[Imaginary Interviewer] Our next work is 'Red Mars' by Kim Stanley Robinson.
[Humble Writer, i.e. Me] Yes. Well, perhaps the entire Mars trilogy but just the first one for our purposes.
II: Have you read his work before?
HW: I've read the Mars trilogy all the way at least once. I've read the first, 'Red Mars' several times.
II: What's it about?
HW: It's about sending people to Mars, to stay. The book is on two tracks really, one about the technical details in terraforming the planet. This part of the writing is consistently excellent. A layman, like myself, can feel like they understand the general gist of everything that's being done. You get the sense that if we ever do change the planet Mars, it will look a lot like Robinson's writing.
II: And the other part?
HW: The other track is about the human interaction side. This can probably be divided into two parts, as well. One side is how the specific people chosen for the initial expedition relate to each other. This is very political, in the sense of "office politics" but also in the sense of "strong, differing ideas on what the future should hold". This is also excellent and consistently compelling.
II: And the other part of that?
HW: Robinson writes about the economics that would go along with creating a new planet. This is ambitious but not as convincing. Some of it is that Robinson is further left than I, the Humble Writer. Some of it is that the engineering, as a science, is very good and the economics, as a science, is just less so. The reader doesn't feel like "yes, this is what will happen."
II: Would you recommend the book? Or books?
HW: The first book, yes. The series is interesting, and if you like the first one, you'll be interested in continuing to see where the story goes. But the second and third books are not as good. The engineering fades into the background. The economics get more time. This isn't a great trade-off.
II: That's a lot of pages...
HW: Yes. I'd suggest that a reader try the first 200 or so pages (through 'The Crucible' section.) If you're not interested by then, set it down. I enjoyed the rest quite a bit, but it's hard to ask someone to commit to hundreds more if they aren't enjoying it.
II: Is Robinson well respected in SF?
HW: Oh yes, quite a bit. A couple of Hugo Awards (for Green Mars and Blue Mars, though really those are proxies for Red Mars). Some lifetime awards. Very well respected.
II: Have you read any of his other works?
HW: I've tried 'The Years of Rice and Salt', which imagines the world if the Black Death had killed virtually everyone in Europe, instead of half the population. I can't seem to get more than a 100 or so pages in before losing interest. Probably my fault.
II: Anything else?
HW: 'Red Mars' is a great book and I hope everyone will give it a look!
