Points of View

As a set of short stories chronicling the colonization of Mars, the story is told from a third-person point of view, presumably by a scholarly narrator who, years later, has taken the information from the writing of individuals who participated in the invasion. As a "historical" chronology, a constant narrator is necessary in order to ensure the flow of stories from one year to the next, and only a third-person point of view can accomplish this successfully.

Additionally, the third person narrative allows the exploration of the vast number of characters throughout the book to be insightful and in-depth, which is crucial to understanding the complex themes presented throughout the novel. The characters and their unique viewpoints would not be as clearly defined through any other point of view.

Setting

The stories contained within the chronology take place in a variety of locations on either Mars...