Environmentalism, however, is probably the central issue. It is both science fiction and political fiction on a grand scale, dealing with numerous scientific concepts and technological breakthroughs, as well as a wide variety of social and political issues. The “Mars Trilogy” is indeed political science fiction at its finest. The trilogy has been described as “totalization on a grand scale” by Fredric Jameson, who declares that it will surely become “the great political novel of the 1990s and the place in which the interrelations of the various radical or revolutionary groups have been most vividly rehearsed for our own time” ( Seeds 65). Thus, anything and everything having to do with the functioning of human societies is up for debate. Many of the colonists realize that this new planet represents an opportunity for human civilization to make a fresh start and to transcend the mistakes of the past on earth. Perhaps more importantly, it presents numerous opportunities for the exploration of social, political, and economic ideas, all within the context of human intervention in the climate of an entire planet. This scenario presents many opportunities for the exploration of a variety of science fictional technologies and motifs.

Together, the three volumes envision the colonization and terraforming of Mars to make it a second home planet for humans.

Kim Stanley Robinson’s “Mars Trilogy”-comprising Red Mars (1993), Green Mars (1994), and Blue Mars (1996)-is one of the most praised and awarded science fiction works of all time.

Robinson mars trilogy