supercheesegirl

This was fantastic. I loved it. Four stars only because I sometimes got lost in all the various tools and technology or in the topographical details - Robinson really writes about Mars like he's been there, but I tend to be more interested in the people than their stuff or the landscape, which is just personal preference. Robinson writes the characters well and really delves into the philosophical, social, emotional, and political implications of colonizing and terraforming Mars, which I found fascinating. The anti-aging twist is obviously a Plot Point - otherwise his characters would get old and infirm really quickly - but he explores it and the associated issues with overpopulation in an interesting way. In short, I thought this book was awesome, and this is the one in the trilogy that DIDN'T win a Hugo, so I'm totally psyched to read the rest of the series (as well as Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep, which is also on my To Read shelf and which did win the Hugo the year this book was eligible, so it's got to be a great read too). Happy happy.