Red Mars

Yes, "Red Mars" is the first book in Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy, followed by "Green Mars" (1993) and "Blue Mars" (1996). The series spans roughly two centuries of human colonization and terraforming of Mars, tracing developments from the initial settlement of 100 scientists to a fully transformed planet.

The novel depicts terraforming as a massive multi-generational effort to make Mars habitable for humans, involving releasing trapped water from underground ice, thickening the atmosphere, and raising temperatures through greenhouses gases and orbital mirrors. Robinson describes the process in scientifically grounded detail, drawing on real planetary science.

The First Hundred are the initial group of scientists and engineers selected to colonize Mars, launching from Earth aboard the ship Ares. Key characters include Arkady Bogdanov, the revolutionary; Sax Russell, the physicist advocating rapid terraforming; and Ann Clayborne, the geologist who opposes altering the Martian landscape.

Robinson is widely praised for his meticulous research, and the novel is considered one of the finest examples of hard science fiction. He consulted real planetary science regarding Martian geology, atmospheric chemistry, and the physics of space habitats, and even includes a bibliography of scientific references.

The novel engages heavily with political theory, dramatizing conflicts between colonists who want to preserve Mars in its pristine state and those who want to terraform it. There are also tensions involving Earth's transnational corporations exploiting Martian resources and debates over whether Mars should declare independence from Earth.