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mjsharif's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is an absolutely fantastic book. A must-read for anyone experiencing eco-anxiety or climate dread, or has ever thought meaningfully about the climate crisis. Chillingly realistic and often times it felt like journalism (by intention, I'm sure). But also, resolutely hopeful in the way that the best people of humanity are. It has galvanized me to get back to any semblance of activism I can while existing in this exploitative economy that's not built for me. Join CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY today and help advocate for carbon pricing: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, War, Cancer, and Death
ani_raven's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Kidnapping
Minor: Murder
kathleendayle's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I debated how to rate this book. It opens with a truly horrifying scene — and this part was gripping, but large portions of the book are also dense, dry, droning, almost too realistic in the political and economic sense, outlining the cascading sociopolitical effects of climate disaster. But for that, it does give a very good picture of what we’re up against with the climate crisis, and how much collaboration is needed across the globe to preserve our planet for the next generations. I found it pretty depressing, an all-too-realistic dystopian nightmare for the first three quarters of the book. And then, a redeeming turn. The last quarter of the book is actually really hopeful. In the end, we win. It makes the suffering bearable. Highly recommend if you’re curious about how climate change might impact us all if we don’t get out sh** together and act to stop it now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness and Violence
Minor: Cancer
brewdy_reader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 • 𝘌𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 • 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 • 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦
𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘖𝘣𝘢𝘮𝘢'𝘴 𝘍𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 [2020]
Here's the good stuff. This book:
- is obviously extremely well researched, hard sci-fi, referencing actual science
- started off with a bang of an opening: a gripping vignette that had me riveted to my seat
- deals with a rather grim topic without wallowing in the depths of despair
- combs the solution space for an answer that is not the mass extinction of the human race
- poses a compelling near-future prediction scenario that confronts morality and whether the ends justify the means
- shines light on an important topic: the very future of humanity when our planet becomes unlivable
Real talk.Clocking in at 577 pages, this was way too long and the writing style did not work for me. I almost quit many times. Some chapters were written as literal board meeting minutes and others were more text-book lecture style: hard sciences ranging from carbon sequestration to glacier science to biosphere to global economics and fiscal policy to international treaty law to psychology to colonialism and nationalism. There were a few recurring characters but by the end I did not care what happened to them.
I would have enjoyed this a lot better if it had been edited down to make key points rather than going for comprehensivity on every topic, in an encyclopedia-like format.
Give this a try if you love climate science non-fiction or speculative fiction leveraging hard science where you cannot tell where facts end and fiction begins. Environmentalists and sustainability aficionados will also find this book fascinating.
𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘖𝘣𝘢𝘮𝘢'𝘴 𝘍𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 [2020]
Here's the good stuff. This book:
- is obviously extremely well researched, hard sci-fi, referencing actual science
- started off with a bang of an opening: a gripping vignette that had me riveted to my seat
- deals with a rather grim topic without wallowing in the depths of despair
- combs the solution space for an answer that is not the mass extinction of the human race
- poses a compelling near-future prediction scenario that confronts morality and whether the ends justify the means
- shines light on an important topic: the very future of humanity when our planet becomes unlivable
Real talk.Clocking in at 577 pages, this was way too long and the writing style did not work for me. I almost quit many times. Some chapters were written as literal board meeting minutes and others were more text-book lecture style: hard sciences ranging from carbon sequestration to glacier science to biosphere to global economics and fiscal policy to international treaty law to psychology to colonialism and nationalism. There were a few recurring characters but by the end I did not care what happened to them.
I would have enjoyed this a lot better if it had been edited down to make key points rather than going for comprehensivity on every topic, in an encyclopedia-like format.
Give this a try if you love climate science non-fiction or speculative fiction leveraging hard science where you cannot tell where facts end and fiction begins. Environmentalists and sustainability aficionados will also find this book fascinating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Classism, Deportation, Cancer, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
redbee9's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, War, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol, Confinement, and Panic attacks/disorders
whatthekatdraggedin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cancer
droggelbecher42's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I usually have a hard time with long books, switching perspectives & economic terminology. This book had all of it and I still loved it, it had me weirdly hooked even though a majority of chapters didn't follow any already known set of characters.
It's weird how such a long and dense book describing lots of horrifying things happening left me a sense of hope. I cried at the end, sad to leave it behind.
It's weird how such a long and dense book describing lots of horrifying things happening left me a sense of hope. I cried at the end, sad to leave it behind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Deportation, Animal death, Xenophobia, Racism, Mental illness, Cancer, Grief, Confinement, and Colonisation
Minor: Sexism
Since this book is mainly about climate change, nature catastrophes play a big role, there is one detailed description of abeereads27's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Ok. I get that this book is important and I appreciate how Kim Stanley Robinson presents real potential solutions to climate change. I just did not like the characters and the writing style really wasn't for me. I felt obligated to like this book so I really tried but it was just overall meh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Suicide, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Domestic abuse
Focuses heavily on climate changejulesmcf's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
A book anyone should read, especially the ones that are climate-anxious. Kim Stanley Robinson envisions in the Ministry for the Future a more just future where (after considerable struggle) humanity has managed to mitigate greenhousegas emissions. Using the Paris Agreement as a base this book shows we can still make it, we can avoid djungle- or desert planet but only by taking drastic action, it also shows what's at stake.
The book follows several characters in Switzerland, India, Antartica and the US and their experience with climate change, thereby painting a very multifaceted image of what would mean a global warming from above 1,5°C for the different individuals as well as society.
The book follows several characters in Switzerland, India, Antartica and the US and their experience with climate change, thereby painting a very multifaceted image of what would mean a global warming from above 1,5°C for the different individuals as well as society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Violence and Cancer
Minor: Kidnapping
The content warning should further include: mass death, drought, heatwave, flood, refugee crisisbennificial's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I enjoyed the book! At first, I found it to be a bit doomist but overall its interesting and outlines one path forward through the climate crisis. Did not quite care the romance subplot at the end at all but other than that, things were wrapped up well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Cancer
It fairly distressing when talking about the climate crisis. Mass death is described.