Science Fiction

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December book club canceled. Short stories instead!

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Lemmy World Rules

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Kim Stanley Robinson (sopuli.xyz)

submitted 8 months ago by sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz to c/sciencefiction@lemmy.world

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I read Kim's Mars trilogy years ago and liked it. I decided to pick up The Ministry of the Future a couple days ago. It's very different, and without any spoilers, I have to say it's made me hate humanity even more than I already did. If you haven't read it, it's a near-future climate disaster book. Well written, interesting structure, and just pissing me off. I'm about halfway through it, so maybe it'll swing the other way in the second half.

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[–] ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Aurora was the first and last Kim Stanley Robinson book I read. I don't think it'll be a popular opinion to say this, but it was the worst sci-fi book I've ever read.

It took so long to say so little, focusing on irrelevant personal details and plot that had no unique nexus with the premise or setting, while the "sci-fi" plot elements were paper thin and resolve in the dumbest, least satisfying way possible. Really really turned me off of the author.

[–] wjrii@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

I'm not sure I entirely agree, but I am sympathetic. It really is an entire book about why one sci-fi trope is a bad idea. There's an almost eye-rolling meta-text that he's done with any traditional notions of space travel and heroic explorers, and that it's time to turn our eyes and brains to earth.

Now, I think I was okay with seeing that story play out, and I do appreciate any author who can hold my attentiona during info-dumps (Hello there, Neal Stephenson) but there was certainly an element of Wagons East! in the book, but not enough John Candy and Richard Lewis.