Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson

The first in a series of books about the colonization and terraforming of Mars, this novel functions well as a stand alone novel. I doubt I'll read the rest of the series - while the world is intricate and the characters are engaging, there are too many characters to get personally attached to any of them. The novel begins with the murder of the 'First Man on Mars' by his best friend, and another of the '1st Hundred' - the first hundred colonists on Mars. It gives a retrospective of personal interactions between the 1st Hundred, all of whom were scientists, albeit with different ideologies. The terraformers, led by Sax, would like to remake Mars in Earth's image, whereas the Reds, led by Ann, would like Mars to remain untouched. John Boone, as well as Arkady in a different way, argues for Martian independence from the transnational companies on Earth that have grown wealthier and more powerful than individual nations. The transnationals represent capitalistic greed in a socialist/utilitarian society. Attempts to reset human history on a new world come into conflict with the traditionalist ideals, and a rebellian results (compared often to American Independence) that leads to the deaths of many. Other interesting concepts include the discovery of a 'treatment' that leads to increased lifespan, which leads to incredible overpopulation problems on Earth, and a breakaway group led by Hiroko (likely to be discussed more in future books), who are the true idealists. Overall, this novel made me think, but didn't draw me in.