Red Mars

I read these books a few years ago - around 2000 I think. I read one Red, Green or Blue, or was reading it one day when I was at Watson's Bay in Australia with my then boyfriend. We had an argument about something, I can't remember what now, he was that kind of boyfriend. He threw this book into the sea. It was the Red one, the Blue one, or the Green one. I then threw his t-shirt into the sea. He took my t-shirt and stormed off.

I had to get the bus home - we lived in Sydney - semi naked. At first the driver wouldn't let me on the bus.

"You can't get on here naked," he said.

"My t-shirt blew into the sea," I said. I was used to lying. I was walking with a limp for this reason. The bruise was for this reason. I can't see you tonight because of this, or this, or this.

I got home.

The next day I went to the book shop and re-bought the book. It was the Red one, the Green one, or the Blue one.

They represented a whole other world. It was Mars. It started from when the first pioneers arrived. It followed the building of colonies and then Mars as it became it's own political entity.

I loved them. It was a whole other world.

And also the real one - the artist who painted the covers of the particular edition came into the pub my parents ran. This was back in Colchester. He was the first gay person, or partially gay, I knew. I was young then. The artist, Peter, would come into the pub at around 6 o'clock. Only my mum worked then. He and my mum would talk. I would play pool, hitting the balls, lost in them. I was a crazy pool player, crazy for it.

My dad thought my mum was having an affair with this artist or something. I don't know. Maybe she was. My dad was that kind of dad. The one you made excuses for - like the boyfriend I had later - funny that.

I remember this. My mum had some hair crimpers. She crimped her hair. "You look like a whore!" my dad said.

"I'll be a whore then," my mum screamed. She put on a fur coat. She wasn't wearing anything else. She had her hair crimped. She went out with Peter.

I was young then. This is as true as I remember it. Peter painted the covers of those books. That were later thrown into the sea.

:D

loved these mars books, epic...

The first SF I'd read in ages. Rather good! OK - not 'Litratcha', but some interesting ideas.

Personally, I think most "liratcha" can only dream about having as many interesting ideas as Robinson's Mars series...

Fair comment. But I'm reminded of something that Kurt Vonnegut said about people who say they have an idea for a short story. "One idea's not nearly enough for a short story. If you only have one...write a novel instead."

Yes, the ideas are great. But part of literature is about structure, language, plot, character. Robinson doesn't deal in those. Apples. Oranges.