Blue Mars (Mars Trilogy)

Excellent conclusion to the story... Leaves you wanting more. There is somewhat too much woolgathering in the book, though. But even those "takes you nowhere" sections are well written and help frame the "New Mars" that is being built. The larger societal themes are handled best. That's where the book comes on to its own -- Big Ideas.

While I love all three of these beooks for their varying characters, my inner politics geek most appreciates this one with the Constitutional Convention and the various factions trying to get along as anarcho-syndicalists. Cool.

disappointing conclusion to the trilogy. So much of the book concentrated on conflicts between characters that have lasted 200 years, characters I do not seem to care about anymore. Also, very technical and I found myself skimming over a lot. so far this series has been fantastic. I have been saving the final volume as a special giftie to myself, but I am finding it a book about arguments between...more

disappointing conclusion to the trilogy. So much of the book concentrated on conflicts between characters that have lasted 200 years, characters I do not seem to care about anymore. Also, very technical and I found myself skimming over a lot. so far this series has been fantastic. I have been saving the final volume as a special giftie to myself, but I am finding it a book about arguments between the characters all the time. I get enough of that in real life, and it is getting dull!   hide

i've read reviews that mention the characters developing, maturing, changing. i've seen people comment on the technology/terraforming. What got me is the IDEAS Kim shares, or explains especially the economic models. WHY do we accept our slavery, why do we sacrifice our freedoms in trade for "money"? these ideas and feelings inspire me, as i hope they inspire all human beings to...more

i've read reviews that mention the characters developing, maturing, changing. i've seen people comment on the technology/terraforming. What got me is the IDEAS Kim shares, or explains especially the economic models. WHY do we accept our slavery, why do we sacrifice our freedoms in trade for "money"? these ideas and feelings inspire me, as i hope they inspire all human beings to search for a better alternative we CAN build together.   hide

I would teach an environmental ethics course using Robinson's Mars Trilogy --

The best science fiction is grounded in the familiar yet transports us, step-by-step, into exotic yet believable worlds. In the Mars trilogy, Robinson has achieved this on such a grand scale, encompassing so many elements of technology, society and science, that this series stands in a category of its own. The trilogy (Red Mars, then Green Mars) start with the earliest...more

The best science fiction is grounded in the familiar yet transports us, step-by-step, into exotic yet believable worlds. In the Mars trilogy, Robinson has achieved this on such a grand scale, encompassing so many elements of technology, society and science, that this series stands in a category of its own. The trilogy (Red Mars, then Green Mars) start with the earliest colonization on Mars... but it reaches its mind-expanding peak in Blue Mars. Two hundred years post-colonization, humans are reaping the benefits of terraforming and facing climate challenges in their new system. What brings this book to the peak of sci-fi are the adaptations that humans make to live with and adapt to the particular traits of their new worlds - gravity, light, remoteness. And like Card's Speaker for the Dead, the element of long-distance, one-way and toally committing interstellar travel brings this book that profound feeling of the mind trying to comprehend the enormity and finality of space travel in a universe without shortcuts. This final book of the series makes me feel optimistic, ambitious and very, very small.   hide

Fantastic!

This is the longest and best book in the trilogy. Fantastic conclusion, 200 years into the future from the first book. It makes you wonder that if we ever could live that long, would we be the same person 150 years into our long lifetimes? Or would we take a chance, and become someting new, despite our 175 plus years? In a way that Asimov tried to convey about the effects lifetime stretching 200...more

This is the longest and best book in the trilogy. Fantastic conclusion, 200 years into the future from the first book. It makes you wonder that if we ever could live that long, would we be the same person 150 years into our long lifetimes? Or would we take a chance, and become someting new, despite our 175 plus years? In a way that Asimov tried to convey about the effects lifetime stretching 200 plus years, this book really brings home the realities of what each day would bring should we live for 200 plus years of them. It also gives you hope that you can still be a kid, even at any advanced age! The very last chapter will bring tears to your eyes and when you put it down, you'll realize that you want to start reading the series again!   hide

This book brings the characters from the earlier books full circle, allowing us to see how they reflect on the chaos and resolution that has grown from their work. A sweet and yet powerful emotional work, Blue Mars continues surprising until the very end.