The Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars & Blue Mars) is one of the most mind-expanding reading experiences I’ve ever had. It is a rich, sweeping, epic chronicle of the colonization of Mars as well as the rest of the solar system; the power humans have to transform their own environment and how that environment can transform humanity as well; the long-term impact of extending human lifespan by centuries and the catastrophic consequences of rising sea levels on Earth. But most of all, it is a roadmap to building a better civilization free from the poisons of the past.
You will never find a funnier, more densely informative, action-packed adventure about money, slavery, the birth of science and the love life of Isaac Newton.