Rapid Review - Green Mars

Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson: I enjoyed Red Mars, and could barely wait to get my hands on this one to find out what happens next. I wasn't disappointed. The book picks up years after the end of the first book, with the first generations of children born on Mars becoming adults. As the political situation on Earth gets nastier and more dangerous, the implications of having a whole world out there available starts to sink in a bit. Like in the first book, there is a build up of ideas and philosophies, all of which is let loose due to one cataclysmic event. The mastery of these books lies in the exploration of the different people involved in the tale. Each of them contributes, but each one has a different viewpoint that comes out as you read. You get the sense that there are no simple answers, because some of the people involved are so far apart there is no way for them to ever have a true meeting of minds. And so you are along for a ride through history. It really is quite an amazing series. The last book is in my reading pile now. Even if it doesn't live up to the standards of the first two, this is quite a remarkable series already.