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 trilogy