Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson

They have arrived on Red Mars. Their goal? To begin history anew in a new setting. To build a new world, breaking away from the decaying Earth they left. Under the leadership of two Americans and a Russian, the colonists are tackling the installation of basic infrastructure on the planet. They must descend into the vertiginous canyons to search for ice, and sow the valleys where rivers flowed millions of years ago. They must invent new cities, with innovative materials and concepts. And they must act quickly because immigrants are arriving in ever-increasing numbers from an overpopulated Earth. Will the dream sink into chaos?