- Hardcover: 368 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins (5 Jan 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007148860
- ISBN-13: 978-0007148868
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 848,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
Praise for The Years of Rice and Salt: 'A tapestry of striving joy, unhapiness and ambiguity ... the marvellous book may be the most hopeful thing you read for a long time' Francis Spufford, Evening Standard 'Robinson's supple, thoughtful prose is always up to the challenge, whether exciting us with ideas, thrilling us with spectacle or presenting us with moments of elegy or quiet passion' Roz Kaveny, Independent 'A huge, complex and highly enjoyable book: buy it' New Scientist Praise for the Mars Trilogy: 'The excitement of the science is thrillingly rendered ... a very impressive work of the imagination ... The Mars trilogy is one of the landmarks of sf in the 1990s. The time may well come when it is regarded as one of the landmarks of American literature' TLS More on the Mars books: 'Humane, witty, earnest and intricate books: they mark their readers indelibly with Robinson's seductive sense of place.' Independent 'Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy combines Big Science and real people. Robinson is a master of characterisation.' New Scientist 'One of the most impressive pieces of science fiction of the past ten years' The Economist 'First of a mighty trilogy, it is the ultimate in future history ... Arthur C. Clarke hails Red Mars as "a staggering book", the best of its kind ever written ... I have never read a book quite like Red Mars. It is unusually well written ...three dimensional characters ... the scale is awesome.' Shaun Usher Daily Mail 'To make Mars real and make it interesting. That's the double challenge which Kim Robinson has here so squarely and successfully faced... scientific reality leads straight into a conflict plot... a running commentary on human desire, frustration and fulfilment.' Tom Shippey Guardian 'A beautiful book -- to be lived in.' Ian Watson Daily Telegraph 'A complex combination of science fiction and fact, political and social commentary which, together with strong characterisation and a brilliantly conceived plot, blend into a book that reads like a heavily dramatised version of past events, flowing smoothly from start to finish and building up to a climactic conclusion. Probably the most outstanding aspect of Robinson's novel, however, is his stunning visualisation of the beauty of this hostile planet. By the end you can't help feeling you understand the place, that it has some meaning beyond that of just another location for a story ... I'm looking forward to reading the next two volumes almost as eagerly as I'm anticipating the reality of such an outrageous venture.' Alex Hardy Time Out On Antarctica 'A tour de force of adventure writing, memorably told ... He describes Antarctica like a great travel writer, but he does so in the aid of the story ... It is hard to put the book down. It is important, it is relevant, it gives us a huge new continent to imagine; and it is fun.' Mail on Sunday 'The most momentous science fiction novel of the year... Robinson has turned his gaze on a landscape almost as hostile and unspoiled as Mars and describes it gloriously well.' Daily Telegraph 'A fascinating richness ... with the unobtrusive lightness that allowed him to finesse so many of the difficult grandeurs of epic in the Mars books, he steals in Antarctica towards the tricky inward experiences of those archaic Brits, "conquering the world with bad boy scout equipment".' Independent
Product Description
The first of three linked novels set in the strife-torn world of big science, operating out of the corrupt political heart of the developed world In the interface between big science and big business lies the potential for the absolute destruction or salvation of our world, as new discoveries open ever more remarkable doorways into the future. And while good intentions may underlie the science that leads to these discoveries, human greed, on an individual, political or corporate basis, will always seek a way to exploit each and every new development. Combining superb narrative and beautiful writing, these will not only be highly entertaining thrillers but will also offer the reader a privileged insight into and greater understanding of the bigger picture and how the jigsaw pieces of science, politics and business operate in the modern world. The events of the books will focus on: a science-industrial spy, based in part on the amazing multiple-lives of FBI spy Ronald Hansen; a US patent office lawyer; a venture capitalist; a Washington lobbyist; a Congressional aide; a Buddhist scientist, recently arrived in the West; a Senator and several scientists at a biotech lab outside Washington: and the storylines will include births, deaths, marriages and murder, as well as all the political, scientific and espionage elements: life on the micro, as well as the macro, level.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
West Wing meets The Day After Tomorrow?,
This review is from: Forty Signs of Rain (Hardcover)
When you buy Robinson you expect beautiful description, genuine motivation and left wing ideology. Forty Signs of Rain does not disappoint - a story of big science and big politics in the face of ecological disaster; spiced up with cleverly observed moments of individual lives: dinner parties, childcare, meetings, coffee breaks. Robinson can really create those "yes, that's what it's like!" moments and then move on to surrealistic images of tigers roaming the backgardens of Washington.
Robinson continues to mature as a writer - he is more free with his brand of gentle humour, more relaxed and realistic with the romantic scenes. Above all, he disciplines his descriptions of nature and landscape - focusing on the telling detail rather than the pages and pages of description which occaisionally marred the Mars trilogy. It's not packed with action. There are no laser guns, spaceships or aliens. It is thoughtful, intellectual, witty, moving, vivid, defiantly high brow and engagingly 'new age'.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Seems like the first third of a larger volume.,
This review is from: Forty Signs of Rain (Paperback)
I have read most of Kim Stanley Robinson's books since coming upon the Orange County books and enjoyed them greatly. I'm sorry to say that this was a disappointment. The quality of writing remains excellent, but as the characters and plot develop, you realise that you are 200 odd pages into the book, with ~100 remaining, and little has happened. I presume that this is the first in a series of books and the story will develop in "50 Degrees Below" out later this year. However, this would be like publishing the masterpiece "Red Mars" in thirds rather than one volume. Has this been a Publisher's decision rather than author? A good first book in a series but standing alone is a little disappointing.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disapointing,
This review is from: Forty Signs of Rain (Paperback)
Like all of his books, the science and the policy background for 'Forty Signs of Rain' are well researched and engaging. However this book and the remainder of the trilogy are let down by a cast of major characters who are at best annoying and are at times just unappealing. A disappointment.
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