Mars trilogy
Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinsonby Kim Stanley Robinson
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 38 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
People love this series for its anarchist culture and memorable moments. The most common caveat is that it can feel boring.
People love this series for its anarchist culture and memorable moments. The most common caveat is that it can feel boring.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 14
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 88%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 14 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Loved as a favourite series
“This is one of my favourite book series ever; it has so many points for learning and humanity.”
Comment from 9 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: I created a Mars colony RPG based on Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars books” “one of the most memorable moments of any book I've ever read”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: I created a Mars colony RPG based on Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars books” “Seriously though I adore the trilogy.”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: I created a Mars colony RPG based on Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars books” - Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: I created a Mars colony RPG based on Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars books”
Anarchist culture explored in fiction
“Lovely series. One of the first science fiction series I read that gave a proper anarchist culture a shot.”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: I created a Mars colony RPG based on Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars books” “provide a nice fictional exploration of this idea”
Comment from 28 Jul 2026 in “Mondragon Corporation – a federation of co-operatives” “examples of anarchy in fictional action”
Comment from 7 May 2026 in “The map that keeps Burning Man honest”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Can feel boring or slow
“highly recommend, as long as you don't get too bored by descriptions of rock”
Comment from 21 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: Books mentioned on Hacker News in 2025” “It's boring because it's Steinbeck.”
Comment from 3 Jan 2026 in “As deep-sea mining race ramps up, mission will assess whether ecosystems recover”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Mars trilogyby Kim Stanley RobinsonThis page | 14 | 2 | 88% | 7 | — | Approved |
What people said
13 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“provide a nice fictional exploration of this idea”
“any multilingual person knows that's simply impossible. some things just don't translate”
“I think the whole trilogy aged incredibly well all things considered.”
“examples of anarchy in fictional action”
“This is one of my favourite book series ever; it has so many points for learning and humanity.”
“When I reread it as an adult the political undertones completely ruined the series for me.”
“one of the most memorable moments of any book I've ever read”
“Lovely series. One of the first science fiction series I read that gave a proper anarchist culture a shot.”
“Seriously though I adore the trilogy.”
“The Mars trilogy was a great read.”
“Haha yes, these are all fantastic.”
“It's boring because it's Steinbeck.”
“highly recommend, as long as you don't get too bored by descriptions of rock”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.