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cmurbanmead's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
What if....a long form political/scientific analysis of climate change response was a ~600 page novel. My only other Robinson is Red Mars, so the comparison points jumped out at me. I was captivated less by the human characters in MftF, but with the Earth's biosphere placed at the center of the story, I still very much wanted to keep reading to find out what could happen next. It doesn't shy away from the heavy realities of our near-future apocalypse, but it also carries incredible optimism about humanity's ability to change course. I'm coming away from the book trying to believe that such unity to create a better world might be possible.
aaronr's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
crimsoncor's review against another edition
3.0
Three stars I guess? Ugh. There is a lot of good in here and I'm a huge KSR fan, but this feels like his attempt to write the Moby Dick of climate change, complete with all the non-standard novel ticks, but without much of a plot? Not a great look. A lot of the interlude chapters were, quite frankly, boring and non-additive (the one listing all 500 or so climate change endeavors. Why? The listing of every glacier on Antarctica? This is a novel not a Wikipedia index page). And the less said about the excretable junior science writing mini-chapters the better ("I am a photon!").
But as with every one of his novels, it is ripe with incredible ideas and rich with optimism (tempted with reality) about the future. The problem is that it all drowns in the other stuff he heaps on top of the very shallow plot. Way too much telling, not showing. You think about other books he's written (the Mars trilogy, though now scientifically disowned, but still an incredible description of terraforming + society building with a captivating plot) or [a:Malka Ann Older|14220734|Malka Ann Older|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1446698915p2/14220734.jpg]'s Cenental Cycle or even, if you want something in the same didactic discursive style [a:Ada Palmer|8132662|Ada Palmer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442973045p2/8132662.jpg]'s Terra Ignota series, and you realize it doesn't have to be an either/or. But here, sadly, it is not both, but neither.
But as with every one of his novels, it is ripe with incredible ideas and rich with optimism (tempted with reality) about the future. The problem is that it all drowns in the other stuff he heaps on top of the very shallow plot. Way too much telling, not showing. You think about other books he's written (the Mars trilogy, though now scientifically disowned, but still an incredible description of terraforming + society building with a captivating plot) or [a:Malka Ann Older|14220734|Malka Ann Older|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1446698915p2/14220734.jpg]'s Cenental Cycle or even, if you want something in the same didactic discursive style [a:Ada Palmer|8132662|Ada Palmer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442973045p2/8132662.jpg]'s Terra Ignota series, and you realize it doesn't have to be an either/or. But here, sadly, it is not both, but neither.
snarley79's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
gowthamasokan's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
joshholder's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic, thoughtful, urgent, hopeful picture of a way the next century could play out.
Robinson touches on a lot of important themes and brings a lot of interesting insight to the table. I particularly thought his insight into the carbon-based cryptocurrency and his commentary on the relationship between western civilians and refugees were extremely interesting.
Very thought-provoking read - would highly recommend.
Robinson touches on a lot of important themes and brings a lot of interesting insight to the table. I particularly thought his insight into the carbon-based cryptocurrency and his commentary on the relationship between western civilians and refugees were extremely interesting.
Very thought-provoking read - would highly recommend.
lastpaige111's review against another edition
5.0
Not an easy read but one of the most important books I’ve read this year. I now believe that there are ways to save humans and other species on our merry way to extinction. I also want to move to the Alps.
100yrs's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
rae_swabey's review against another edition
4.0
I've seen this book described as a 'thrutopia', as in a rendering of the ways we might find our way from our current consumerist society to a more sustainable one, and I enjoyed it on that basis. It's somewhere between fiction, essay, thought experiment and manifesto, and speaks to our current situation in a way that opens up new ways of imagining the future, which is something I'd argue we desperately need to be doing right now.
Robinson is known for his thorough research and fondness for detail and in some of his books I have found that a bit much (hello, Mars trilogy!), but I'm happy to geek out when it comes to saving the actual real-life world in a way that I might not be to the same extent for a fictional one.
This is a bit of a doorstop of a book, but the chapters are short, the characters have enough going on to sustain my interest and the digressions into environmental solutions are pitched in a way that pulls the story along rather than slowing it down.
From the harrowing opening scene I was pulled into the world of the characters, although perhaps more by the world than the characters if I'm completely honest. I needed to see what happened to it, if everything would work out in the end. And the world of the book is our world, so let's hope it does. Robinson certainly paints a convincing picture of how it might.
Robinson is known for his thorough research and fondness for detail and in some of his books I have found that a bit much (hello, Mars trilogy!), but I'm happy to geek out when it comes to saving the actual real-life world in a way that I might not be to the same extent for a fictional one.
This is a bit of a doorstop of a book, but the chapters are short, the characters have enough going on to sustain my interest and the digressions into environmental solutions are pitched in a way that pulls the story along rather than slowing it down.
From the harrowing opening scene I was pulled into the world of the characters, although perhaps more by the world than the characters if I'm completely honest. I needed to see what happened to it, if everything would work out in the end. And the world of the book is our world, so let's hope it does. Robinson certainly paints a convincing picture of how it might.
alrsto's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Incredible and creative. Future-casting.