|
|
|
|
Review of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy |
Kim Stanley Robinson's impressive epic tale about the colonization and terraforming of Mars stretches over 3 books, 3 centuries and a host of believable, and detailed characters. The novels can best be described as Science Faction rather than Science Fiction, since the author has labored to keep things as scientifically "correct" as possible. Only the timescales of the terraforming process, which takes place in the course of "only" 2-3 centuries is somewhat unbelievable, but otherwise a very realistic setting. Though powerful self aware AIs are nonexistent in the Mars Trilogy and the setting is the near future, the novels can still be described as being quite relevant for OA simply because of the use of correct science, and the visions about possible new ways of organizing societies, and economies under the influence of accelerating technology.
Red Mars : The first book in trilogy,
Red Mars, starts in the late 2020'ies with the launching of an
expedition to Mars. There has already been one manned expedition to the
red planet, in which American astronaut
John Boone gained eternal fame as the "first man on Mars", but this
second
expedition is different. It is an attempt to establish a permanent base
and
colony on Mars. The colonist consist of 100 men and women from USA,
Russia,
various western European countries and Japan. From the start of the
voyage
it becomes clear that some of the colonist, all chosen from among the
best
and brightest scientist, have very different agendas. Some wants to be
"just scientist" : collecting data and following mission controls
advice.
Others however wants more. Now out of effective control from Earth,
they
believe they have the chance to create a new kind of society, that can
avoid
the oppression and mistakes that has always been haunting human
societies.
Tensions between the different groups mount as they reach Mars and
establish humanity's first fragile foothold on the hostile and cold
desert
world of Mars. Perhaps the most tragic conflict is between the
Areologist
Ann Clayborne and the super-scientist-nerd Sax Russel. Both represents
scientific archetypes and purebreeds : He is the inquisitive and
engineering kind of scientist who wants to disassemble everything to
discover "how it works", while she is the describing and cataloging
kind
who wants to observe without interfering. Ann Clayborne desperately
wants
to keep Mars as the original "Red Planet" as it has been for billions
of
years, without human impact on its environment, while Sax wants to
start
terraforming right away, just to "see if it can be done". Soon the
"first
hundred" are joined by thousands of colonist from Earth and the schisms
within the original group is spreading among the newcomers, as many
political and religious groups all attempt to implement their version
of
utopia. Mars is also a world were great mineral riches can be gained
and a
possible "lifeboat" if conditions back on Earth goes terminal, so
mighty
transnational companies and megacorporations begins heavy investment in
terraforming and infrastructure on Mars, including a orbital
"beanstalk"
elevator. This process in which Mars becomes a part of the
megacorporate
"fiefdoms" further increases tensions, and the situation is brought to
a
peak by the invention of a geriatric treatment which extends the
maximum
human lifespan to +200 years. As the world goes this treatment against
aging, is only available to those who can pay, and by 2061 world war
III is
a reality. The colonist on Mars, many of them dissatisfied with the
megacorporations exploitation of Mars, attempts a general rebellion
which
at first seems to succeed. The situation, both on Mars and on Earth
however, soon run out of control, and the backlash is severe. The
description of WWIII is the more chilling because of the plausibility
of
the situation - It is one big, confused, global civil war or Los
Angeles
riots in megascale. It only lasts 6 months, but 100 million people is
killed and there is widespread use of weapons-of-mass destruction. In
the
end this causes the most powerfully industrialized nations (G11) and
the
transnational Megacorps to join the efforts to quell the riots, and the
rebellion on Mars is eventually also dealt with. In the end the
survivors
of the first hundred has to flee into the Martian wilderness and start
all
over again.
Green Mars : The
majority of the remaining first-hundred are hiding together with other
colonist and radicals opposed to the "New Order" ruling
both Earth and Mars. Meanwhile the megacorporations, now fully back in
control on Mars again, continues and expands their terraforming
efforts. As
the atmosphere is slowly changed, and geneered species of microorganism
and
plants are released, Red Mars turns to Green Mars.
The remaining and now elderly first-hundred knows that compromise and corporation between the different radicals, and rebels hiding in safeholds in the Martian wilderness, is necessary, but how to accomplish that ?
The main split is between "Reds", followers of Ann Clayborne who wants Mars to remain is close to its pristine, wilderness state before the coming of humankind as possible, and "Greens" who represents a collection of political and religious utopian groups, who all differ, except that they want the Megacorporations and their puppets kicked of Mars, but also eventually a functioning Martian biosphere on a terraformed Mars. The "Reds" agree on the first part, but certainly not on the second one, and the hostility between the different groups is a huge impediment to any progress, but painfully slowly a fragile alliance is built to oppose the megacorporate order. In the end of the second book the rebels, taking advantage of natural catastrophes on Earth and internal fighting among the megacorporations, stages a better coordinated and successful revolution.
Blue Mars : Mars is free, but the
original disagreements between the different radical groups, and
especially between "Reds" and "Greens" is
still haunting the new founded Martian "free state", and so is Earth.
Old,
battered, exhausted of a lot of its natural resources, but still
immensely
powerful, Earth will remain a threat to Mars as long as its situation
is
so unstable, so to secure Mars newfound freedom, the Martians will have
to
help Earth in its our of need. The last remaining first-hundreds knows
this, but their influence is on the wane, and new generations of "pure"
Martians, who believe that Earth can be left to its own misfortune, is
gaining in numbers and power.
The third book of the trilogy is mostly about the attempts to reconcile both Mars and Earth, as well as the different Martian groups. Kim Stanley Robinson describes vividly the formation of an utopian society on Mars, but he is not blind to the problems and dangers of such a society. The book eventually end by the description of the 23rd century where a solar system encompassing civilization has been created.
