The Martians [Paperback]

Kim Stanley Robinson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Bantam Books (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553574019
• ISBN-13: 978-0553574012
• ASIN: B001O1JBVS
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Kim Stanley Robinson is a winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. He is the author of eleven previous books, including the bestselling Mars trilogy and the critically acclaimed Fifty Degrees Below, Forty Signs of Rain, The Years of Rice and Salt, and Antarctica--for which he was sent to the Antarctic by the U.S. National Science Foundation as part of their Antarctic Artists and Writers' Program. He lives in Davis, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag, but some worthwhile stuff inside, March 14, 2004

By 

Michael Battaglia - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Martians (Turtleback)

On the odd chance that you've come here by accident, let me open up by saying that Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (consisting of Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars) remains one of the greatest SF epics of all time, managing to combine a grand scope with highly emotional storytelling and a riveting plot, as well as a overarching concern for environmental issues. If you haven't read it, go out and buy all three books right now, because otherwise this book here will hold absolutely no interest for you at all. After he finished the trilogy Robinson apparently had some leftover thoughts and supplementary material he thought worthy of publishing and so this book is a collection of short stories and other pieces all relating to that great trilogy. The only thing is that a lot of this is hit and miss, with decent stories sitting next to somewhat useless pieces. The biggest problem here is for people like me who read the Mars trilogy years ago (about seven years ago, I think) and a lot of the better stories make references to events that happened in the novels themselves. And while this doesn't ruin the stories, the shorter stories lose some of their resonance because the reader doesn't grasp the whole context and people who have never read the novels will be totally lost. But a good majority of the meatier stories stand up quite well on their own (I like the baseball one, the original "Green Mars" story was neat, and a lot of the viginettes involving Coyote was well done) and make for quick, enjoyable reads that take the reader back to the glories of the trilogy. But a lot of the other stuff is just Robinson clearing out his notebook . . . a draft of the Martian constitution (followed by someone's notes on it), a brief piece with abstracts from Martian scientific journals, a long section with various poems of varying quality and a series of one or two page stories that just sort of sit there without really doing anything. But, as I said, the best stuff here reminds us why we loved the original trilogy in the first place (and almost made me want to go back and read it again) and you can just skim past the so-so stuff and move on. You may be doing more skimming than you might like, but there are some gems buried in here. If anything deserved a buyer beware, this would probably be it . . . the best time to read this is right after you finish the original trilogy so that most of this makes sense and you can extend the marvelous glow of the novels just a little bit longer. But for those looking for Robinson's best work, I'd go for the Orange County Trilogy and some of his other novels, that's where his genius really lies, while a book like this merely only shows you some aspects of it. I got this as a bargain book and that's probably the price you want to pay for it, anything more and you're going to feel ripped off. And I'll say this just one more time . . . go read the Mars trilogy! I can't put it any clearer than that.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More than slightly pointless companion to a wonderful series, April 10, 2001

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Martians (Mass Market Paperback)

Kim Stanely Robinson's Mars trilogy, consisting of RED MARS, GREEN MARS, and BLUE MARS is a major acheivement of science fiction. THE MARTIANS is a companion book that contains Robinson's early short stories about Mars, alternate plotlines, and even poems and an autobiographical vignette.

Although THE MARTIANS is meant to satisfy the reader's curiosity for certain aspects of the trilogy, that curiosity isn't very strong. I quickly grew bored with the stories of THE MARTIANS. In fact, some of the stories inside made me feel overloaded and less appreciative of the trilogy.

THE MARTIANS isn't really worth reading unless you have read and enjoyed the trilogy several times. Even then, it's not very impressive.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Look into the Writing Process, November 5, 1999

By 

Courtney ([e-mail]) (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Martians (Bantam Spectra Book) (Hardcover)

When I first saw some reviews for "The Martians," I was thoroughly discouraged. No one seemed to appreciate the stories. I went out and bought a copy, and I've been truly happy that I did. For readers looking for a continuation of the trilogy, this simply isn't it. While more familiar characters, such as Maya, the Coyote, and Michel all make appearances, this book does not continue the story line. Rather, it fills in cracks and provides detail work that an author cannot appropriately include in the course of a book. Many of the tales fall outside of the trilogy itself, which gives us the opportunity to really see the sense of community. "The Martians," was beautiful and gratifying in that it brought me back to a world that I once loved, but had allowed to fade from my memory. I jumped back and forth, reading stories in no particular order, and fell in love once again. I first read "Red Mars" as a freshman in high school. A great deal of the finer details of science were lost on me. The atmosphere of "The Martians" convinced me to reread the first book once more, and I'm absolutely satisfied with the second reading. I understood now so much more of the science of the novel, far better than I ever could have before. It truly gives me an appreciation of the lengths that Robinson went to in order to create his world of Mars. This collection of stories is truly successful in its goal: to give the reader a more intimate knowledge of the universe according to Robinson. I for one am grateful for the opportunity; it would be a wonderful place to live.