Red Mars

By: Kim Stanley Robinson

Narrated by: Richard Ferrone

Length: 23 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, Red Mars is the first book in Kim Stanley Robinson's best-selling trilogy. Red Mars is praised by scientists for its detailed visions of future technology. It is also hailed by authors and critics for its vivid characters and dramatic conflicts.

For centuries, the red planet has enticed the people of Earth. Now an international group of scientists has colonized Mars. Leaving Earth forever, these 100 people have traveled nine months to reach their new home. This is the remarkable story of the world they create - and the hidden power struggles of those who want to control it.

Although it is fiction, Red Mars is based on years of research. As living spaces and greenhouses multiply, an astonishing panorama of our galactic future rises from the red dust. Through Richard Ferrone's narration, each scene is energized with the designs and dreams of the extraordinary pioneers.

©1993 Kim Stanley Robinson (P)2000 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

• Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1993

"Generously blending hard science with canny insight into human strengths and weaknesses, this suspenseful sf saga should appeal to a wide range of readers." (Library Journal)
"The ultimate in future history." (Daily Mail)

Just a bit too slow still very good

Feels more than like a smart political drama than a sci fi (I mean it in the best sense possible).

It will take me some time before I can start the next part, though.

Excellent sprawling space opera

A more mature and realistic version of the Expanse. Relevant, well written, and fit-to-burst with imaginative and beautiful science.

Classic SiFi space story

Robinson rarely disappoints ya, and this one is a classic Mara colonization story, comparable to Bova.

HIstory Lesson

I have not finished this yet.
That should say a lot.
Halfway thru, I am not sure I will be able to finish.
I like the future history, but the story about the people is disjointed and lacking. There isn't anyone in the story to care about.
The religous and poltical arguements presented sound like the writer saw the movie 'Reds' and 'Davinci Codes' and then decided she was a PHD in each field.
Nothing like rehashed comunism for a new frontier in government, and her entire arguement on the historicity of Jesus' life, was right out of the trailers for 'The Davinci Codes'.
This is a lot of time to invest for a poor story and silly arguements between stereotyped and superficial characters.
At some point, I will try to finish this but...

Enlightening

I see that "The Martian" was a direct lift with a twist from this book. Weir borrowed heavily off Kim's technical aspects which really made "The Martian" such a great book. I feel bad for Kim for Weir to have done that to him. This book is where all the scholarship originated. Unfortunately, I got bored with all the political implications and lost credulity that their planet expanded so vastly and quickly so this is a generous 4 stars for 3.5.

Exactly what I was looking for. Instant favorite.

This series is absolutely amazing. I just finished the last (third) book, altogether some 70hrs of listening if not more and I have loved all of it. It has everything I wanted, but for the same reasons it might not be for everyone. Hard sci-fi, some parts are amazingly (as in, how much research did this guy have to do) technical and detailed, from areology, through biology to engineering, even literature - you can easily go into a full nerd mode, yet it is truly beautifully written. The story focuses on the large picture, sociology and economics, yet the personal stories are absolutely captivating. The multitude of characters seems just the perfect amount of confusing at first but I quickly started appreciating it, especially the variety of perspectives from which the story is presented. The character development, while slow, is terrific. By the end you feel as if you knew them like some really old friends. The story is very long, encompassing many centuries and countless storyline, yet cohesive and never boring - overall it seems absolutely epic in its scope. Oh, and on top of it, the performance is perfect. If this sounds like something you'd like this is probably the best series you could possibly choose.

Mars, ho! Away We Go! (Needs pronounciation EDIT check)

My favorite sci fi on WHAT it’s LİKE to initially colonize Mars, from the perspective of the colonizers/society-builders themselves. 👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏽‍🔧👨🏻‍🏭👨🏾‍⚕️👩🏻‍🌾👩🏾‍🏭Briefly describes a fairly credible “selection process” of the pioneering & award-winning scientists & engineers who will be the “first 100” to terra-form (create Mars-based living conditions that will sustain human life; albeit “under glass” in well-controlled, enclosed envıronments). The Author includes references to breakaway groups, with alternate ideals for what “Mars society” can (& will) be.

HOWEVER, this needs 🛂STRONGER EDITING re: pronounciation, so took away 2** from Performance. The names of the moons (PHŌbōs, DIĒmōs), a major protagonist (ARkady), basic science & math terms (e.g. asympTOtic) and more, were continually MIS-pronounced by the Narrator, who was otherwise engaging as he voiced dozens of characters. To my scientist’s ears, it was like hearing fingernails dragged on a chalkboard, when I’d be happily immersed in the daily/weekly duties of one of the characters, then suddenly be JARRED out of that fictional reverie by a blatant mis-pronounciation. Ugh! 😵NOT GOOD!!

We have digital technology. 💻Suggest a digital “search & replace” for these mis-pronounced words!!

Very interesting but strange book.

This books message is good. It begins great, and continues to keep your interest until about the 2/3 of completion. Then the feeling is, is this book ever going to end?

Excellent Read, A SciFi Must

I first read Red Mars 15 years ago as a young adult. It was a fascinating look into the science and psychology of exploring and settling life on a new planet. Kim Stanley Robinson creates an in depth world of 100 characters with great personalities and fun interactions, and explores what it might take to terraform Mars. Taken as an allegory for the settlement and eventual war for independence of the United States, the story has a lot to say about American history. Taken as is, it's classic science fiction. I really enjoyed the narrator's voice making the book come alive. Can't wait to jump into books 2 and 3!

So much more than sci-fi

This is a book that everyone should read. It's simply amazing so much more than a sci-fi novel! It's not really about humans colonising Mars, it's about humanity trying to reinvent itself, and to break out of old norms and ways of thinking.