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The Mars trilogy is a series of three Science Fiction Novel s by Kim Stanley Robinson , chronicling the settlement and Terraforming of the Planet Mars . The novels are ''Red Mars'' ( 1992 ), ''Green Mars'' ( 1993 ) and ''Blue Mars'' ( 1996 ). An additional collection of short stories was published as ''The Martians'' ( 1999 ). AWARDS
PLOT ''Red Mars'' starts in 2026 with the first colonial voyage to Mars. Later, "the First Hundred" colonists (composed — for the most part — of Russia ns and Americans ) establish the first settlement on Mars (called "Underhill") and lay the groundwork for more scientists and engineers to follow. However, due to the greed of the Transnational Corporation s, which dominate and control the Nation State s of Earth , the new Martian towns become overcrowded and undermaintained. Several cases of Sabotage of terraformation infrastructure occur, blamed on anti-terraforming forces. The situation results in a violent Revolution in 2061 , in which many of the First Hundred are killed, and much of Mars' infrastructure, notably the Space Elevator , is destroyed. Most of the surviving members of the First Hundred are forced into hiding in the "underground". ''Green Mars'' takes its title from the stage of terraforming that has taken place allowing Plants to grow. It picks up the story from ''Red Mars'', following the lives of the remaining First Hundred (and their children and grandchildren). The "underground" starts to develop ideas of a new type of society, an anti-thesis of the metanational order at that time. This culminates into the Dorsa Brevia agreement, in which nearly all the "underground" factions take part. Preparations are made for second revolution begins in the 2120s. ''Blue Mars'' takes its title from the stage of terraforming that has taken place allowing atmospheric pressure and temperature to increase so that Liquid Water can exist on the planet's surface, forming River s and Sea s. It follows on from the end of ''Green Mars'' and has a much wider scope than the previous two books, covering an entire century after the second revolution and showing the spread of human settlements across the Solar System —a process Robinson terms the ''Accelerando''. One major event is a sudden, catastrophic rise in global Sea Level s caused not by any Greenhouse Effect , but by the eruption of a chain of Volcano es underneath the ice of west Antarctica , melting it all away. ''The Martians'' is a collection of Short Stories that takes place over the timespan of the original trilogy of novels, as well as some stories that take place in an alternate version of the novels where the First Hundred's mission was one of exploration rather than colonization. Buried in the stories are several hints about the eventual fate of the Martian terraforming program. The books also speculate on the colonization of other planets and Moon s in the Solar System , and include descriptions of cities on Callisto , Mercury , Titania , and Venus . A great portion of ''Blue Mars'' is concerned with the effects of extreme longevity on its fictional protagonists, most of whom have lived over two hundred Year s as a result of repeated Longevity treatments. In particular, Robinson speculates on the Psychological effects of ultra-longevity including Memory loss, Personality change, mental instability and Boredom . CORPORATIONS Metanational corporations, nicknamed "metanats", are extremely powerful Transnational Corporation s that first emerge in the mid- 21st Century . These multinational corporations have grown so large as a result of Globalisation that they have sufficient economic power to take over or strongly manipulate national Governments , initially only relatively small Third World governments, but later larger developed governments too. In Robinson's Future History , the metanational corporation hence becomes the inheritor to the Nation-state , with the giant corporations continuing to attempt takeovers of competitors in order to become the sole controller of the Interplanetary Market . As the Mars trilogy draws to a close, in the mid 22nd Century , the metanational corporations are forced by a global Catastrophe to concede more democratic powers to their workforces. The metanational corporations include Praxis, a largely benevolent and relatively democratic firm, and Subarashii, which plays a large role in the maltreatment of the denizens of Mars. CHARACTERS John Boone
An American , rather than showing him through others' eyes. This section reveals that late in life, Boone is addicted to omegendorph, a fictional drug that is based on Endorphin s in the Human Brain . In addition, it reveals that at least some of his seeming simplicity might simply be an act designed to further his political goals. Overall, Boone is presented as larger-than-life — his flaws as well as his virtues. Frank Chalmers
Head of the American contingent. He is Machiavellian in his use of power. However, his cynicism is later shown to be a form of self-defense; Chalmers is at least partly driven by a hidden idealistic side. Dies in a flooding catastrophe. Maya Toitovna
An emotional woman who is at the centre of a love triangle between Boone and Chalmers. Head of the Russia n contingent. Toitovna begins as one of the Russian leaders, and becomes a powerful political force later on. After the deaths of Chalmers and Boone, she falls in love with Michel Duval. Suffers heavily from amnesia and a Bi-polar Disorder with growing age. Nadia Chernyshevski
A Russian engineer. She builds the first permanent habitation of Mars. In the later books she becomes a reluctant politician. Nadia is in love with Arkady Bogdanov. In ''Green Mars'' she falls in love with Art Randolph, with whom she eventually starts a family. Arkady Bogdanov
An engineer with Anarchist / Marxist leanings. Like Boone's, his political ideas (known as "Bogdanovism") weigh heavily on characters later in the book. In love with Nadia Chernyshevski, he is killed during the first revolution of 2061. Saxifrage "Sax" Russell
American Physicist . Russell is a leader of the Green movement (a movement whose goal is to Terraform Mars) and also a brilliant and creative scientist who suffers Aphasia (likely Broca's Aphasia ) after suffering a stroke while being brutally tortured by government security forces in ''Green Mars''. Secretly in love with Ann Clayborne. Saxifrage means "Stonebreaker" (Russell is a terraformer) and is the name for a plant that grows between stones. Ann Clayborne
American Geologist , who wants Mars preserved in its pristine state. She becomes a leader of the Red movement which is dedicated to this goal. She is frequently seen as bitter. She has a hate-love relationship with Saxifrage Russell. Develops a split personality and modest appreciation for the "blue" Mars. Hiroko Ai
Michel Duval
Vlad Taneev
Phyllis Boyle
Desmond "the Coyote" Hawkins
Children of the First Hundred Since the trilogy covers over 200 years of human history, later immigrants and the children and grandchildren of the first hundred eventually become important characters in their own rights.
Other characters
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