On finishing I guess it's in a mountain but I stand by being put off by a city named ass mountain
I was sort of hoping someone else would point this out, but for the record -- there's no city named Arsia Mons. The story says there were seven original settlements formed in the caves of Arsia Mons, and eventually they were all linked. But each of the seven cities still has its original name. They're just not all given in the first five pages.
This community has a recurring interest in "rationalist fiction," and several members who are writers. I wonder if it would be useful to create a space where Less Wrong members could provide each other constructive criticism and encouragement on in-progress original writing projects?
Disclosure: I'm working on a sci-fi novel right now, and my regular circle of "beta readers" are fantasy fans and aren't providing much feedback on the new project. I am much, much more productive as a writer when I get steady feedback, so I have a personal interest in looking for something like this. Less Wrong came to mind as a community of intelligent, creative, forward-looking types who are likely to enjoy sci-fi.