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Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is a writer initially identified as a leading member of the "humanist", or literary, camp of science fiction authors in the 1980s, but whose Mars trilogy is a solid example of hard science fiction. His fiction frequently delves into ecological and utopian themes with a political sophistication and point of view rarely seen elsewhere in the field.1 The utopian novels
Robinson's utopias are strikingly different in that the society portrayed is dynamic and subject to flaws and outside pressures, rather than the static perfection displayed in more classic utopias, in which literary values take a back seat to the political argument. His utopian novels include the Three Californias trilogy, which consists of the "after-the-fall" novel The Wild Shore ( 1984, his first), the future dystopia The Gold Coast ( 1988), and the " ecotopia" Pacific Edge ( 1990); and the Mars trilogy, composed of Red Mars ( 19921992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday. Events January January The Internet Society is formed. January 1 Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General January 1 George H. Bush becomes the fi), Green Mars ( 19931993 is a common year starting on Friday and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003 Events January January 1 Czechoslovakia divides. Establishment of independent Slovakia and Czech Republic.) and Blue Mars ( 19961996 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty''. Events January January 5 Hamas operative Yahya Ayyash is killed by an Israeli-planted booby-trapped cell phone Jan) — along with the short story collection The Martians ( 1999For the album by Prince, see 1999 (album 1999 is a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the UN. Events Kosovo War Former child star Gary Coleman files for bankruptcy Y2K prep) — which uses the red planet as a backdrop for experimenting with new forms of society. Antarctica ( 19971997 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of the Reef''. Events January January 3 NBC's Today Show Bryant Gumbel signs off for the last time January 8 Mister Rogers receives a star on t), a standalone novel, explores utopian ideas similar to those in the Mars trilogy and features retellings of several shared scenes (endurance walks for survival, scientists undergoing shamanistic experiences etc). Robinson has described the Mars trilogy as a "2200-page novel".
Robinson's writings explore political ideas which contain many elements of socialismFor information on mainstream political parties using the term "Socialist", see Social democracy and Democratic socialism For the governments of the USSR, the PRC, and others, see: Communist state Other variants of Socialism include Marxism, Communism, an and green politicsGreen politics is a body of political ideas informed by environmentalism aimed at developing a sustainable society. It is considered by its advocates to be an alternative to both left and right views and parties, although adherents to both views tend to v, as well as many alternative lifestyles (including ones where non-monogamous relationships are commonplace). Some reviewers (including, for instance, many of the reader reviews at Amazon.comcom is an American electronic commerce company based in Seattle, Washington. It was one of the first major companies to sell goods over the Internet. Amazon also owns Alexa Internet, a9. com, and the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Launched in 1995, Amazo) have criticized these aspects of the books on the basis that it is Marxist and Green propaganda, and completely unrealistic. Other reviewers have categorized such people as wanting to read "Young Christian Republicans Go To Mars", and have suggested that the point of science fiction is to explore new ideas.
However, it can be argued that the Mars trilogy reflects a theme common in most SF: "What if?". It throws many different cultures and beliefs into one harsh space, and watches as they react to their environment, to each other and to the new technologies that infuse their everyday lives. The books suggest that there is not any one theme, one ideology, one belief nor one culture that can shape the colonisation of Mars — instead, it is a new fusion of all of the above which can make a human Mars work.
