I think everyone - and I do mean EVERYONE - should read this book. It's food for thought but even more, bringing several examples to the table. Of course, it can only be a starting point, a catalyst, but it's very good at that. 

Thrilling and funny. Read it in one go. 

Powerful, indeed. 

This is...a lot. I appreciate that Robinson tried to write a full-scale approach to what colonizing Mars would mean but this should have been at least two, maybe even three books. Mixing Tolkienesque descriptions of landacapes over and over and over again, adding in actual maths and physics equations and graphs while discussing social, political, economic and ecological issues and philosophies is just too much. You can see that clearly in the narrative that shifts from character to character but it's just folks travelling around a lot without getting anywhere on their missions. The case of the death of one person that starts right at the beginning could have been a perfect narrative thread to keep me engaged but was dropped and picked up and then tossed again randomly. And finally, at the end, I'm not sure yet but it didn't feel satisfying how it all ended. 

The story builds slowly and it all erupts quite suddenly at the end. It's a bit too predictable for that pacing. I liked the characters and the basic idea but find the execution a bit lacking. Still Kingfisher writes in an enganging way that makes this a fast read. 

Unsettling.