Zubrin's writing style is precise and comprehensive without being dry, and compelling without coming across as intellectually superior. His economic, historical, and sociological points are sound-to the point where this reader, by the end of the book, has transitioned from being generally indifferent to a cautious-yet-excited proponent of Martian expeditions with the eventual goal of colonization, terraforming, etc. But while I didn't feel like he made a strong enough case for that particular pet point, I did feel his arguments for regarding Mars as the next logical 'frontier' for humanity were more than enthralling. The author seems to feel strongly that the search for life on Mars is of the utmost importance to any potential manned missions. He goes so far as to assert: "If necessity is the mother of invention, Mars will provide the cradle.” His underlying point in all this is that the wisest (and most cost-effective) course of action would be to 'go native', taking with us only minimal provisions and focusing on all possible means of 'living off the land'. He also walks us through some of the more famous expeditions-dissecting the grand successes and horrendous disasters-and then paralleling them to how we ought to approach the exploration and eventual settlement of the red planet. That mankind shares in it is one of the reasons to call man an image of God.” -Johannes Kepler “Geometry is one and eternal, a reflection out of the mind of God. The background he provided on Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe was actually more interesting than a lot of his introductory material, in this reader's opinion.
The author lays his foundation on some of the more relevant origins of humanity's relationship with astronomy, astrophysics, and the planet Mars-managing accuracy without any petty attempts to pit science against religion or vice versa. The Case For Mars is a history lesson, a speculative thesis, a business proposal, and a visionary rally cry-all in one. In using this book for research purposes, I've been delighted with the wealth of practical information it offers.
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