Mars is back
15 years after the publication of Red Mars, the red planet is on our minds more than ever. With the amazing success of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, hints of vast quantities of water hidden beneath the surface of Mars - or even water flowing on the Martian surface within the last decade, concrete plans for more Martian missions, calls for a Martian colony and Google Mars project, Kim Stanley Robinson’s detailed vision of the colonization of the red planet is more pertinent than ever and should be high on the reading list of anyone interested in this fascinating subject.
The First Hundred
In 2026, 100 colonists are sent to Mars to establish a permanent base. Roughly half are American and the others Russian, with a spattering of other nationalities from other sponsor nations. All of them are top scientists in several fields and represent the best Earth has to offer. But the year-long trip has not even begun that conflicts and alliances have already formed that will shape the very nature of the new society they will initiate. Each of them has a secret dream, whether it is to exploit the planet’s riches for profit; to terraform its surface into a living habitat; to leave the planet as it is and study its cruel beauty; to conduct daring scientific experiments, to build an utopian society or to simply get away from Earth and its growing maelstrom of seemingly intractable problems.
Should the colonists follow Earth’s directives or should they make their own decisions and choose how they will shape Martian culture? Will Earth even give them a chance? Will the “First Hundred” tear themselves apart because of their ideological differences, dragging the rest of Martian society with them? Was there really a stowaway on that first ship and is there a relation with the legendary Coyote that is said to be roaming Mars, committing random acts of sabotage and kindness? Will humanity destroy what drew them to Mars in the first place by simply being there?
Poetry, Science and History
There is drama, action, romance and humor in Robinson’s writing, but his strengths lie more in the breath of his subjects, his attention to scientific detail and his mastery of the processes of science, ecology and history.
It is not unusual for a science-fiction book to deal with scientific and technological themes, but most authors will usually handle only a few subjects or technologies in any depth. The sheer breath of the subjects dealt in various levels of details in the Mars Trilogy however is staggering and far surpasses anything I have ever read so far. Many of the theories and technologies described in the book are speculative at best, but their grounding in actual science is palpable. But the real message here, I feel, is not about veracity or plausibility, but how vastly complex the world is and how everything is interconnected: ecology, economy, geology, politics, hydrology, arts, history, mythology, biology, medicine, diplomacy, security, psychology, sexuality, genealogy, chemistry, physics, love, hate, etc. It takes everything to make a world and Robinson manges to let us truly feel it.
Robinson’s fascination with history was made evident in many of his works where alternate histories are not uncommon, such as the Three Californias Trilogy and The Years of Rice and Salt, The Mars trilogy is no exception. The whole trilogy is suffused with History: the past as Earth’s long history of strife is dragging humanity into cataclysmic disaster; the present where we can see how Martian society assimilates past, current and rumored events into a rich mythologized history; and the future, as we witness humanity expand ever outward, first across the solar system and eventually into interstellar space, freeing itself at last from the shackles of its past history .
Robinson also brings great humanity and poetry to what could be otherwise dry subjects, such as science, psychology and economics. Also, the moral conflict between transforming Mars into an Earth-like environment by any means versus respecting Mars’ uniqueness and adapting ourselves to it is mineral harshness is brought in heart wrenching contrast by the seemingly irreconcilable clash between Sax Russell, head of the terraforming project, and Ann Clayborne, spiritual leader of the Red movement.
Robinson’s passion for geology and ecology is also impressive in its minutia and importance to the overall storyline. Frank Herbert’s Dune series, also one of my favorite series of all time, broke new grounds with its emphasis of the importance of ecology. However, it pales in comparison with the depth of Robinson’s intricate vision of the inter-connectedness of things and his handling of the subtleties of human politics and economy.
Martian Utopia
Many science-fiction novels will describe the evils of runaway capitalism, corporations and corrupt government. However, Robinson goes way beyond this simple description or denunciations by actually describing step by step how a new kind of society could evolve from ours (or, to be more precise, a society that evolved from ours and where several gigantic transnational corporations are in direct control of most of the Earth, which is likely not too far off in the future).
For Robinson, going to Mars is simply a way to escape the pull of History just as it means escaping Earth’s gravity well. But it does not mean starting from scratch or simply using an American model while rejecting other cultures. We follow several characters as they build their new society by piecing together the best of the may cultures that take root in this new world: American, Russian, Swiss, Arab, Japanese, Caribbean, etc. We even get to witness in great detail the drafting of a new Martian constitution.
Martian society, in this vision, is to be an example to Earth of how mankind can live if it can leave behind its old mental poisons and give everybody a chance to accomplish themselves.
War and peace
Like all colony, a future Mars population will very likely seek some kind of independence at some point in its development. In the this trilogy, before Martian society gets a chance to fully develop, the colonists must first find a way to escape the grasp of the transnational corporations that have taken control of every aspect of their lives. Here, Martian independence is won, at first, in the crucible of violence and cataclysmic man-made disasters on a planetary scale. Armed resistance is nothing new in Science-fiction, but what makes this trilogy so unique, is that instead is of basking shamelessly in the glorification of violence, Robinson takes great pains to bring about the transformation of Martian society through increasingly pacifist means. The goal is independence, not vengeance or bloodshed. This is something all would-be nationalists should always consider.
We can consider that each volume of the trilogy represents a particular cycle of this revolution and each feature a cathartic conflict between the colonists and the corporation-controlled "security" forces. However, what Robinson manages to achieve is to realistically show how each step of this revolution can be less violent than the previous one, leading ultimately to an extraordinary blood-less coup. This truly is people-power as we rarely see and it makes many other sci-fi novels look like simple-minded, testosterone-laden macho posturing by their unspoken acceptation of the necessity (or inevitability) of violence to achieve any kind of change.
Walking on Mars
Kim Stanley Robinson approaches his subject matter with such breadth of scope and minutia that you can literally feel you’ve walked every square kilometre of this vast planet and lived through each decade of its first centuries as it evolves from a red, dry, lifeless planet to a green, ocean spanning world. Robinson once mentioned in an interview that he deliberately tried to add as much travel writing as he could in these novels and it shows, as does his love of mountain climbing.
Some readers that are more eager for the space-operatic aspects of science-fiction will likely be put-off by this slow-paced, meandering style of writing where minutia and contemplation rules. However, those who are willing to step into this incredibly detailed Martian landscape and let themselves be swept along into this trip through an alien geography and potential human history will benefit from a literary experience like no other.
