Kim Stanley Robinson - 2312 - 6

[clong]

2312

October 2013 reading group book discussion here.



Warning, spoilers below….




The best things about this book were the various concepts about how humanity might colonize non-Terra planets and moons in our solar system. These tableaux often captured the sense of wonder that is a hallmark of much good science fiction. I loved the concept of Terminator (which incidentally reminded me of a very cool concept from a Michael Moorcock novel), but how the city would actually live and breathe was never really fleshed out. I also thought the reanimation section was pretty cool, if not perhaps particularly relevant to the plot of the novel (again, this reminded me of a very cool short story by Cordwainer Smith). This section brought to mind the central ethos of Robinson's Mars Trilogy (which I liked quite a bit), in which scientists take matters into their own hands and do what they think is right regardless of what political structures and boundaries are telling them to do. I see that as an extension of the "when good scientists' research is used by governments to destroy mankind" dilemma that is central to much cold war science fiction.

I think the quantum walk interludes were supposed to represent AI / quban stream of consciousness. The lists reminded me of Stand on Zanzibar, but as the story went on I admit to struggling to see the relevance.

I found the resolution of the bad guy plot to be sketchy and unsatisfying. I have to assume that the ringleaders of the conspiracy were Venusian faction #2, and that the whole point of the plot was destruction of the sunscreen (i.e., to force changes to the terraforming plans which would bring economic benefits to the plotters), and that the angry kid was only a henchman. But, if any of this was actually explained, I missed it.

That the author's views on global warming colored his views of what earth would look like 300 years from now didn't bother me. An author like Ursula Le Guin would have made the gender and sexuality content interesting and thought provoking, but Robinson didn't really have anything to say about these issues beyond the suggestion that those who view them with rigid concepts of good and evil will be going the way of the dinosaur.

Having said all that, for me the biggest weakness of the book was the characterization. I never particularly liked either Swan or Warham, and I found their romance utterly unconvincing.


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[MidasKnight]

I agree with most of this. I think I was mostly disappointed with the incompleteness of this. I would have liked this fleshed out into two (maybe three) books.