The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Mars Trilogy is a science fiction series by Kim Stanley Robinson that explores the colonization and terraforming of Mars through the experiences of the First Hundred, the initial group of colonists. The narrative begins with the death of John Boone, the first human on Mars, and delves into the political and social challenges faced by the colonists, including debates on how to terraform the planet. The story contrasts the ideals of the Reds, who wish to preserve Mars's natural state, with the Greens, who advocate for transforming the environment for human habitation. As societal tensions rise, influenced by deteriorating conditions on Earth, the colonists grapple with issues of governance, corporate influence, and independence.
The series spans several decades, detailing the aftermath of a violent revolution and the gradual rebuilding of Martian society. The emergence of new political factions and the establishment of a Martian government highlight ongoing conflicts and the search for a sustainable society. The trilogy culminates in advancements such as anti-aging technology and interstellar travel, reflecting both the triumphs and challenges of human resilience and adaptation. Overall, The Mars Trilogy presents a complex and thought-provoking examination of humanity's future on Mars, emphasizing the interplay between technology, politics, and environmental stewardship.
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Subject Terms
The Mars Trilogy
First published:Red Mars, 1992, Green Mars, 1993, and Blue Mars, 1996.
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Science fiction—future history
Time of work: 2027 to the twenty-third century
Locale: Mars
The Plot
Red Mars is a sweeping saga of humanity’s colonization of Mars. It is told primarily from the viewpoint of the First Hundred, the initial Martian colonists. The novel begins with the death of John Boone, the first man to set foot on Mars and one of the leaders of the colony. Boone’s death was plotted by his best friend, Frank Chalmers, his rival in politics and romance. The story then flashes back to the flight to Mars, as the colonists endure alternating bouts of boredom and intense preparation for their landing. The creation of the colony and a manned base on the moon Phoebus goes smoothly, marred only by a debate over the pace and methods of terraforming Mars. The Reds, led by geologist Ann Clayborne, want to retain Mars in its natural state for study. The Greens, led by Saxifrage Russell, believe in adapting the Martian environment through biological and industrial processes so that people may one day walk the Martian surface without need of artificial breathing devices.
As the First Hundred develop Mars, additional colonists arrive. Development on Mars is nominally under the control of the United Nations, but the growth of transnational corporations on Earth leads to a growing corporate presence on Mars. As conditions on Earth decline, immigration to Mars and access to its resources increasingly are seen as rights on Earth, even as the Martian colonists begin to develop a sense of independence. Chalmers, the leader of the American delegation, deals with Earth officials and Martian factions to maintain a fragile balance of power. This balance begins to break down as an asteroid is maneuvered into orbit to be used as raw material and the base for a space elevator, a cable connecting the asteroid and Mars to provide low-cost transportation from Mars’s gravity well.
Martian medical personnel discover a way to slow the aging process dramatically. This precipitates a crisis on Earth, as differences widen between the haves and the have-nots. This pressure spills over to Mars, as increased immigration and worsening living conditions lead colonists to disappear into the wild. Hiroko Ao, head of the first farm colony on Mars, leads her team and psychologist Michel Duval into the southern hemisphere, and other colonists join them.
In 2061, a violent revolution breaks out. Town barriers are breached, and the revolutionaries are slaughtered. The space elevator is destroyed and Phoebus is blown up because of fears of invasion from space. The Earth forces reassert control, and Chalmers is killed as the survivors of the First Hundred flee to the southern hemisphere for sanctuary.
Green Mars begins twenty years after the failed revolution. Mars is rebuilding slowly after the revolution, and refugees are beginning to reenter Martian society, using false identification. Ao also has begun to produce children, using artificial wombs. Life in the sanctuaries is detailed through the eyes of one of these children, Nirgal, a grandson of members of the First Hundred. Much of the action, on both Mars and Earth, deals with a discussion of what type of society should be established to sustain development.
Megacorporations have developed on Earth and taken over Third World countries. They openly flout the authority of the United Nations on Mars, establishing their own police forces. Parallel to this repression, the underground society develops an alternative lifestyle in which differences in social, political, and religious beliefs are tolerated. They also develop an economy based on the barter system and the exchange of hydrogen, an extremely rare element on Mars. Thanks to the antiaging drug, the First Hundred who survived the revolution are still active members of society, even though they are more than one hundred years old.
The Martian independence movement grows again, led by Nadia Cherneshevsky and Maya Toitovana, members of the First Hundred, and Nirgal and Jackie Boone from the younger generation. This movement is more tempered, governed by political opportunity rather than rash actions. The various factions gather to debate the formation of the postindependence government, writing the Dorsa Brevia declaration, which widely divergent groups agree will govern their life in the postrevolutionary environment. Cherneshevsky and Toitovana work tirelessly to keep the movement in check while waiting for a catastrophic event on Earth that will divert attention from Mars.
The opportunity for revolution occurs when part of Earth’s Antarctic continent breaks off and threatens to flood major coastal cities as it drifts north and melts. As the novel ends, the new Martian revolution, less violent than the first, appears to have been a success.
Blue Mars begins with the formation of a Martian government, with strict provisions for protection of the environment, including establishment of a primitive zone where the landscape forever will remain as it was before settlement. The First Hundred remain prominent in society, and Cherneshevsky is elected as the first Martian president. Relationships are developed not only with Earth, which receives a delegation consisting of Nirgal Boone, Maya Toitovana, and Michel Duval, but with the new colonies developing around the solar system as well. Tensions between the Green and Red movements and between the older and younger settlers develop as they debate the number of immigrants the Martian ecosystem is able to absorb. A practical method of travel beyond the solar system is found, and Jackie Boone becomes one of the first colonists to the stars.
Members of the First Hundred, now more than two hundred years old, begin to experience memory problems. By the end of the novel, they have begun dying of natural causes. Longtime enemies Ann Clayborne and Sax Russell have developed an understanding of each other’s viewpoints, mirroring the Martian society as a whole.