Picture of author.

Kim Stanley Robinson

Teoksen Red Mars tekijä

144+ teosta 43,149 jäsentä 1,208 arvostelua 158 Favorited

Tietoja tekijästä

Kim Stanley Robinson was born in Orange County, California on March 23, 1952. He received a B. A. and Ph. D. from the University of California at San Diego and an M. A. from Boston University. His first trilogy of books, Orange County, collectively won a Nebula Award and two Hugo Awards. His other näytä lisää works include the Mars trilogy, 2312, and Aurora. He has won an Asimov Award, a World Fantasy Award, a Locus Reader's Poll Award, and a John W. Campbell Award. (Bowker Author Biography) näytä vähemmän

Sarjat

Tekijän teokset

Red Mars (1992) 8,261 kappaletta
Green Mars (1993) 5,160 kappaletta
Blue Mars (1996) 4,729 kappaletta
The Years of Rice and Salt (2002) 3,479 kappaletta
2312 (2012) 2,171 kappaletta
Aurora (2015) 1,708 kappaletta
The Ministry for the Future (2020) 1,514 kappaletta
Forty Signs of Rain (2004) 1,421 kappaletta
New York 2140 (2017) 1,341 kappaletta
Antarktis (1997) 1,197 kappaletta
The Wild Shore (1984) 1,107 kappaletta
The Martians (1999) 1,097 kappaletta
Fifty Degrees Below (2005) 1,033 kappaletta
Icehenge (1984) 859 kappaletta
Galileo's Dream (2009) 840 kappaletta
Sixty Days and Counting (2007) 790 kappaletta
The Gold Coast (1988) 787 kappaletta
Pacific Edge (1990) 668 kappaletta
Shaman (2013) 622 kappaletta
The Memory of Whiteness (1985) 592 kappaletta
Red Moon (2018) 525 kappaletta
Escape From Kathmandu (1989) 466 kappaletta
A Short, Sharp Shock (novella) (1990) 334 kappaletta
The Planet on the Table (1986) 239 kappaletta
A Meeting With Medusa | Green Mars (1988) — Tekijä — 195 kappaletta
The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson (2010) — Tekijä — 190 kappaletta
The Lucky Strike (2009) 171 kappaletta
Future Primitive: The New Ecotopias (1994) — Toimittaja — 147 kappaletta
The Blind Geometer / The New Atlantis (1989) — Avustaja — 133 kappaletta
The High Sierra: A Love Story (2022) 132 kappaletta
Remaking History and Other Stories (1994) 121 kappaletta
Nebula Awards Showcase 2002: The Year's Best SF and Fantasy (2002) — Toimittaja — 90 kappaletta
Down and Out in the Year 2000 (1992) 49 kappaletta
A Short, Sharp Shock/The Dragon Masters (1990) — Avustaja — 40 kappaletta
Green Planets: Ecology and Science Fiction (2014) — Toimittaja — 32 kappaletta
Remaking History (1991) 29 kappaletta
The Novels Of Philip K. Dick (1984) 29 kappaletta
The Blind Geometer (novella) (1986) 28 kappaletta
Mars la rouge, tome 1 (2003) 26 kappaletta
Oral Argument: A Tor.Com Original (2015) 25 kappaletta
Mars la rouge, tome 2 (2003) 19 kappaletta
Escape from Kathmandu/Two Views of a Cave Painting (1987) — Avustaja — 13 kappaletta
Author's Choice Monthly Issue 20 (1991) 13 kappaletta
Venice Drowned [novelette] (1981) 12 kappaletta
A Martian Romance 10 kappaletta
Le Ministère du futur 10 kappaletta
The Lucky Strike {novelette} (1984) 6 kappaletta
Sexual Dimorphism 6 kappaletta
Ridge running (short story) (1984) 5 kappaletta
Before I Wake 5 kappaletta
Mercurial (1985) 5 kappaletta
Stone Eggs (1983) 4 kappaletta
The Disguise (1977) 4 kappaletta
2013 4 kappaletta
Our Town 4 kappaletta
Zurich 3 kappaletta
The Translator 3 kappaletta
Discovering Life 3 kappaletta
Muir On Shasta (1990) 3 kappaletta
Coming Back To Dixieland (1976) 3 kappaletta
Vinland the Dream {short story} (1991) 3 kappaletta
Het ministerie voor de toekomst (2023) 2 kappaletta
MINISTERO PER IL FUTURO (IL) (2022) 2 kappaletta
Luna rossa: romanzo (2019) 2 kappaletta
Crveni Mars (1996) 2 kappaletta
Odessa {short story} 2 kappaletta
To Leave a Mark 2 kappaletta
Chaman 1 kappale
I marziani (2020) 1 kappale
Sixty Days 1 kappale
Ledeni hram (1997) 1 kappale
A Story 1 kappale

Associated Works

Matka Maan keskipisteeseen (1864) — Johdanto, eräät painokset14,703 kappaletta
Ubik (1966) — Johdanto, eräät painokset7,584 kappaletta
Stand on Zanzibar (1968) — Johdanto, eräät painokset3,194 kappaletta
The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century (2001) — Avustaja — 565 kappaletta
Brave New Worlds: Dystopian Stories (2011) — Avustaja — 504 kappaletta
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Ninth Annual Collection (1992) — Avustaja — 413 kappaletta
The Big Book of Science Fiction (2016) — Avustaja — 411 kappaletta
The Hard SF Renaissance (2003) — Avustaja — 343 kappaletta
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Sixth Annual Collection (1989) — Tekijä — 251 kappaletta
Year's Best SF 5 (2000) — Avustaja — 251 kappaletta
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Third Annual Collection (1986) — Avustaja — 225 kappaletta
Alternate Empires (What Might Have Been, Vol. 1) (1989) — Avustaja — 208 kappaletta
The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories (2010) — Avustaja — 202 kappaletta
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fourth Annual Collection (1987) — Avustaja — 201 kappaletta
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fifth Annual Collection (1988) — Tekijä — 191 kappaletta
Future on Fire (1991) — Avustaja — 187 kappaletta
A Science Fiction Omnibus (1973) — Avustaja — 148 kappaletta
The Year's Best Science Fiction: First Annual Collection (1984) — Avustaja — 131 kappaletta
Full Spectrum 2 (1990) — Avustaja — 117 kappaletta
The Mammoth Book of Science Fiction (2002) — Avustaja — 116 kappaletta
Futures from Nature (2007) — Avustaja — 113 kappaletta
Universe 1 (1990) — Avustaja — 111 kappaletta
Loosed upon the World: The Saga Anthology of Climate Fiction (2015) — Avustaja — 107 kappaletta
Orbit 19 (1977) — Avustaja — 104 kappaletta
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Second Annual Collection (1985) — Avustaja — 100 kappaletta
Nebula Awards 33 (1999) — Avustaja — 99 kappaletta
Mythmakers and Lawbreakers: Anarchist Writers on Fiction (2010) — Johdanto — 98 kappaletta
Alternate Americas (What Might Have Been, Vol. 4) (1992) — Avustaja, eräät painokset98 kappaletta
Life on Mars: Tales from the New Frontier (2011) — Avustaja — 97 kappaletta
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #11 (1982) — Avustaja — 96 kappaletta
The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy (2000) — Avustaja — 91 kappaletta
I'm With the Bears: Short Stories from a Damaged Planet (2011) — Avustaja — 89 kappaletta
Nebula Award Stories 17 (1983) — Avustaja — 87 kappaletta
New Skies: An Anthology of Today's Science Fiction (2003) — Avustaja — 85 kappaletta
Drowned Worlds (2016) — Avustaja — 85 kappaletta
Nebula Awards Showcase 2014 (2014) — Avustaja — 74 kappaletta
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #14 (1985) — Avustaja — 73 kappaletta
Terry's Universe (1987) — Avustaja — 72 kappaletta
Nebula Awards 23 (1989) — Avustaja — 67 kappaletta
In the Field of Fire (1987) — Avustaja — 67 kappaletta
Worldmakers: SF Adventures in Terraforming (2001) — Avustaja — 63 kappaletta
Universe 14 (1984) — Avustaja — 62 kappaletta
Some of the Best from Tor.com: 2015 Edition (2016) — Avustaja — 60 kappaletta
Stories for Chip: A Tribute to Samuel R. Delany (2015) — Johdanto — 60 kappaletta
Explorers: SF Adventures to Far Horizons (2000) — Avustaja — 54 kappaletta
Under African Skies (1993) — Avustaja — 52 kappaletta
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #16 (1987) — Avustaja — 50 kappaletta
Universe 15 (1985) — Avustaja — 49 kappaletta
Clarion SF (1977) — Avustaja — 48 kappaletta
Interzone: The 4th Anthology (1983) — Avustaja — 41 kappaletta
Other Edens 2 (1988) — Avustaja — 39 kappaletta
80! Memories & Reflections on Ursula K. Le Guin (2010) — Avustaja — 37 kappaletta
Isaac Asimov's Moons (1997) — Avustaja — 37 kappaletta
Future Crimes (2003) — Avustaja — 36 kappaletta
Universe 13 (1983) — Avustaja — 36 kappaletta
Future Washington (2005) — Avustaja — 35 kappaletta
Future Sports (2002) — Avustaja — 32 kappaletta
Universe 12 (1982) — Avustaja — 31 kappaletta
The Eagle Has Landed: 50 Years of Lunar Science Fiction (2019) — Avustaja — 31 kappaletta
Sense of Wonder: A Century of Science Fiction (2011) — Avustaja — 30 kappaletta
Universe 11 (1981) — Avustaja — 29 kappaletta
Isaac Asimov's Mars (1991) — Avustaja — 29 kappaletta
The Very Best of Gene Wolfe (2009) — Johdanto — 24 kappaletta
Isaac Asimov's Earth (1992) — Avustaja — 22 kappaletta
The Savage Humanists (2008) — Avustaja — 22 kappaletta
Exploring the Horizons (2000) — Avustaja — 20 kappaletta
The Dark Ride: The Best Short Fiction of John Kessel (2022) — Johdanto — 17 kappaletta
Orbit 18 (1976) — Avustaja — 17 kappaletta
Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination (2022) — Interviewee — 14 kappaletta
Polder: A Festschrift for John Clute and Judith Clute (2006) — Avustaja — 13 kappaletta
Infinity Plus One (2001) — Avustaja — 11 kappaletta
Orbit 21 (1980) — Avustaja — 10 kappaletta
Promised Land (2007) — Johdanto — 10 kappaletta
Voyager 5 - Collector's Edition (2000) — Avustaja — 10 kappaletta
Transfusion — Kääntäjä, eräät painokset9 kappaletta
Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 46 • March 2014 (2014)eräät painokset9 kappaletta
Univers 1986 (1986) — Avustaja — 9 kappaletta
Ikarus 2002 (2002) — Avustaja — 8 kappaletta
I mondi del possibile (1993) — Avustaja — 7 kappaletta
Ikarus 2001. Best of Science Fiction. (2001) — Avustaja — 7 kappaletta
Arc 1.4: Forever alone drone (2012) — Avustaja — 7 kappaletta
Science Fiction — Avustaja — 6 kappaletta
Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 103 • December 2018 (2018) — Avustaja — 4 kappaletta
The WisCon Chronicles Vol. 10: Social Justice (Redux) (2016) — Avustaja — 4 kappaletta
Locus Nr.492 2002.01 — Avustaja — 1 kappale
80年代SF傑作選〈上〉 (ハヤカワ文庫SF) (1992) — Avustaja — 1 kappale
Das Blei der Zeit (1993) — Avustaja — 1 kappale
Mondaugen — Avustaja — 1 kappale
Science Fiction Eye #08, Winter 1991 — Avustaja — 1 kappale

Merkitty avainsanalla

Yleistieto

Jäseniä

Keskustelut

Kim Stanley Robinson article in The New Yorker, Science Fiction Fans (huhtikuu 2022)
Red Mars, Science Fiction Fans (elokuu 2013)

Kirja-arvosteluja

It had been almost a decade since I read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy when I finally picked up the following book The Martians. It contains a quote from Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles: "The Martians were here ... Timothy and Robert and Michael and Mom and Dad" (46). And in fact, The Martians feels more like Bradbury's Chronicles than the prior novels ever did, because it is mostly short fiction, including some vignettes and very short pieces. It is even more heterogeneous though, with some essays, fictional abstracts of scientific papers, the Martian governmental Constitution, and a selection of poetry.

Some of the pieces in the book follow the affairs of the First Hundred settlers and other key characters from the trilogy, providing new perspectives and plotlines. Maya, Michel, and Coyote feature in several of these, Michel being the focus of the long novella that leads off the collection. There are also a suite of stories concerning the Martian romance between Eileen Monday and Roger Clayborne. A few tales are concerned with the Little Men and the Big Man of Mars who had been introduced in Green Mars.

But none of these threads is segregated from the others. They are all woven together, with no obvious organizing principle to govern the thirty pieces in the volume. There is a recurring theme of sport, including mountain climbing, baseball, and surfing. As the book progresses, some of the shorter pieces and especially the poetry collapse into Robinson's own voice and his situation as a writer in Davis, California at the turn of the millennium.

The Martians is not rigorously chronological, although it starts with the Antarctic experiment before the first colonizing mission of Red Mars, and later pieces do move into future history beyond what is covered in Green Mars. There are a few points of violated continuity, suggesting that Robinson was exploring alternative possibilities in his future history. Some of the items may have been recovered piecemeal from drafts of the novels, and two were actually published separately in magazines during the 1980s before the trilogy.

I enjoyed the book a great deal, although I am sure I would have gotten more out of it if I had read it more closely on the heels of the larger Robinson Mars work. Although it could stand on its own structurally (or anti-structurally), I would not recommend it as an introduction to the larger series, because quite a few of the stories derive their power from the characters and plots already built in the novels.
… (lisätietoja)
5 ääni
Merkitty asiattomaksi
paradoxosalpha | 18 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Mar 16, 2024 |
I've only read two of KSR's other books. I've enjoyed them but I'm also not a superfan. And I've never hiked the High Sierra. So why did I decide to pick up this book? Because it is about wandering and about place.

Since childhood, I've been part of a tradition we call "extreme picnicing." Like backpacking, this tradition involves backpacks, wilderness areas, and hiking. Unlike backpacking, it omits trails, and peaks bagged or miles covered. Instead, it is full of orienteering, bushwhacking, traveling in streams, along ridges, and hearty meals cooked over a natural fire.

"The High Sierra" has much of this vibe to it. Although KSR started out as someone who traveled on trail, he quickly learned that off trail has a lot more to offer. One phenomenological experience I'm surprised that KSR has omitted regarding on-trail versus off-trail activity: when I'm on trail, it isn't that different than a commute in a vehicle. There's a single dimension of travel—out or back. There is a constant background binary optionality—to continue onwards, or to stop. Being off trail, the headspace is entirely different (especially if you're in new terrain). You're constantly doing your best to decipher and interpret the landscape. Is there going to be a cliff over there behind that boulder? How deep is that stream? Will that saddle bring you to the next valley or strand you on a plateau? There is a kind of hyper-focused attention or flow state that can come out of such an experience, entirely counter to the slog of on-trail, which can often result in zoning out and just putting in the miles (especially if you're already tired from hiking).

Before I was aware that KSR was writing this book, I somehow learned (maybe in an interview?) that he spends roughly a month each year out backpacking. I found this metric and lifestyle somewhat astounding. I'm lucky to get a week a year in the backcountry (although I spend smaller windows of time out in nature on a weekly basis), and I have a much more flexible schedule than most people I know. KSR has a family, a renown career as a sci-fi author, and has been a professor. How has he managed to spend so much time "away?" If you, the reader, takes nothing else away from this book, I hope that you get the sense that more time in wilderness is possible.

I'd like to articulate a thesis of the dogma of ultralite. Ultralite is the philosophy that you should minimize the weight of your gear. Serious practitioners measure total weight in grams, and shave each gram possible. I'll articulate this thesis through a number of lenses: the fallacy of ephemeralization in juxtaposition to craft and local materials, aesthetics and somatics, slack (as in, room for something to go wrong), libertarianism versus communalism, risk, on meaning and purpose in life and death, and longevity (the Silicon Valley immortality cult).

As an extreme picnicer I revel in the curiosity of exploring a wild landscape, and creating a cozy camp when it is time. A trip might be centered around a night in a snow storm, or a dip in a frigid stream, as opposed to a specific peak or a specific route. Weight isn't inconsequential, but is also not a primary focus to be minimized.

Before I get into this thesis, I'll say—you can't really blame KSR for getting swept up in the ultralite craze—he is a self-described "jock," athlete, sci-fi writer, and is well within the gravity of Silicon Valley, and his hiking mentor would craft his own ultralite gear. Is there anyone less likely to get sucked down the rabbit hole? No. Now onto the thesis.

The "ultralite" ethos falls into a long tradition of the fallacy of ephemeralization. You might say Icarus was one of the first victims of this cult—someone obsessed with going higher than anyone ever before, with new ultralite tech—sounds awfully like many backpackers in the High Sierra.... Anyways, ephemeralization was popularized by Buckminster Fuller (an oracle of Silicon Valley)—known for the geodesic dome. The converse thinker was Bill Coperthwaite—known for the modern wooden yurt. Both believed that we could move to a more humane world that was less resource-intensive. Fuller thought this would be brought about by an embrace of aircraft manufacturing technology (expanded to architecture). Coperthwaite thought this would be brought about by an embrace of good schematics, the prowess to learn some carpentry, and local building materials.

Now let's take this analogy on the trail. Let's look at those aluminum or carbon fiber hiking poles Fuller would love, in contrast with Caperthwaite's hand-hewn walking staff. Although the hiking poles are lighter than the staff, the former is the product of a long supply chain with massive hidden costs (mining the miners, processing the minerals, disposing of byproducts, distribution, marketing, etc.). The latter is the result of a little foraging (finding a sapling) and a little craft. The staff might not be as light as the poles, but it can last a lifetime, and tell the story not only of a place (through the wood it is crafted from), but also the story of the artisan who crafted it.

We might call the former an "iceberg," in that the vast majority of the costs and impact of the poles are not immediately apparent when you hold them in your hand. We might call the latter a "hot air balloon," in that you can immediately see the entirety of the impact of a walking staff, and the mass of it is really quite light.

Let's take a look at a Patagonia shell, versus a waxed cotton jacket from Filson. The Patagonia shell is a gaudy color, at odds with any natural landscape. It is crafted from petrochemicals, and smells, well, like petrochemicals. When the wind blows, or if you move, the piece from Patagonia makes a relentless rustling noise. The Patagonia shell is rife with PFOAs, which are spread throughout the brittle alpine environment every time you go out (which are harmful to both you and the landscape in the parts per trillion). After a few seasons, the Patagonia piece looks tattered, has lost its waterproofness, and needs to be replaced. In contrast, the Filson jacket is a natural hue, and fades into the background in a variety of landscapes. It is crafted of natural materials and smells like a horse barn. When you move, the jacket is quiet. After a few seasons, the jacket weathers into a gorgeous patina, ultimately maturing into a heirloom to be passed on to future generations (I've been the lucky inheritor of a few such cherished articles of clothing from Pendleton and Eddie Bauer).

Now, of course, this is an idealized oversimplification—for example, some of KSR's favorite gear was crafted by his friend Terry (although Terry did not manufacture the synthetic fabrics he utilized), so there is a lineage of craft here.

To dig in a little deeper here, we might look at David Fleming's concept of "slack." A system with "slack" is able to deal with the unexpected; there is room for error. I'll go into a few examples here.

I once was staying at a friend's place in the Rockies in winter. A truck came with the place, and one of the first things my friend showed me was that there chains behind the seat that could be used to pull someone out, if needed. Sure enough, a few days later I was driving home and saw a neighbor, stuck in a snow bank. I hooked up the chains, and less than ten minutes later, they were on their way again.

I'm a mountain biker, and I regularly ride with some old-timers. One of these guys not only carries tools and supplies with him, but knows how to use them. For the sake of argument, let's say that a bike breaks one out of ten rides. It would also be reasonable to estimate that my friend is able to fix nine out of ten problems. Now, in the situation where you're unprepared, this means out of every hundred rides, ten are a bust. But when my friend comes along, the failed rides drop down to one out of a hundred. Although there are other factors involved, the principle here is quite palpable, and I've learned to become a more prepared and adept bike mechanic in the process, which means I much more rarely need to walk home.

Now let's bring this back to the trail. If your pack weighs only eighteen pounds, you're living on a razor-thin margin. Get stuck out an extra day? No food. Run into someone on the trail that needs help? Not much you can do for them. Unexpected weather? Again, out of luck.

Like any principle, there are optima here; you can overdo it with slack. That said, when I'm out with my friend, if we encounter an unusual or unpredicted situation, chances are we'll have the gear and the skillset to rise to the occasion. If we followed the dictum of ultralite, this wouldn't be the case.

I could spend more time waxing on here about the ways that ultralite, libertarianism, and Silicon Valley, all have a lot in common. At one point, KSR mention he once ran into a group of hikers that shared pack space and slept in the same tent, and was baffled, although encountering an alien species. I most often hike with a friend, and I can't think of a time when we didn't split gear, share food, and sleep in the same tent; to us, it is just common sense. The wilderness can sometimes be a challenging environment; why wouldn't you have a spirit of communalism, at least with your comrades?

There is no need to be dogmatic about ultralite. I have an ultralite dog leash. When I take my dog on runs, I use the leash to get my dog from the car to the trailhead, or when we encounter another person or dog. Other than that, it can fit in my pocket, when a traditional leash would be overly burdensome. My fatbike is similarly, very lightweight, and I enjoy it (although my full-suspension bike is not, and I ride that bike most of the year). I may even go through my extreme picnicing gear inventory, and see if there's anything I can swap out or leave home next time I go. But I don't think an eighteen-pound pack is in my future.

So if not ultralite, then what?

I spent a week hiking in the Gros Ventre at the end of last summer. We were out for five days, but only encountered two other humans—one hiking, and one on horseback. The latter was traveling with three hourses—one to ride and two for the gears. In much of the Western United States, there is a tradition employed both by Native Americans and settlers of traveling on horseback. Actually much of the early writing about the High Sierra comes from trips spent with pack animals.

With a pack animal, there is no need for ultralite. You can bring along some cookware, a canvas tent, and whatever else you might need to turn your ramble into something cozy and enjoyable. I haven't yet gone on such trips myself, but intend to explore this modality in coming years.

I'll come back again to the risks of ultralite. There is more than a little irony in KSR's judgmental rebuke of "reckless climbers." In KSR's packing list, he notably omits such essentials as a first aid kit, wool clothing for days of cold rain, the way in which he travels without a bear canister, more than a few hours of water, or a water filter (although it sounds like some of this is down to differences pertaining to the High Sierra). As a teenager, I suffered hypothermia, followed by pneumonia and lung scarring, and I can't recommend "packing light" in a wilderness context. If you go out enough, inevitably you'll have an accident, and whether or not you're able to last a night in the cold rain or the dry heat might mean the difference between whether or not you make it out alive.

KSR does partially redeem himself in this regard; later in the book he comes to the realization that climbing is a "way of life," that KSR thinks of as a "congenital disease" of sorts, as opposed to a choice. I wouldn't be so harsh. It is good to remember that there is no "best way" to live a life.

To make a point, I'll take a more controversial example. As a teenager, I didn't understand why anyone would smoke cigarettes—they're bad for you! In my early twenties, I realized that for some people, they have a sacred relationship with tobacco, and it is a highlight of their life. If they die a painful and "early" death, who is to judge it wasn't worth it? Now I don't mean to defend the tobacco industry, and the banalization and appropriation of what is, to Native Americans, a cosmic being. But the point remains—sometimes an earlier death doesn't mean someone didn't live their life to the fullest.

Here again we can see the Silicon Valley attitude seeping in—in this instance, from the "longevity" camp. Longevity researchers and practitioners believe that death is a disease that can and should be cured. A longer life is a better life. KSR chastises climbers for dying young. But many of these climbers themselves will tell you: they'd rather die young doing what they love, than die old in a nursing home. For that matter, the societal cost of "old" deaths, life lived too long, millions of dollars of medical expenses, and countless years spent in senility—wouldn't it be better if more people died doing what they love? I won't push too hard here, as KSR does note that some of his friends have had "good" deaths, not staying beyond their time.

To conclude my fulmination—the ultralite philosophy elevates high tech while denigrating craft and the environment, ultralite offends the senses and the landscape, ultralite maximizes risk and minimizes the possibility of being prepared for the unexpected, socially, ultralite elevates the individual and denigrates camaraderie, and lastly, ultralite is tarnished by its association with longevity advocates.

It is interesting to note that, after writing an entire book about the High Sierra, KSR mentions that his very favorite place on earth is Mount Desert Island. Apparently I have a new spot to check out.

I wish the book was a little more deeply animist. KSR does have some beautiful sections on the wildlife he encounters, as well as the "actor network" led by the High Sierra themselves. That said, he could have gone much deeper here.

I commend KSR's choice to begin by centering the Native history of the High Sierra. Like almost everywhere on earth, the High Sierra have a rich past of inhabitation going back at least ten thousand years. We would do well to remember the indigenous histories of the wildernesses we spend time in.

KSR has coined the term "psychogeology," to refer to the ways in which a specific landscape can affect our state of mind. I wish he spent more time exploring this topic, as it is one I've spent a lot of time musing over (before I was exposed to KSR's coinage). David Abram would say that mind is an attribute of place, as opposed to something internal, personal, or mental. It seems that KSR hasn't gone so far with the theory, but still, he has added to the literature with this concept.

If you're looking for a Sierra guide book, there are some better options (which KSR lists within). But if you're looking for a scrapbook documenting a lifetime of inquiry and adventure in a mountain wilderness, you'll love this text!
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
willszal | 9 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Mar 12, 2024 |
I don't always love Kim Stanley Robinson (I thought the Mars trilogy could have been one book, with far less useless words) but Lucky Strike and the other story were just the right mix of good story telling and a wise use of words. There is a lot of depth in a small amount of pages. I really want to give it four and a half stars, but that's not an option
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
bookonion | 12 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Mar 10, 2024 |
Kim Stanley Robbinson is one of the most loved contemporary sci-fi writers. I may not always like what he writes, but I respect him. He has unique ideas and researches thoroughly (infodumps galore). Where he usually fails is the plot and sections that drag on. This book is no exception to that. There are some amazing chapters (the opening description of the events in India). But, there were chapters I skimmed over and couldn't wait to get done with.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. This is an unusual mix of a regular narrative, chapters narrated by photons or carbon atoms, news bits and short pieces written by people living in a strange, new world of the near future.

There are only two main characters. Mary is the head of the Ministry for the Future - an international institution established to alleviate the consequences of climate change and make sure there is something left for future generations. And there is Frank, an NGO worker who survived a deadly heatwave in India that will change his life forever.

Most of the story is set in Zurich, but we learn about the world through supplemental chapters by different people/entities. There is not much story per se, even though some characters' fates end up intertwined. A lot of it didn't make much sense. I guess the story was a rather weak vehicle to present some novel ideas. Unfortunately, that is not enough for me and this book was not nearly as emotionally engaging as [b:Aurora|23197269|Aurora|Kim Stanley Robinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436300570l/23197269._SX50_.jpg|42742263] (his previous book which I loved).

The most interesting thing about The Ministry for the Future was reading on to see what will happen with the global situation as the years moved on. Read as a futurology report with a soul, this book is soul-crushing in some parts but strangely optimistic in others.

It was great to read about a future where "the 3rd world" leads the change to save the biosphere. I rooted for India going the way they did in the story. Unlike the majority of the cli-fi books I've read, there is a lot of hope here.

I gave an extra star to this book due to the importance of the central theme, but normally this would be a 3 star read at best.
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
ZeljanaMaricFerli | 66 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Mar 4, 2024 |

Listat

Asia (1)

Palkinnot

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Gene Wolfe Contributor, Commentary
Ursula K. Le Guin Contributor
Jack Vance Contributor
James P. Blaylock Contributor
Gardner Dozois Contributor
David G. Hartwell Contributor
Damon Knight Commentary
Robert Silverberg Contributor
Terry Bisson Contributor
John Clute Commentary
Howard Waldrop Contributor
Robinson Jeffers Contributor
Paul Park Contributor
Pat Murphy Contributor
Carol Emshwiller Contributor
Frederick Turner Contributor
Garry Kilworth Contributor
Rachel Pollack Contributor
R. A. Lafferty Contributor
Gary Snyder Contributor
Ernest Callenbach Contributor
Ursula Leguin Contributor
Greg Bear Contributor
Nalo Hopkinson Commentary
Ken MacLeod Commentary
Gwyneth Jones Commentary
Andy Duncan Commentary
Eleanor Arnason Contributor
Paul McAuley Commentary
Linda Nagata Contributor
Gib Prettyman Contributor
Imre Szeman Contributor
Michael Page Contributor
Andrew Milner Contributor
Eric C. Otto Contributor
Melody Jue Contributor
Timothy Morton Contributor
Christina Alt Contributor
Elzette Steenkamp Contributor
Brent Bellamy Contributor
Christopher Palmer Contributor
Rob Latham Contributor
Sabine Höhler Contributor
George Barr Cover artist
Peter Elson Cover artist
Don Dixon Cover artist
Jakob Schmidt Translator
Elisabeth Bösl Translator
Winfried Petri Translator
Kirk Benshoff Cover designer
Maria Carella Designer
Jamie S. Warren Youll Cover designer
Tony Roberts Cover artist
Alan Ayers Cover artist
Ali Ahn Narrator
Dominic Forbes Cover artist
Suzanne Toren Narrator
Stephan Martiniere Cover artist
Andrea Baruffi Cover artist
Jean-Pierre Pugi Translator
Bob Warner Cover artist
David Camus Traduction
Dominique Haas Traduction
Dominic Harman Cover artist
Michal Karcz Cover artist
Joe Bergeron Cover artist
Mark Salwowski Cover artist
Fred Gambino Cover artist
Sean Curtin Photographer
Lauren Panepinto Cover designer
Lee Gibbons Cover artist
Arnie Fenner Cover artist
Vincent DiFate Illustrator

Tilastot

Teokset
144
Also by
119
Jäseniä
43,149
Suosituimmuussija
#394
Arvio (tähdet)
3.8
Kirja-arvosteluja
1,208
ISBN:t
570
Kielet
19
Kuinka monen suosikki
158

Taulukot ja kaaviot