This is a weird one. The general format is chapter-long episodes of "be careful what you wish for... you'll get it," but instead of gradually going to hell, things actually get better as plot bumps along. Increasingly complicated, but better.

Easily the best part of this book is the setting. The entertainingly and lovingly dysfunctional Martian colony manages to toe a narrow line between the hackneyed utopian-or-dystopian space colonies of other sci-fi.

The elements of magical realism kicking in at the end didn't come out of nowhere, but they were unexpected and didn't do it for me. I think I'd have to go back and reread the whole book through that filter for it to work. ( )

This was one of the best books I read in 2010. I think Baker did a marvelous job of creating plausible details of what colonizing Mars would be like, tackling the economics behind such an endeavor (at least better than anyone else I've read), and sketching out likable and believable characters. If I ever re-read this (and I think it is likely I will do so), I will revise my rating to 5 stars.
Update (3/29/2013) - So, I re-read it and gladly give it five stars. It was every bit as enjoyable the second time around as it was the first. But my enjoyment was tempered by the knowledge of Baker's death, and regretting that there will never be a sequel. ( )

Quick and entertaining read. A little heavy on the western as sci-fi theme at times, but at least it was up front about it.

If I enjoyed stories about con artists, I would have enjoyed this much more. ( )

64/2021. Empress of Mars, by Kage Baker, is a prequel science fiction novel in her Company series (and should be compulsory reading for anyone considering becoming indentured to Elon Musk's company, with a one-way ticket to Mars). It reads well as a standalone, unlike most Company stories. This tale is a pastiche of old west gold rush narratives about Irish immigrants, saloon owners with a heart of gold, navvies and prospectors, conmen and gamblers, except the expected evil American cattle barons have been replaced with capitalist English landlords, all successfully transposed to a futuristic Mars that doesn't quite achieve escape velocity from earlier science fiction about pioneering colonials... because why would it want to? Barsoom Day is even an official Martian holiday in this milieu. Characterisation of the stock types isn't especially strong but plot and subplots romp along fast enough to be interesting, and I laughed aloud a few times here and there. ( )