Red Mars
A review
©Inchoatus Group
March 2
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A review of Red Mars Book I of the Martian Trilogy by Kim Stanley RobinsonTitle: Red Mars Author: Kim Stanley Robinson Publisher: Bantam Books Cover art: nicely affecting for readers mulling over the story, but on the shelf a bit too much like a movie trailer Length: 572 pages in mass-market paperback Rating6 out of 7 (beautifully written… flawed only in its lack of pragmatism)
Essays Rebuttal: Red Mars is not the Celebrated Masterpiece you Think it is |
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Most Idiotic Reviews
“[Robinson] virtually invented a new kind of science fiction in which characters as richly drawn as any in conventional fiction inhibit (sic) near future worlds evoked with as much verisimilitude as the contemporary settings of any conventional novel.” --The New York Times Book Review Well, there’s the snooty NY Times for you. Imagine this guy, uttering this in front of a fireplace, in a waistcoat, with a brandy snifter: “Well, [guttural cough] it’s as good as any, you know, conventional novel. All the, ahem, verisimilitude of the contemporaries.” Thank you freaking NY Times for letting us know that an author “invented a new kind of science fiction” that’s as good as contemporary, conventional work. This is a brilliant, beautiful book, but it’s hardly the first of its kind in the genre of speculative fiction. This is the kind of sneering compliment from established literati that keep speculative fiction consigned to the shelves next to romance novels, populated mostly by pimply teens, with adults sneaking in and grabbing books to shuffle up to the counter as if buying some shameful bedroom toy. Hey, NY Times, take that brandy snifter and shove it up your butt. Most Accurate Review “If you’re looking for a scientifically sophisticated story, deftly told with enormity and grace, here it is.” --Gregory Bunford (quoted from the book jacket) You can find reams of glowing reviews about this book. Here’s a fellow that succinctly sums up why you ought to read Red Mars in a sentence. Believe what he says. The book is scientifically sophisticated, enormous, and more graceful than virtually anything going on in the cyberpunk infested waters of science fiction today.
What We Say
Colonization books have been written, re-written, and written over again countless times. Just as fantasy authors seem drawn to retelling the Arthurian legends of antiquity, so science fiction authors are moved to write of the colonization of space. Even respected scientific journals and magazines often feature sections about colonizing Mars. The term “terraforming” has entered the popular lexicon. In one of the hardest subjects in which to be original and succeed, Robinson has attempted his own work on the colonization of Mars and he has succeeded spectacularly.
The opening is perhaps our only complaint. The book is set in chronological chapters beginning with the launch of the 100 initial colonists, their journey to Mars, and their attempts to tame the planet. All chapters are headed by the graceful turns we mentioned above: anecdotal character notes that as often address the planet as the people, for the planet itself is very much a character in this book. But the first chapter—the very first chapter—is a section that should, chronologically, have occurred in the middle. We suppose that this was done by the editor to lend some “excitement” in the opening chapter that would otherwise be absent. If so, this was a horrible mistake. Imagine all of the give-away trailers you’ve ever seen and wished you hadn’t for otherwise great movies. Before you read, skip the opening chapter (the initial italicized intro is fine) and begin with the second entitled “Voyage Out.” Get a friend to tell you where to go back and read Chapter 1. In the mass-market paperback, this is after page 382, the last section before the chapter “Guns Under the Table.” We’re not kidding—this information is more valuable than anything you can read in any review. Again, skip chapter one and then, in the paperback, return to chapter 1after page 382.
We’re not joking about this.
Start with chapter 2, when you reach page 382, go back and read chapter 1, then continue on. You will be eternally grateful to us for this.
The rest of the initial three-fourths of this book is flawlessly executed. There is no other novel, not anywhere, that merges humanity and informed scientific speculation and applies it so well in a novel. At points, one could honestly believe that this is an historical fiction written sometime in the 22nd century and dropped back to Bantam Books by some itinerant Starfleet captain violating the purity of the timeline. Robinson creates a complete cast of characters. And by complete we mean to say all of the faults, politics, opinions, nationalities, religions, and diets that would come from assembling a group of very smart people who would be willing to leave behind everything they know for an uncertain and harsh frontier.
The acts of terraforming will delight any laymen informed about the intricacies of going to Mars. Robinson expertly applies all of the most recent data available about Mars: its climate, its potential for water, and the necessities for humans to survive upon it. The only weakness we can detect in this otherwise very fine book is a rather uncertain grasp of economic theory. If you read other reviews carefully, you’ll find several critics mentioning Robinson’s left-wing politics. This is true, though in Red Mars it is much more accurate to say that its characters bring their politics with them on the space ship. No problem at all with this--many fine scientists espouse this brand of political philosophy. But their politics are colored by the naiveté that often comes with idealistic left-wing. This is fine, but in the actual narrative one very occasionally is left wondering: “Where did they get all of this food?” or “Exactly how are they exchanging this money they’re using to buy various things” and most crucially “What are the underwriters of this venture back on Earth actually expecting to get out of this?” The politics never seem to meet reality. For a book that is so completely sound in its science and psychology, these errors of economic theory tend to ring a bit more loudly than they would in inferior novels. These errors deflate the book and prevent it from nomination for a 7. We could easily be proven wrong. While at the moment we think it does not merit a 7, its influence could be so great that we’ll be forced to upgrade the rating by sheer insistence from a vocal super-majority.
Place in Genre It’s difficult to exert influence in this area of the genre where so many other writers have capably written before: Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles for example. Yet, astonishingly, Robinson’s book is so good—inspired really—that it is impossible to imagine any future novel of colonization written without feeling the force of Red Mars. It will change the publishing world.
Why You Should Read This Any person who reads should read this book. Even those readers who tend to eschew not just speculative fiction but fiction itself will find merit in reading this book. It has much to say not just about Mars but also about intelligent people who are placed in stressful positions. Red Mars is one of the very best examples of speculative fiction. It is entirely accessible and could be read by students in high school and enjoyed equally by readers all the way through retirement. Why You Should Pass There are examples, though not graphic, of pre-marital sex. Heterosexuals are occasionally naked with reason. In the final summation, it’s really only a PG-13 rated book. This might still give pause to anxious parents who are trying to shelter their kids in some weird church that does not intend the congregation to live in the real world. This is an otherwise absolute do-not-miss book.
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