The Mars trilogy

lue Mars is the concluding volume in Kim Stanley Robinson's epic Mars trilogy. This grand-scale look at the future of humanity and the solar system has been widely hailed for its realistic approach to technology and its humanistic approach to characters. The trilogy began with Red Mars, which was published in 1992 (HarperCollins) and received the Nebula award for best novel. Green Mars followed in 1994, and since then fans have been anxiously awaiting the publication of Blue Mars.

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Red Mars

In Red Mars, the legendary First Hundred settlers land on Mars and begin the process of preparing the planet for further immigration. The first terraforming efforts begin, aimed at thickening the atmosphere and adding oxygen to it, and the first biologically-engineered organisms are released on the planet's surface. But the Red-Green dispute, personified by Ann Clayborne and Sax Russell, is already apparent. And as more settlers arrive, metanational corporations, backed by the United Nations Transitional Authority (UNTA), are dominating Martian development and politics. By the end of Red Mars, most of the First Hundred find UNTA's rule of Mars intolerable. They launch the first Martian revolution, destroying the original space elevator in the process. But the revolution fails, and the survivors, regarded by UNTA as criminals, are forced into hiding in the remote southern hemisphere.

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Green Mars

Green Mars introduces the first generation of native Martians as plant life begins developing on the surface. At the beginning of the novel, the rebels are still in hiding. UNTA is bombarding the planet with ice brought from the outer solar system to help with the terraforming efforts. But the underground is slowly building an autonomous culture and economy, and the scattered hidden communities are in contact. Eventually, the rebels meet to develop the principles for a Martian government. But the young Martians are restless, while the First Hundred realize that striking too early will only repeat the mistakes of the first revolution. Meanwhile, the abundant water in underground aquifers is being brought to the surface, creating a sea in the northern hemisphere. Then, good fortune arises -- volcanoes in Antarctica erupt, melting part of the ice cap. As the seas on Earth rise, causing disaster along the Earth's coastlines, the rebels use the diversion to strike, breaching the dike protecting the capital city, Burroughs, from the new sea, and driving UNTA from the planet.

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ack to Off the Shelf.