Let me second the Kim Stanley Robinson recommendation. I loved Red Mars. My only problem with Robinson is that he sometimes seems to sidestep good dramatic situations, opting instead to provide slightly too-neat wrap ups for his characters. But really, against the incredible scope of the story, that’s just a bitchy nitpick. It’s some of the best hard science fiction since Clarke’s heyday.
Oh yes, it’s highly interesting. I didn’t think I was going to like it at first, but it turned out to be really cool. I found the second half of the book even better than the first.