Mars Gear

The best way to understand Mars is to go deep — and that means turning to the books, films, and reference works that have defined how we think about the Red Planet. The selection here gathers the essential Mars canon: the hard science-fiction novels that took colonization seriously, the films that captured the public imagination, and the nonfiction that grounds the dream in real engineering and planetary science.

Whether you're looking for Kim Stanley Robinson's landmark trilogy, the survival science behind The Martian, or accessible guides to Mars geology and human spaceflight, these are the works we return to and recommend. Each pick connects back to the topics explored across this site — from the science of the planet to the roadmap for settling it. As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases, which helps keep the guide free.