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A review by mark_b
Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
4.0
Blue Mars is the conclusion of Robinson’s Mars trilogy. Like Red Mars and Green Mars, it’s long and at times needlessly wordy. Pages-long descriptions of Martian geography and hydrology. Detailed sub-plots that have little connection to the rest of the plot. But despite these (and other) shortcomings, Blue Mars was well worth reading.
Blue Mars is not a standalone book: Red Mars and Green Mars are essential prerequisites for understanding the characters and following the plot.
I liked Blue Mars and the Mars trilogy. Most of the main characters are deeply flawed, and thus believable. Some of the plot elements seem implausible, but it’s hard SF, so that’s to be expected. There are a couple of lengthy and heavy-handed political screeds in Blue Mars (and in the other Mars trilogy volumes) that contribute little to the plot or characters, and I struggled through these. A more efficient reader would just skip over them. Still, overall, highly recommended.
Blue Mars is not a standalone book: Red Mars and Green Mars are essential prerequisites for understanding the characters and following the plot.
I liked Blue Mars and the Mars trilogy. Most of the main characters are deeply flawed, and thus believable. Some of the plot elements seem implausible, but it’s hard SF, so that’s to be expected. There are a couple of lengthy and heavy-handed political screeds in Blue Mars (and in the other Mars trilogy volumes) that contribute little to the plot or characters, and I struggled through these. A more efficient reader would just skip over them. Still, overall, highly recommended.