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aja1227's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
christianholub's review against another edition
4.0
A worthy conclusion to one of my fav science-fiction trilogies ever. The Mars Trilogy is not only my favorite work by Kim Stanley Robinson, which is saying a lot, but also the standard by which I will now judge most sci-fi.
This book in particular is named after my favorite color, and I love how utopian it is; nothing “dramatic” happens in the ways we’re used to with genre fiction because the problems of capitalism that drive that kind of story have been solved. And so a lot does happen, enough to make it an exciting and engaging read, it’s just all at the level of “how do we live our best lives as a species”? We could use more of this kind of story!
This book in particular is named after my favorite color, and I love how utopian it is; nothing “dramatic” happens in the ways we’re used to with genre fiction because the problems of capitalism that drive that kind of story have been solved. And so a lot does happen, enough to make it an exciting and engaging read, it’s just all at the level of “how do we live our best lives as a species”? We could use more of this kind of story!
x0pherl's review against another edition
1.0
Why did I think it would be such a good idea to read all the Hugo winners in sequential order? And why can I not stop myself?
zmorris1923's review against another edition
4.0
I think I need to give this one a 4. There was so much to love throughout this book and throughout this series, but I think this one made me recognize some faults with the writing and characterization within.
But let's start with the good stuff. As per usual, I found the style to be wonderful, the tone and setting is fascinating and the amount of work put into it is astounding, I truly can't imagine the amount of research that must have been done for every single page, let alone, chapter, part, and book as a whole. There's so much to be said about politics, science, life, love, revolution, etc.
One character who I saw myself in was Nirgal in some ways, during this book he moves away from politics and towards self care and realization. His story in this book made me wonder about revolution and how it's portrayed post-revolution, and how in literature revenge is written. Your whole world is set to change something, and when you finish that change... you're lost, what do you do? In this case, Nirgal goes and enjoys his life, very fully. There's not much of a transition, not a lot of that indecision which we initially saw.
Generally, this book lacked the transitional space that the other books in the series were given. We see years pass with the passing of a page--and as time goes on, history takes longer to happen perhaps; where the original story was about terraforming and the creation of a new world government, once those things are done... what happens, where does the author go? Inevitably, I think KSR lost his way and kind of worked the latter half of this book into a quick ending, instead of deeply caring for every tiny change as he had earlier. This book was already incredibly long, but it wasn't enough, which I found disappointing. There were births and deaths (and whole lifes!) glossed over with a sentence that was hardly enough for me on that front. A major character died and I felt nothing because that death was poorly written and attended to!
I did like some new characterizations to come with this novel--like Maya beginning work with a theatre troupe. I didn't see that coming at all, but it was a nice change of course. Other things like Sax moving on to different types of science was very on brand for him, leading to a lovely ending about memory and how the characters have changed over the years. But other characterizations became more apparent to me. The women in this series are often characterized in very similar ways. A strong female character is written so similarly to one another, just with different ideals that push them against each other. Also, all the characters you're meant to hate are women. I feel sad reading this final book because it simply did not meet my expectations. The first half was great, but as time went on I became more upset with how things were turning out.
But let's start with the good stuff. As per usual, I found the style to be wonderful, the tone and setting is fascinating and the amount of work put into it is astounding, I truly can't imagine the amount of research that must have been done for every single page, let alone, chapter, part, and book as a whole. There's so much to be said about politics, science, life, love, revolution, etc.
One character who I saw myself in was Nirgal in some ways, during this book he moves away from politics and towards self care and realization. His story in this book made me wonder about revolution and how it's portrayed post-revolution, and how in literature revenge is written. Your whole world is set to change something, and when you finish that change... you're lost, what do you do? In this case, Nirgal goes and enjoys his life, very fully. There's not much of a transition, not a lot of that indecision which we initially saw.
Generally, this book lacked the transitional space that the other books in the series were given. We see years pass with the passing of a page--and as time goes on, history takes longer to happen perhaps; where the original story was about terraforming and the creation of a new world government, once those things are done... what happens, where does the author go? Inevitably, I think KSR lost his way and kind of worked the latter half of this book into a quick ending, instead of deeply caring for every tiny change as he had earlier. This book was already incredibly long, but it wasn't enough, which I found disappointing. There were births and deaths (and whole lifes!) glossed over with a sentence that was hardly enough for me on that front. A major character died and I felt nothing because that death was poorly written and attended to!
I did like some new characterizations to come with this novel--like Maya beginning work with a theatre troupe. I didn't see that coming at all, but it was a nice change of course. Other things like Sax moving on to different types of science was very on brand for him, leading to a lovely ending about memory and how the characters have changed over the years. But other characterizations became more apparent to me. The women in this series are often characterized in very similar ways. A strong female character is written so similarly to one another, just with different ideals that push them against each other. Also, all the characters you're meant to hate are women. I feel sad reading this final book because it simply did not meet my expectations. The first half was great, but as time went on I became more upset with how things were turning out.
mcnutt's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
maxinemakesmedia's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
It's hard to rate this when this series is my least favorite of this authors work yet it is still compelling, full of interesting ideas and scientific possibilities. The characters have grown from the earlier books and the ending felt right. But not a series I'll likely revisit.
robotswithpersonality's review against another edition
That was just, So SO MUCH. It appears that the challenge of writing about the long term effects of humanity settling on Mars was no longer enough in this last installment of the trilogy, so Robinson sprinkled in concerns about Earth and then extended out to the rest of our solar system! And of course, it's not just the political ramifications of trade or immigration between Earth and Mars, or the political, economic, infrastructural and environmental situation of Mars, or impact of longevity treatments on population growth in Earth and Mars, or the 'quick decline' or memory issues being experienced by the First Hundred as even longevity treatments are not a guarantee against death or some form of mental/memory deterioration, and then exploring what that looks like and how it might be combatted, or speculating consecutively on how generations of humans would adapt physiologically and alternatively/simultaneously work to artificially modify themselves for an alien climate, there's also the multi-generational cast of characters, so that in the middle of this epic sci fi about colonizing Mars you have what could be termed multiple family sagas also occurring via alternating POVs and cameos. Highlights: Vlad going off on Antar about all the flaws of old capitalist system, having great answers to every tired rebuttal. As always, Nadia's POV, though didn't love how much she had to deal with political B.S. this time 'round, and Nirgal's POV, especially the visit to Earth, the overwhelmed sense of wonder. Robinson's descriptions, often aided by a wealth of words for different colours, make environments both familiar and alien come alive. If you want to dig into the scientific and environmental and political what ifs, I think you'll really enjoy this series. Be certain you've got a fairly high tolerance for interpersonal drama, and can survive the 90s heteronormative gender dynamics and high propensity for the female characters to have manipulative, hyperemotional(one might even say hysterical), irrationally obdurate tendencies. ⚠️Child abuse
rusty_shackleford_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
djwudi's review against another edition
5.0
Earth is in crisis as Mars continues to transform, terraforming spreads through the rest of the solar system, and expanded lifespans prompt questions of population, ploitics, and how the mind and memory adapts to living so long. An excellent end to the series.