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christyco125's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Ugh. I wish I weren‘t such a completionist some times. The story offered an interesting story concept with China and the US colonizing the moon. But, I lost interest about halfway into the first return to Earth. I understand there needed to be some political intrigue to push the plot along but it became overwhelming halfway through the book.
megsib's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? It's complicated
4.25
frogggirl2's review against another edition
3.0
I read New York 2140 due to the cool idea of a flooded New York and thought the writing was great. I found this book disappointing since they basically just go back and forth repeatedly fleeing all over China and from China to the moon which gets old after a while. This is a book about class, China, revolution and government but not so much about the moon, which is what I expected.
harmless_old_lady's review against another edition
4.0
Thrills and chills! And politics! In China. And the moon. Feng shui and May 35th. I feel both smarter and more hopeful having read this.
tasadion's review against another edition
2.0
Complicated book to review, had a few stages I went through with this one:
Early on, indeed for the first half of the book I was pretty bored, trying to be interested in the lunar parts of the story, but only marginally interested, the parts on the earth seemed ok, but parts did not seem futuristic at all, current events has caught up to this novel a little.
Later the story become a little more interesting, and some characters came some into play, but the plot was still struggling to really emerge.
Then in the final 50 pages everything really started to happen and the book began to go faster and faster, and... there was no real resolution at all. Pffah.
The story reminded me of William Gibson at his more unengaging, where the plot seemed aimless, and without Gibson's obsessive descriptive and sparse prose.
So some interesting observations here and there, particularly around Chinese culture and politics, but took too long to get moving and didn't even try to come to a conclusion.
Early on, indeed for the first half of the book I was pretty bored, trying to be interested in the lunar parts of the story, but only marginally interested, the parts on the earth seemed ok, but parts did not seem futuristic at all, current events has caught up to this novel a little.
Later the story become a little more interesting, and some characters came some into play, but the plot was still struggling to really emerge.
Then in the final 50 pages everything really started to happen and the book began to go faster and faster, and... there was no real resolution at all. Pffah.
The story reminded me of William Gibson at his more unengaging, where the plot seemed aimless, and without Gibson's obsessive descriptive and sparse prose.
So some interesting observations here and there, particularly around Chinese culture and politics, but took too long to get moving and didn't even try to come to a conclusion.
colossal's review against another edition
2.0
A geopolitical allegorical story using the trappings of mid-21st century colonization of the Moon.
Fred Fredericks, a quantum mechanic, as he arrives at the Chinese moonbase at the Moon's south pole where he gets caught up in an assassination, nearly dying himself. He gets linked up with a pregnant young Chinese woman, Chan Qi, who has her own problems with the authorities. The story follows the two of them as they bounce between the Moon and various places there, China on Earth and back to the Moon, all with the backdrop of the author's wish fulfillment fantasy of eco-techno-Marxist revolution in both China and the USA at the same time.
Fred Fredericks is mildly autistic and insular with very little understanding of China or the Chinese people, even though his business is with China and he can't seem to disengage from China in general. (Pssst. He's a metaphor for the United States.)
Chan Qi is a party princess who's the figurehead leader of a ground-swell new people's revolution. (You'll never guess who she's a metaphor for. Hint: take out the 'Q' in her name and there's an anagram going on.)
The two of them find themselves in similar difficult circumstances and form a co-dependent relationship. (PSSST. IT'S A METAPHOR.)
The two muddle along, threatened at all stages by activity in the world that they had a hand in but have no control over, largely mediated by the general population and emerging new technologies. (DO YOU GET IT YET?! DO YOU??!??! METAPHOR!!)
And all of that gets mixed in with a healthy dose of infodumps on quantum theory, space science and engineering, geopolitics, economics, democracy vs Chinese socialism and in-party politics within China, handily given by an unnamed analyst working on an emergent artificial intelligence.
The story is an absolute mess and even more of a political wish fulfillment fantasy than the previous [b:New York 2140|29570143|New York 2140|Kim Stanley Robinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471618737s/29570143.jpg|49898123]. At no point do the characters transcend their origins as allegories, and the "on-screen" action is both mostly unbelievable and not the most interesting thing happening at the time. I understand the author's political beliefs and I even share many of them, but this is too heavy-handed and poorly executed for even this leftie.
Fred Fredericks, a quantum mechanic, as he arrives at the Chinese moonbase at the Moon's south pole where he gets caught up in an assassination, nearly dying himself. He gets linked up with a pregnant young Chinese woman, Chan Qi, who has her own problems with the authorities. The story follows the two of them as they bounce between the Moon and various places there, China on Earth and back to the Moon, all with the backdrop of the author's wish fulfillment fantasy of eco-techno-Marxist revolution in both China and the USA at the same time.
Fred Fredericks is mildly autistic and insular with very little understanding of China or the Chinese people, even though his business is with China and he can't seem to disengage from China in general. (Pssst. He's a metaphor for the United States.)
Chan Qi is a party princess who's the figurehead leader of a ground-swell new people's revolution. (You'll never guess who she's a metaphor for. Hint: take out the 'Q' in her name and there's an anagram going on.)
The two of them find themselves in similar difficult circumstances and form a co-dependent relationship. (PSSST. IT'S A METAPHOR.)
The two muddle along, threatened at all stages by activity in the world that they had a hand in but have no control over, largely mediated by the general population and emerging new technologies. (DO YOU GET IT YET?! DO YOU??!??! METAPHOR!!)
And all of that gets mixed in with a healthy dose of infodumps on quantum theory, space science and engineering, geopolitics, economics, democracy vs Chinese socialism and in-party politics within China, handily given by an unnamed analyst working on an emergent artificial intelligence.
The story is an absolute mess and even more of a political wish fulfillment fantasy than the previous [b:New York 2140|29570143|New York 2140|Kim Stanley Robinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471618737s/29570143.jpg|49898123]. At no point do the characters transcend their origins as allegories, and the "on-screen" action is both mostly unbelievable and not the most interesting thing happening at the time. I understand the author's political beliefs and I even share many of them, but this is too heavy-handed and poorly executed for even this leftie.
tome15's review against another edition
5.0
Robinson, Kim Stanley. Red Moon. Orbit, 2018.
No one since Arthur C. Clarke creates such plausible and inventive near-future worlds as Kim Stanley Robinson. In Red Moon, we are in roughly the same time frame as in his New York 2140. The United States is embroiled in an ecological and economic crisis, but it still has a small research facility on the north pole of the Moon. China has become the world’s leading power in space, with a large colony on the lunar south pole. But China is on the brink of revolution. Caught up in all this turmoil are a Chinese philosopher looking into feng shui on the Moon, an American techy being framed for the murder of a Chinese dissident, and a pregnant leader of the dissidents who is being targeted by assassins. The book combines the kind of action and intrigue we used to find in Tom Clancy novels with the speculative detail that is uniquely Robinson’s own. Highly recommended.
No one since Arthur C. Clarke creates such plausible and inventive near-future worlds as Kim Stanley Robinson. In Red Moon, we are in roughly the same time frame as in his New York 2140. The United States is embroiled in an ecological and economic crisis, but it still has a small research facility on the north pole of the Moon. China has become the world’s leading power in space, with a large colony on the lunar south pole. But China is on the brink of revolution. Caught up in all this turmoil are a Chinese philosopher looking into feng shui on the Moon, an American techy being framed for the murder of a Chinese dissident, and a pregnant leader of the dissidents who is being targeted by assassins. The book combines the kind of action and intrigue we used to find in Tom Clancy novels with the speculative detail that is uniquely Robinson’s own. Highly recommended.
esztereszterdora's review against another edition
5.0
It is a common critique for KSR that his books lack or have minimal plot or events, which is obejctively looking - a fair one. Despite the looong books, the main events are very easy to count.
Although I am a lover of action-packed and event-filled stories, I find myself enjoying his books. The more I read, the more I like them. So how come? It is easy: I am a science-nerd and if you are looking for more science than fiction, KSR is your man.
Myself wouldn't call KSR a fiction writer: he gathers some speculations and theories (and newly discovered topics), predicts the possible outcome, adds some charactes and and some plot. voilá! Here's the way to discuss some serious topics and sell them to more people. (It is a genius way to share futurology with non-academic and nerd audiences, but also earns the aformentioned criticism.)
About Red Moon
characters: restless, strong-willed and dedicated woman who tries to change (something) in the world and gets in the way of some, accompanied with a quiet, clever man who just want to have some goddamn peace - like in every KSR books (not complaining my fav pairing); this time the woman is pregnant (and the ending delivers a detailed and borderline-horrific birth scene) and the guy is most probably has Asperger's (it is not explicitly stated, but the sings are obvious. we get some flashes of problems of people in Asperger's and I was delighted of this non-pervasive representation) - but my absolute fav was Ta Su and his poetry :)
story: not too complicated and some parts got reaaaaally slow (the constant hiding and escaping), especially in the middle but the political shenanigans kept me curious. I do think KSR is improving in narrative
best parts: DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MOON!!! God, I felt like I was actually there. It was a haunting, empty but beautiful feeling. I got in the mood of moon-tourism to experience it IRL.
Also, I really liked Ta Su's philosophical thought's and the descrition of his loss when his mother died.
Although I am a lover of action-packed and event-filled stories, I find myself enjoying his books. The more I read, the more I like them. So how come? It is easy: I am a science-nerd and if you are looking for more science than fiction, KSR is your man.
Myself wouldn't call KSR a fiction writer: he gathers some speculations and theories (and newly discovered topics), predicts the possible outcome, adds some charactes and and some plot. voilá! Here's the way to discuss some serious topics and sell them to more people. (It is a genius way to share futurology with non-academic and nerd audiences, but also earns the aformentioned criticism.)
About Red Moon
characters: restless, strong-willed and dedicated woman who tries to change (something) in the world and gets in the way of some, accompanied with a quiet, clever man who just want to have some goddamn peace - like in every KSR books (not complaining my fav pairing); this time the woman is pregnant (and the ending delivers a detailed and borderline-horrific birth scene) and the guy is most probably has Asperger's (it is not explicitly stated, but the sings are obvious. we get some flashes of problems of people in Asperger's and I was delighted of this non-pervasive representation) - but my absolute fav was Ta Su and his poetry :)
story: not too complicated and some parts got reaaaaally slow (the constant hiding and escaping), especially in the middle but the political shenanigans kept me curious. I do think KSR is improving in narrative
best parts: DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MOON!!! God, I felt like I was actually there. It was a haunting, empty but beautiful feeling. I got in the mood of moon-tourism to experience it IRL.
Also, I really liked Ta Su's philosophical thought's and the descrition of his loss when his mother died.
gtbenathan's review against another edition
3.0
Exceptionally mediocre while very very smart. It was typical Robinson in many ways, but really disappointing in others.
onthesamepage's review against another edition
Nothing is really grabbing my attention. It's a murder mystery but I'm not interested in finding out who's behind it, and I don't care about any of the characters I've been introduced to within the first 22%. Other than the murder happening on the moon, a lot of it seems to take place on Earth, and has more to do with politics than scifi. I think I'm realizing that I only enjoy political intrigue in fantasy worlds, and not so much when I have to read about the same old conflicts between China and the US, just 30 years in the future.