Title: Where was Robinson's editor?
Product review: Frankly, I was surprised by this book. Having read Robinson's other novels, "Icehenge," "Wild Shore," "Gold Coast," and "Memory of Whiteness," I expected that this, his first really long book, would have his usual touch for well-drawn, interesting characters. But the crew of explorers/terraform experts in Red Mars was a group of dull, tedious, one-dimensional, people that I wouldn't cross the street to chat with. I'm guessing that Robinson got caught up in the technical details, and lost the characterization skills of his shorter novels. Where was his editor this time, who should have pointed this out to him? I decided to give Green Mars and Blue Mars a pass. Maybe Robinson should get back to the California setting of his earlier work.
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