Colonization

The colonization of Mars is one of the primary themes of the novel. In the beginning, one hundred scientists, biologists, chemists, medical team members, and engineers are sent to Mars to build a new colony on the planet. They are told, by their respective governments, that they are there to examine the planet, and to create a self sufficient colony that is able to survive without the assistance of the Earth. Even before they arrive, however, separate factions develop that threaten the group. The Greens, led by Sax Russell, wish to terraform the landscape while the Reds, led by Ann Clayborne, want the planet to remain unscathed. People like Phyllis Boyle want to turn the planet into a giant mining operation for the transnationals while anarchists like Arkady Bogdanov want to create their own society, without intervention from any corporation or government. Hiroko Ai believes there is a...