When and Who? Written by Kim Stanley Robinson in 1993.

What happens?Red Mars starts in 2026 with the first colonial voyage to Mars aboard the largest interplanetary spacecraft ever, the Ares, with a crew who are to be the first hundred colonists, made up of mainly Russians and Americans. The book details their construction of the first settlement on Mars.

WhatÂ’s Mars Like? They operate on a standard 24-hour clock, because they are accustomed to it, but since Martian days are about 40 minutes longer than their Earth counterparts, the clock stops every day at 12:00:00am - sitting quietly for exactly 39.5 minutes before ticking into 12:00:01am.

Why should I read it? This is a fairly modern series of books that cover many themes related to the environment that are increasingly relevant today.

Another fact? The book is the first of three books in the Martian Trilogy. The others are Green Mars and Blue Mars.