Forty Signs of Rain

Rating:
Summary: Forty Kinds of Good
Review: Kim Stanley Robinson's Forty Signs of Rain has all the makings of a masterpiece. Characters are so well drawn that one sentence into a new chapter is all that's needed for identification. The story is well-crafted and seemingly simple, starting with a basic education in Arctic ice levels, moving through U.S. politics with scathing brilliance, following the plight of Tibetan Buddhist refugees whose emerging nation is on a submerging island in the Indian Ocean, and dissecting the lives of scientists caught between searching for a viable medical truth and making millions off patents...and this is just book one in a trilogy. I couldn't put this book down and I can't wait for the next two books!

Rating:
Summary: A Storm Just About to Break
Review: The Mars trilogy established Kim Stanley Robinson as one of the more thoughtful writers on the politics of the near future. Eschewing melodrama for rigorous detail that makes his tale all the more convincing, Robinson uses the everyday drama of science policy wonkery as the anchor against which to set the outrageous consequences of climate change. Although short on out-and-out action, it is long on sensitive characterization, making you care about what will happen in the next two instalments -- make no mistake, Forty Signs of Rain is clearly the first part of a much longer work, and does not stand alone as successfully as, say, Red Mars.

Rating:
Summary: a promising trilogy, but the first entry leaves you hanging
Review: This first book in the trilogy serves to introduce the characters (all quite tantalizing) and the plot device (how will mankind deal with climage change given his existing instituitions). The book takes on US capitalism's ability to deal with the threat of climate change, and the necessity for out-of-the-box thinking to do so. The institutional inadequecies of the NSF, startup companies, and the US congress are all described (but so are their strengths). Can science, Budddhism, or politics solve this crisis? The characters are so likeable as to suspect K.S.R. will allow them (and mankind) to muddle through. But you will have to stay tuned for the next two novels to find out.

Rating:
Summary: Polemical novels don't have to be this bad, but this one is
Review: This is a poor excuse for a novel but there's enough that appeals that I read it through to the inconclusive end (which was irritating). Stay-at-home dad and environmental lobbyist in D.C. and his cohorts expose the contradictory functioning of the National Science Foundation and the worse functioning, or lack thereof, of the U.S. political machine on Global Warming. Highly polemical but that's not its problem; writer didn't have a plot or story in mind so much as an expose. Best bits in the book are the visiting buddhists (who just might be poaching a new Pachen Lama) and the dad's relationship with his almost two-year old son.

Polemical novels don't have to be this weak. You can have a point without ... being ineffective.

Rating:
Summary: A thriller thanks to thrilling ideas and a future we share
Review: Yes, this book is a real-world Day After Tomorrow, written by a professional and popular author. And yes, this book has rich ideas and characters for every special effect the movie had. But more than that, it just has that 'special something' that we, as readers, hope for. Have you ever taken a magical trip through the world as it really is? That may sound strange, but this is a perspective-shifting work, on multiple levels... a book that will bring not only the subject of the climate crisis closer to your heart, but will reveal why humanity is (in fact) so worth saving. That is KSR's gift.

If you're even considering reading this book, you should... it's fast-paced, thoroughly interesting and enlightening... it'll be an exciting trilogy, one that you'll be happy to jump into this early. And the next book will soon be available on amazon's british site (.co.uk).

For KSR fans:

* This is old school KSR, and it's awesome. I think this book is best compared to The Gold Coast. Fun and meandering, lots of conversations and reflection. But as that book set-up a large framework that wasn't fully utilized, this one is unquestionably configured to thrill.

* This will likely be your fastest KSR read yet. The story is very focused, especially compared to TYORAS. It is less poetic than TYORAS, more driven than Mars, and none of the KSR that you love is lost.

For new KSR readers:

* This is a book about people who will use the great gifts of the mind to solve the puzzle of global warming and radical climate change. They use their gifts for other things, too--like being a good dad, having fun conversations with Tibetans, savoring their favorite places, and having crushes on mysterious strangers. This book is not just a one-trick pony... these characters are rich and well-rounded... a mirror of their author.

* If someone says this is science fiction, they haven't read the book - this is simply a novel. Some of the characters are scientists, and they have fascinating ideas, but that's as "hi-tech" as it gets.

* I think the experience for most of you will be that you digest 40 pages, reflect and think "Where are we going?", maybe even "Why am I reading this?"... but the book will stay close at hand. Another 40 pages, another feeling of mild puzzlement. But something will keep you going... and you'll approach the end, excited to find yourself in the middle of a fun trilogy, one that you start to appreciate personally, a new little secret, and a new favorite author to boot (who has written a lot of great stuff, to tide you over until the next release).