Arkady has also accumulated a large following of people who want to break away from Earth entirely. The fight between the Greens, who are in favor of terraforming, and the Reds who oppose it, has become very serious. When they return, they find the settler’s base in shambles. Nadia and Phyllis, a member of the American crew, journey to the ice caps to evaluate them as another source of water.

However, after an industrial accident permanently injuries her hand, she must step back into a consulting role. Nadia, another member of the Russian crew and close friend of Maya, gains a reputation as a problem solver and a leader. For a while, the disparate groups that developed on the trip to Mars cohere again and are able to work together. Some of the tasks they have to do involve collecting items from supply drops, turning permafrost into a reliable water supply, and developing a new calendar to track the longer Martian year. Much of the early part of the book is taken up with descriptions of how the crew settles in on Mars. She tells John about her suspicions, but he does not believe her. One day, while visiting the farm, she spots someone who she does not know hiding among the crops, and suspects that someone has stowed away on the mission. This is the first sign of the sectarian problems that will affect the settlers later on. Maya notices early in the mission that many of the people who have been sent to Mars have separated into cliques and spend much of their time gossiping about each other. He wants the settlers of Mars to make their own decisions without the interference of politicians. Finally, Maya is responsible for Arkady Bogdanov, who early and often advocates a complete break from Earth. Maya is also aware of a secondary rivalry, between Sax Russell, an advocate for terraforming Mars for human use, and Ann Clayborn, who opposes terraforming and instead advocates for studying Mars in its native form. She is involved in sexual relationships with both John and Frank and this helps to fuel the rivalry between them. Maya is an expert at manipulating people in order to gain power and status. Another important character is Maya Toitovna, the leader of the Russian expedition. John uses his connections to block Arab and Russian expansion, while Frank works behind the scenes to consolidate power in his own hands.

Both men set about consolidating their power on Mars in different ways. Frank Chalmers is the leader of the American group, John Boone, a charismatic astronaut who visited Mars on a prior expedition, emerges as a rival to his leadership. In Red Mars, the first group of 100 settlers to land on the planet include representatives from America, Russia, and the Arab world. In 1993, Red Mars won the Nebula Award and the British Science Fiction Association Award. It is the first book in the Mars trilogy about settling and terraforming the planet Mars. Red Mars is a 1992 science fiction novel by Kim Stanley Robinson.

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson