The Martians (Mars Trilogy)

This review deals primary with the "quality control" of the reprinting of the Mass Paperback version of Robinson's The Martians with ISBN number 978-0-553-57401-2 (does the -2 at the end indicate a reprint?) Attached in this review are pictures I took of pages 4 and 36 of my copy. As you can see there are some words in the top third of these two pages have missing "INK" , some of the letters of the some of the words just are not fully formed when those pages were printed. In the enclosed pictures of page 4 and 36 taken with my smart phone, show in colored rectangles in these attached pictures shows a quality control problem of the reprint of the Mass Paperback. I went onto eBay and bought other copies that could read better.As tot he content of the book, it is OK, some of the stories that never made it into the trilogy of Red, Green and Blue Mars are interesting for those of us that read the entire Trilogy. Some back stories are told and other midly interesting topics. Hence the review only gets 3 stars (also the quality control issues of the reprint also affected my review / rating). Every author needs an editor and I am assuming these just didn't make the cut. For good reason in some cases :) Still I am only about 62% done and look forward to the last third (hoping the INK problem has been solved - and to a larger degree, a few lines in the top third of some pages don't have the characters making up words on 1 or 2 lines per page , I can make out every word, it is just annoying to have to do so. So I bought used copies in hardback and trade paperback (but these copies were over 25 years old and are starting to yellow, for the trade paperback version from a UK publisher). It has been good to visit with Robinson's world concerning Mars. What is interesting in at least one of the articles, an alternative timeline is presented (as I saw in someone else's review). That in itself was interesting (and might upset other readers), specifically the short story of Michel in Provence doesn't not exactly line up with the books! Enjoy it , but be wary of the new mass paperback version, it will have either missing INK or fainter ink for some of the lines on the page than other lines.

While I basically liked the book, if for no other reason than that I liked those that came before it, then I guess that is something. I think I was expecting something different than what I got here. I thought there would be more stories maybe about the first hundred and before, though there were a few of those. This was totally on brand for him though and we got some interesting background on the planet and where it might be even further into the future. We get to meet a few descendants who are nothing like their ancestors in some ways and completely like them in others. Not bad but took me while to get through.

Taken by itself, I could see how this collection of stories could be confusing or unappealing. But I really loved the Mars trilogy, so I found it really enjoyable to be able to revisit Mars for a little while. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for anyone who hasn't read the whole trilogy, but for those who have, it's a real treat.Sure, it's kind of scattered and random, but if you made it all the way through the Mars trilogy, you'll feel right at home with this book.I especially enjoyed "Arthur Sternbach Brings the Curveball to Mars" for some reason.

These are a lot of short stories, essays and poems that give more information on what was happening and how they felt. The constitution was there and an explanation of how they would handle governance. They borrowed a lot from Australia. Most of it I enjoyed. Science was not my strength, so the essays on this ( though few) were beyond me. I thought this was a great series. I could imagine something like this happening. They looked at Earth and decided there were issues they did not want to deal with, one being guns. They also decided not to have countries, so everyone would work for the whole planet. This really appealed to me. I recommend this series, and if you have a science background, I think it will really appeal to you.

These stories are leftovers, the musical equivalent of bonus tracks, from Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy. For sure, they should not be expected to be on a par with the proper trilogy. Despite the mixed reviews, I wanted to read this, a couple years after having finished Blue Mars, because I loved the world and characters Robinson had created, and I was interested in one last visit to this wonderful place. Some of the stories succeed, particularly those that follow Roger, the "Green Mars" story being this book's centerpiece. The stories involving the Martian Constitution are surprisingly interesting. But some are terrible, especially the one-page "story" that merely lists what music Robinson listened to while writing for particular characters. By the time I got to the poetry, I was more than ready for this book to be over.The book is good enough at its peaks, and evocative enough about Robinson Martian vision, that I feel it's a worthwhile read overall for those who really loved the Mars trilogy. But it should be taken for what it is: Extra. Not a proper short story collection or coda, not a masterpiece.

For those with a SciFi background, this movie is fantastic. For those without a SciFi background, this movie is fantastic. It is just a great movie. The story seemed to be meticulous from a scientific point of view, although I am not a scientist. The movie is very emotional as we observe the way an astronaut left for dead on Mars copes with his situation. You will be cheering for him as you may not have cheered for a character in a long time. Success, failure, loneliness, pride, teamwork (back on Earth), ingenuity.....these things are examined during the movie. I don't often recommend a movie for everyone, but this one fits the category precisely.

If you are familiar with the Mars Trilogy, then this is a must-have: approximately 1/3 of the stories deal with an alternate reality within the storyline, where the 1st 100 never go to Mars. Another 1/3 cover the lives of a couple of natives from the late Red Mars to post Blue Mars timescale, giving a different perspective on the colonisation project. The last 1/3 covers miscellaneous stories, similar to the run-in stories within the chapters of the trilogy.If you have never red the Trilogy, then this is not really a good entry point: I would recommend that you read the Trilogy through first.

Quite scientific but gloriously page turning. Characters are really filled out and it is not sentimental with its heroes. One of my all time favourite trilogys although I was a bit disappointed with the end but this really was trifling. I would recommend these books to anyone (even those not usually interested in science fiction - although the science may leave some people cold). I'm about to read it for the 3rd time and am sure I will still find it fascinating.

The Red, Green and Blue Mars trilogy has to be the definitive work on Mars colonization. This is not that! it's a 'companion' volume of short stories and novellas featuring the same characters and offering sometimes new revisions on some of the plots in the the trilogy. I confess, I bought this in error but have enjoyed it nevertheless. You must have read the original trilogy first though.

loved the series a true SF great

If you like HAMILTON read the chapter on the Martian Constitution