Another one for the nerds

If a sci-fi novel is set in our universe (as opposed to one unrelated like that in Star Wars) the author has to create some kind of political and social structure and, if they are willing to work at it, explain how our society evolved to that point. A large, if not the majority, portion of authors like to hundreds or thousands of years out, as this allows for a wider range of technology, an expansion across stars, and massive social change. One part of the story is usually about how power shifts from Earth to the colonies.

The political model for the shift is often the American revolution. The colonies (be they on the moon, asteroids, Mars or further afield) are not held back by legacy social customs, businesses or inbuilt technologies. At some point, they grow weary of Earth's restrictions and given some provocation, they throw off the shackles and then become some kind of libertarian or socialist paradise. John Varley's Red Lightning, fits in this tradition.

The book is mostly set on mid 21st century Mars with a visit to a unpleasant Earth. The War on Terror never ended and the US has a police state in the form of the Homelanders and endless fighting. The economy is in the toilet. A terrible disaster throws the US into turmoil and for a reason explained late in the book, someone on Earth invades Mars in a form of response. It's entertaining light beach reading for those that like scifi at least.

Varley by the way, is the author of the Gaia trilogy, which begins with Titan. I missed reading this series entirely because of the book covers. Way too stylized, at least in the early 80s editions. In any case I was too busy with the likes of Heroes in Hell.