Mars trilogy reading order

A plan for the whole series

3 volumes, 2,032 pages, about 35 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 7 weeks.

Stages

3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around December 25, 2026, 7 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 111 h14 daysby November 12, 2026

   • 1. Red Mars1992 · 592 pages · 11 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 16, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 212 h16 daysby December 2, 2026

   • 2. Green Mars1993 · 656 pages · 12 h
4. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 6, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 314 h19 daysby December 25, 2026

   • 3. Blue Mars1996 · 784 pages · 14 h
6. The end of the series

   December 25, 2026

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: even. Volume scores differ by at most 0.2 points. You get the same level from the first page to the last.

Best volume: Green Mars (7.9, 331 ratings). Weakest: Red Mars (7.7). The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (7.8) scores close to the series average or above it.