It’s true that there’s a lot of back story on why that murder took place that we figure out throughout the book. I enjoy that aspect of a complex storyline. I think that was well done in Red Mars.
Not sure I’ve read enough Kim Stanley Robinson to know about theme 2). If that’s so, perhaps he’ll never really be a favorite of mine.
I find 1) is a very strong theme in a certain branch of science fiction. It’s as if the author has to beat you over the head with it and if he is insufficiently heavy handed he won’t get published. I agree it’s pervasive in Heinlein too. It’s one of the themes I find tiresome in (what I guess people call “hard”?) sf. Authors can be smart - blindingly smart - without being so pushy about it: Weir had a deft touch with it in The Martian.
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Not sure I’ve read enough Kim Stanley Robinson to know about theme 2). If that’s so, perhaps he’ll never really be a favorite of mine.
I find 1) is a very strong theme in a certain branch of science fiction. It’s as if the author has to beat you over the head with it and if he is insufficiently heavy handed he won’t get published. I agree it’s pervasive in Heinlein too. It’s one of the themes I find tiresome in (what I guess people call “hard”?) sf. Authors can be smart - blindingly smart - without being so pushy about it: Weir had a deft touch with it in The Martian.