Moving Mars

Bear braids some interesting technomagic and inventive Martian biology over a meditation about tyrrany and humanity. he ends up in an interestingly ambiguous place, simultaneously depicting hopeful optimism about cooperative deliberation by groups and individuals being able to craft just and open societies, but despairing of humanity's ability to stay calm or compassionate in a crisis. it would be interesting to know if he overtly considered the way small parts of the brain can "take over" during fight-or-flight moments, and if he thinks that the tendency in fiction of cabals of powerful interests to take over is a form of societal amygdala. I've only read his Big Disaster fiction, and he does a more nuanced job of characterization here than in the more railroad Darwin and Anvil books.