“One winter morning the sun shines down on Valles Marineris, illuminating the north walls of the canyons in the great concatenation of canyons. And in that bright light one can see that here and there a ledge or outcropping is touched by a warty speck of black lichen.”

The first book in the Mars trilogy (Red,Green,Blue) Starts in the near future of 2026 with the first hundred. Select people from mainly America and Russia are chosen to go create the first permanent colony on Mars and make their nine month journey aboard the centrifugal, ship the Ares. Many character’s represent different points with the two extremes of Sax Russell for science and terraforming and Ann Claybourne against terraforming and for preservation of Mar’s natural beauty and landscape. The book then continues as years go by and troubled Earth starts sending Immigrants by the thousands to try and relieve population stress. In 2067 war breaks out and Mars fares badly with what remains of the first hundred in hiding. With the book spanning more than forty years and scientific advances that including one that could theoretically put ones lifespan into the thousands and other science based on conceivable theories.

Robinson kept the book moving with its one of a kind plot that has long term effects everywhere, the characters continue as a world writhes around and changes while they stand there with unnaturally long lives. This book contains mature language and is for more advanced readers. Age wise it is probably good for mid to late teens through adult for the complex plot and details make it impossible to comprehend the whole book in one go. I highly recommend the book for science oriented people who still think that space is possible.