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WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2024

ONE OF THE TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW SCIENTIST BEST SCIENCE BOOKS OF THE YEAR

A HUGO AWARD WINNER FOR BEST RELATED WORK 2024

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

THE #2 MOST GIFTED BOOK IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

From the bestselling authors of Soonish, a brilliant and hilarious off-world investigation into space settlement

Earth is not well. The promise of starting life anew somewhere far, far away – no climate change, no war, no Twitter – beckons, and settling the stars finally seems within our grasp. Or is it? Bestselling authors Kelly and Zach Weinersmith set out to write the essential guide to a glorious future of space settlements, but after years of original research, and interviews with leading space scientists, engineers and legal experts, they aren’t so sure it’s a good idea. Space tech and space business are progressing fast, but we lack the deep knowledge needed to have space-kids, build space-farms and create space nations in a way that doesn’t spark conflict back home. In a world hurtling toward human expansion into space, A City on Mars investigates whether the dream of new worlds won’t create a nightmare, both for settlers and the people they leave behind.

With deep expertise, a winning sense of humour and art from the beloved creator of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, the Weinersmiths investigate perhaps the biggest questions humanity will ever ask itself – whether and how to become multiplanetary.

Publisher Review

Scientific, educational, and fun as hell -- Andy Weir, bestselling author of THE MARTIAN and PROJECT HAIL MARY Can a book be hilarious, deeply-researched, utterly original and wise all at the same time? If it's by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, of course it can. This is a sensational book; whether you read it in your snuggle tunnel or your pregnodrome, read it -- Tim Harford, author of HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD ADD UP A refreshing, clear-headed breath of life-support oxygen amidst all the tech-bro naivety and hype on space colonisation. Impeccably researched and argued, yet witty and very easy to read. Superb! -- Professor Lewis Dartnell, author of BEING HUMAN Listen up, humans. How to poop in space will be the least of our concerns. Herein are challenges most space-heads, including me, never even considered: not just technological, but legal, ethical, geopolitical. Despite the breadth and depth of research, this is a clear, lively, and hilarious read. Slam dunk, Weinersmiths! -- Mary Roach, author of FUZZ AND PACKING FOR MARS There's a tendency to have a rather ethereal and even utopian view of space settlement. Kelly and Zach Weinersmith bring us a highly entertaining and down to Earth (or should one say down to Mars?) view of our future in space, filled with humour and cogent insights -- Professor Charles Cockell This might be the best book ever written about humans in space, or at least the funniest. I don't know of anything else quite like it: an extended, comical confrontation between the dreams of space colonies and the gross, dangerous, tedious realities. Read it before you go -- Scott Aaronson, University of Texas at Austin Of the many books and extensive literature on Space mission architectures, technical and otherwise, this is the only one that is a must-read -- Professor Sinead O'Sullivan, member of the Advisory Council of the European Space Policy Institute An excellent new book, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith's A City on Mars, sets out persuasively and amusingly why you would have to be wildly optimistic or crushingly stupid to want to set up a space settlement any time soon. -- Stephen Bush * Financial Times *