Book Review: A City on Mars - by Dr. Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith

I'm pretty sure this book is a psyop designed to demoralise a generation of starry-eyed dreamers. It is obviously written by the same people who told us not to land on Europa. A malignant energy designed to limit the scope of human ambition and thwart our plans to colonise the universe.

The problem is, I can't find fault with any of their logic.

The Weinersmiths make a compelling case that space is much harder than any of the propagandists are willing to admit. Even if it were faster, safer, and cheaper - there's still very little point. Any of the technologies we could point at the skies would be infinitely more useful (and profitable) pointed back at our pale blue dot.

Along the way they take in biology (is it even possible to breed in space?), legality (OK, but what jurisdiction will it be under?), and moral philosophy (will we actually become more enlightened beings?)

And yet, space is cool. I know that "because it is there" isn't a logical argument; but it is a hell of an emotional pull. In amongst all their (justified) snarky cartoons are occasional pearls in the rubble:

As with the cathedrals of Earth, those of us who cast the first few bricks may not be around to see the spire placed on top, but we might nevertheless want to start building.

They excel at making the dull delightful. There are a lot of big and serious facts to get through, but they have a gift for communicating them simply and eloquently. I just wish they'd've come to a different conclusion.