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kargopants's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mark_b's review
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.
algorithminflux's review against another edition
5.0
I love the way Robinson weaves the different needles of his characters together in every one of his books that I've read so far.
I've learned a great deal about Mars' landscape in this trilogy, and also gained a great interest in it, especially with all the Mars missions happening and planned in the near future. It's all so very interesting!
My favourite character was definitely Sax Russell. He evolved to much over the story, and yet he always tried to stay empirical, though he loosened up near the end there with Ann (such a cute duo, them! Gushing inside.)
Secondly, there was Nadia. She was always a hard worker, and never let up, even during her time as judge on the global court. She somehow got out of that in one piece, and managed to live the life she wanted, building things. I just loved her driving spirit to just keep to the engineering, her "I just want to build things, to fix things, to design solutions!"
Everyone loves Nirgal, and I was no exception. I was always happy when his chapters came along.
I could write about all the other characters that I liked throughout the book, but I would be remiss if I didn't cover Ann. She was by far, in my opinion, the character that evolved the most, even more than Sax. She went from Pure Red for the vast majority of the story, to a perfect balance of Brownish-Blue by the end. I've always had a bit of Ann in me, wanting to keep the land around me pristine and untouched, and being frustrated when humans touch it. But like Ann, at the end of the day, I've come to grips with a certain compromise or balance of you will, and learned that it's a lot easier to live that way, and definitely a lot more worthwhile. It's all about attitude, when all's said and done.
Theae books beg the questions of How will society begin and then evolve on another planet? Will it follow this story's tellings closely, or invent a completely new wheel? Ultimately for me, I don't think I'll be around much for those first human missions to Mars, though one could hope we develop a our own gerontological treatment and live to see the red days.
Cheers for the story, Mr. Robinson. Here's to many more.
I've learned a great deal about Mars' landscape in this trilogy, and also gained a great interest in it, especially with all the Mars missions happening and planned in the near future. It's all so very interesting!
My favourite character was definitely Sax Russell. He evolved to much over the story, and yet he always tried to stay empirical, though he loosened up near the end there with Ann (such a cute duo, them! Gushing inside.)
Secondly, there was Nadia. She was always a hard worker, and never let up, even during her time as judge on the global court. She somehow got out of that in one piece, and managed to live the life she wanted, building things. I just loved her driving spirit to just keep to the engineering, her "I just want to build things, to fix things, to design solutions!"
Everyone loves Nirgal, and I was no exception. I was always happy when his chapters came along.
I could write about all the other characters that I liked throughout the book, but I would be remiss if I didn't cover Ann. She was by far, in my opinion, the character that evolved the most, even more than Sax. She went from Pure Red for the vast majority of the story, to a perfect balance of Brownish-Blue by the end. I've always had a bit of Ann in me, wanting to keep the land around me pristine and untouched, and being frustrated when humans touch it. But like Ann, at the end of the day, I've come to grips with a certain compromise or balance of you will, and learned that it's a lot easier to live that way, and definitely a lot more worthwhile. It's all about attitude, when all's said and done.
Theae books beg the questions of How will society begin and then evolve on another planet? Will it follow this story's tellings closely, or invent a completely new wheel? Ultimately for me, I don't think I'll be around much for those first human missions to Mars, though one could hope we develop a our own gerontological treatment and live to see the red days.
Cheers for the story, Mr. Robinson. Here's to many more.
bperl's review against another edition
4.0
This one’s a slog. It picks up near the halfway point, but I nearly abandoned the book before then.
Overall, a well-written and thought-provoking trilogy. The first two books are much more interesting and pace themselves better, but “Blue Mars” remains worthwhile to push through.
Overall, a well-written and thought-provoking trilogy. The first two books are much more interesting and pace themselves better, but “Blue Mars” remains worthwhile to push through.
tregina's review against another edition
5.0
I've been rationing this book out to myself a little bit each night because it's so rich and dense, and because I didn't want it to be over. It continues to astonish me the sheer amount of both research and imagination that had to go into this, to envision a future across so many disciplines simultaneously, and give us people we want to stay and experience it with.
Yesterday I lost my grandmother to alzheimer's-related complications, so the last hundred pages which focus largely on longevity and memory were both difficult and wonderful.
Yesterday I lost my grandmother to alzheimer's-related complications, so the last hundred pages which focus largely on longevity and memory were both difficult and wonderful.
annievannie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
raalux's review against another edition
4.5
I think I started to appreciate KSR's writing way more after reading some of his other works. Without extravagant plot twists or back-to-back action scenes, I was kept engaged in this world for about 80 hours of listening, which is no small feat. I loved the insights into sociology and politics, as well the exploration of scientific concepts. I also enjoyed the ending tremendously, especially the penultimate chapter, with Sax's exploration into the nature of memory and the past.
ginjafox's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
he_slaughtered's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
ourkindofart's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75