...more

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Quotes from Green Mars

“You can't get any movement larger than five people without including at least one fucking idiot.” — 13 people liked it

“That's libertarians for you — anarchists who want police protection from their slaves.” — 11 people liked it

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Green Mars (Mars Trilogy #2)

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