An exceptional new piece of popular science ... Grim thoughts are tempered by levity: A City on Mars is hilarious. The breezy prose is studded with charming cartoons that illustrate everything ... Most of the book is devoted to fascinating, practical questions of colonization ... This book will make you happy to live on this planet — a good thing, because you’re not leaving anytime soon.
A wonderful example of what it means to really think a difficult project through, a skill that many of us should acquire. What is more, it shows that lay people can tread confidently into a field not their own and make it their own, a lesson to us all.
Despite their conclusion that humanity isn’t quite ready for life in space, the Weinersmiths’ passion and enthusiasm shine through every page of this absorbing, lively exploration.
Entertaining ... This book is, to put it simply, a romp ... Though the authors strike a humorous tone, they don’t neglect serious topics, and they do believe that one day space will be colonized. However, the timeline is centuries rather than decades, and there must be more focus on the practical realities than on visionary hyperbole. One way or another, this book has a lot to offer. A fun, informative read that puts the pop into popular science.
Wickedly irreverent ... The cheeky tone is loads of fun, and Zach’s humorous illustrations of, for instance, contraptions proposed to facilitate zero-gravity sex, entertain. It adds up to a boisterous takedown of techno-utopianism.
