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)

Great story

I really enjoyed this story the ending was a little abrupt would have liked to find out what happened in the future story line

Wonderful hard sci-fi with light philosophy

Fun story all around with many dimensions. Hard science and engineering, political science, philosophy, religion, ecology, civil liberties, aging, secondary and tertiary effects, and Martian vs Terran perspectives. This is going to be a repeat listen for sure. The narration was voiced well and naturally, but I knocked off a star for a couple of editing mistakes that took me out of the story.

I couldn't keep track of all of the characters.

Took me a long time to get into the book. the ending was great though.

Surprisingly beautiful

This book is a dense tome of protocol and meetings, but it is FULL of all that things that make us Earthlings, and all the love that leaves you wrecked with Hope.

Startlingly good

Such an ambitious book and so intelligently written. Proof that you can learn a lot from a novel, including about our world and others. Highly recommend.

Excellent book! Gripping

Really great book and great narrator. It’s very different from The Martian, but I liked to see a more advanced Mars. Only issue I had is the narrator pronounced Phobos wrong the entire time. If you like the way other Kim Stanley Robinson books are written from varying perspectives, you’ll like this book.

Mars and Politics

I read Red Mars way back when I was in school. Unfortunately our library didn't have the other two books in the trilogy so even though I wanted to continue, it wasn't possible. Eventually I forgot about Red Mars until I saw it on Audible Plus.

It's such a good book. I'm glad to read it again and funnily enough I can't remember it being this political. I can see it not being a book for everyone. It's hard science that's a bit outdated here and there plus a lot of politics and many characters with their views on what should happen on Mars. Then the book goes in a completely different direction than what would expect. It's also a slow story which may not appeal to many people.

One funny thing is that Afrikaners are mentioned in the book and either the author or the narrator gets the language wrong. It's Afrikaans, not what was said. Also I don't think the author has ever met an Afrikaner because he gets us completely wrong. My wife works, my mother worked and my grandmother worked. Don't know where he gets the notion that Afrikaners won't let women work.

And even though there are lots of little things like that, the book is great and I look forward to finally read the next one.

Dated by still worth the listen

Really enjoyed this. Written in 1993 it’s pre-rover and therefore misses on a lot but KSR’s science fiction is still very good.

Slow Red Mars

Far to slow for my taste. Long winded with very little action. Great descriptions of characters and environment, but the plot was confusing.

Fantastic research, low action, but good book

I can understand why people don't like this book. It's not full of action, it doesn't open with lasers firring on spaceships, it takes time and goes through fantastic detail. I really could believe I was on mars. And the details are fantastic especially when you consider this book is 15 years old. Since the book was published we've had 3 rovers on mars, several more orbiters, etc.

The book follows the lives of the first people to land on mars as viewed from several individuals each in turn. Just as I was starting to get comfortable with that character he switches people and we start learning about someone new. I found it annoying at times.

If you wonder, could humans live on mars? How could we get there? What would it be like on mars? Then you will like this book. He explores not only the technical challenges but the political problems, emotional strains that anyone going to mars would face. If you want a thriller or action book, it's probably best to look elsewhere.