On an artistic level, this book is an amazing accomplishment. Writing a novel in metered poetic form is not a task often undertaken, for a reason. But Turner carries it off both as a poem and as a novel. Fitting for an epic poem, the characters are are outsized and Heinleinian, both in their virtues and their their their shortcomings. But they are all distinct, interesting personalities. Also fitting for the form, Turner weaves in monologues on morality, justice, nature, and philosophy. More astonishing is how Turner nails the science. He gets right everything known about Mars at the time the book was written (1988), and does a thoroughly believable job laying out the terraforming effort. In iambic pentameter. Incredible. ( )