Product Description

The storming second volume in the bestselling Mars trilogy -- 'the ultimate in future history' (Daily Mail) Mars: the Green Planet. Man's dream of a new world is underway but corrupted. Red Mars is gone, ripped apart by the violent and failed revolution of 2062. The First Hundred have scattered or died, and for the moment their dreams with them. The rebels are underground, dreaming of their utopia. The transnational corporations have a dream, too. Mars can be plundered -- for the benefit of a ravaged Earth. It can be terraformed to suit Man's need -- frozen lakes form, lichen grows, the atmosphere slowly becomes breathable. But most importantly, Mars can be owned. On Earth, countries are bought and sold by the transnationals. Why not Mars too? Man's dream is underway, but so is his greatest test. The survivors of the First Hundred -- Hiroko, Nadia, Maya and Simon among them -- know that technology alone is not enough. Trust and co-operation are need to create a new world -- but these qualities are as thin on the ground as the air they breathe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33714 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 784 pages

Customer Reviews

Another great epic
This book is the continuation of Red Mars, it shows how Mars has been changed by the people and how the people have been changed by Mars. It is an extremely good book, filled with a good plot, some science and the socio-poltical observations I have come to expect from Robinson. Be warned though, this is NOT a light read, in fact it is often very heavy going and the non-scientifically minded might get confused by some of the explanations. However, if you can make your way through it then it is an enjoyable and rewarding read.

an intelligent and believable sequel, nice characters
The first book in the Mars series brought us into a newly settled world and made us want to be there - although maybe not having to deal with all those fascinating problems with concrete. Green Mars continues developing characters that we met in the first book and tracking the political and ecological developments of a terraforming world. Unlike much sci fi involving habitation of a new planet, Robinson takes an intelligent understanding of anthropology and social theories and applies it to a well written and engaging plot. I will admit now to reading the whole series already and enjoying almost every moment of them and yearning to see the expansive red landscapes and the gradual terraforming mutating the planet, slowly but surely. If you've read the first book(Red Mars), don't worry about the sequel letting you down. If you haven't read the first one, then read it first, or Green Mars won't make sense.

Dry and verbose, but interesting
Like the first book, Red Mars, at times this can read more like a history textbook than a novel. The book is broken up into sections, each written from the point of view of various characters. This gives each part a personal spin, but breaks up the overall narrative somewhat, leaving the reader a bit dislocated. It also lacks the exploring-the-unknown, hard science aspects of Red Mars, but that was inevitable given the plot.

That said, it's superbly well thought out, and utterly, completely convincing. If you liked Red Mars, this is worth the follow-up.