Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson
reviewed by D. Douglas Fratz
It is the story of the humans 30,000 years ago who created the extensive cave paintings discovered in the 1990s in
France. The narrative features several tense and harrowing sequences, starting with its 12-year-old protagonist Loon's initiation into
adulthood by spending two weeks naked in the freezing wilderness. The longest such sequence is the rescue of Loon's wife Elga, who
has been abducted by a tribe far to the north. But the real strength of the novel lies in the
quieter times as the small group of humans in Loon's tribe struggle to survive in the harsh ice age.
2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson
reviewed by D. Douglas Fratz
The story starts on Mercury with the unexpected death of the influential grandmother of Swan Er Hong, who finds
that she has been left messages for herself and others that she must deliver, including one to a colleague in
near Saturn. This leads her to meet, among others, Fitz Wartham, a Saturnian diplomat, and inspector Jean Genette,
who is investigating mysterious occurrences which he believes could be related to Swan's grandmother's
death. After unexplained incidents on Titan and Mercury, it becomes clear to them that there is some kind of conspiracy at play.
Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
reviewed by Steven H Silver
At times, it feels as if this story is two separate novels woven together. One
is straight historical fiction about Galileo Galilei's struggles with the Catholic Church
in the early seventeenth century while the other novel is a science fiction tale which places Galileo in the far future.
Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
Our story begins in 1608, with Galileo an ambitious but frustrated teacher in Padua who believes that he never
receives due recognition or, more importantly, the money he needs from the Venetian authorities. It was then, as
Galileo himself told the tale, that a Dutch visitor told him about the telescope that had been invented earlier
that year by Hans Lippershey in the Netherlands. Here the visitor is Ganymede who introduces
himself as coming from Alte Europa. Galileo misunderstands this as a clumsy reference to "Upper Europe," the
Protestant north, though we realise soon enough that Ganymede in fact hails from high Europa, the Jovian moon.
Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Science fiction writers have used historical characters before, everyone
from Jesus Christ to Richard Nixon has had their life, or part of it, used as the basis for a science fiction or
fantasy story. But using a standard science fiction plot device like time travel as a means to enhance and expand
upon what is at its core a serious biographical look at the life of one of the most important figures in the
history of science is a bit out of the ordinary. The world of literature has long been home to historical
fictions and biographical novels, time to make room for biographical science fiction.
|
Sixty Days and Counting by Kim Stanley Robinson
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
There has been one more winter of wildly careening weather since the winter of Fifty Degrees Below. Frank Vanderwal is
still working for the NSA, coordinating projects aimed at combating the causes of rapid climate change. With the election
of Phil Chase as President, Frank and his co-workers' jobs are about to gain in influence and importance. Charlie Quibler,
Frank's friend, is pulled away from working part-time at home and raising a son to being a full-time science advisor to
the President. Frank's new love, Caroline, has gone underground, pursued by the same black ops organization whose plans
to fix the election Frank and Caroline helped thwart.
Fifty Degrees Below by Kim Stanley Robinson
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
It's the near future, and chaos is in the air and water; chaos in the form of tipping points, changes in the giant system
that determines the Earth's weather that could lead to sudden, severe climate change. One of those tipping points lies in
the interaction of cold water from the polar ice cap with the warm water of the Gulf Stream. Too much of the polar water,
which is also less salty, and the Gulf Stream could be displaced to the south, removing the flow of water that currently
warms England and Northern Europe.
Forty Signs of Rain by Kim Stanley Robinson
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
This is probably one of the most important and thought provoking books of the year. It is about how all of these fabulous
discoveries and projects get snowed under by lack of funding and poor
management. Companies force scientists to keep their research a secret because if there's anything good to come out of the
discoveries, they want to be able to cash in. It means that people from different companies with different equipment can't compare
notes and perhaps bring the projects to fruition sooner. It also means that sometimes projects are completely buried or
destroyed. Greed is the key, here, and it's a tragedy.
The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
reviewed by Rich Horton
This is a long, ambitious, alternate history novel. The point of divergence is the Black Death
in 14th Century Europe: in the author's imagined timeline nearly everyone in Europe died of the plague. This
leaves the world stage free for a centuries long struggle between a mostly Buddhist or Confucian China, and an Islamic
Middle East and Africa, with Europe and Christianity no factor at all. His interest is in the nature of history,
and in the possible evolution of these religions, and their associated social and political structures, without the
pressure of Christianity and European Colonialism.
Antarctica by Kim Stanley Robinson
reviewed by Jean-Louis Trudel
This is a rousing book: reactions may vary according to your outlook, but
indifference should not be one of them. It'll take you on an endlessly
fascinating voyage to a little-known land. Comparable to the Mars of his
Mars Trilogy in many ways, although smaller in scale, closer
at hand, and not quite so sexy.
|
