Kim Stanley Robinson

Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is an American science fiction writer, probably best known for his award-winning Mars trilogy. He has been widely acclaimed by readers and critics since the beginning of his career, and is considered by many to be one of the finest living writers of science fiction or of any genre.

Important works

Three Californias trilogy

Main article: Three Californias Trilogy

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This trilogy is also referred to as the Orange County trilogy, and is the first of Robinson's important works. The component books are titled The Wild Shore (1984), The Gold Coast (1988) and Pacific Edge (1990). It is not a trilogy in the traditional sense; rather than telling a single story, the books present three very different yet equally possible future worlds. All three are set in California in the near future.

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The Wild Shore portrays a California struggling to return to civilisation after having been crippled, along with the rest of America, by a nuclear war. The Gold Coast portrays an overindustralised California increasingly obsessed with and dependent on technology and torn apart by the struggles between arms manufacturers and terrorists, while Pacific Edge presents a California in which ecologically sane, manageable practices have become the norm and the scars of the past are slowly being healed.

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Though they initially appear unconnected, the three books actually work together to present a unified statement. The first shows humanity crippled by a lack of technology, the second humanity swamped and almost completely dehumanised by too much technology (along with the attendant environmental damage) and the third a workable, livable compromise between the two.

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The Mars trilogy

Main article: Mars trilogy

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This trilogy is Robinson's most well known work. It is an extended work of hard science fiction dealing with the first settlement of Mars by a group of scientists and engineers. Its three volumes are Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars, the titles of which mark the changes which the red planet undergoes over the course of the story. The tale begins with the first colonists leaving Earth for Mars in 2027, and covers the next 200 years of future history. By the conclusion of the story Mars is heavily populated and terraformed, with a flourishing and complex political and social dimension.

Related Topics:
Hard science fiction - Mars

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There are many threads woven together in the Mars Trilogy. Science, sociology and politics are all covered in great detail, evolving realistically over the course of the narrative. Robinson's fascination with science and technology is clear, though he balances this skillfully with a strong streak of humanity. The characters are rich and engaging, a rare feat in science fiction, hard science fiction especially. Robinson's personal interests, including ecological sustainabitiy, sexual dimorphism and scientific method come through strongly, though never taking on the form of didactic lecturing. His passion for mountain climbing also shows through clearly, though it is worked into the narrative much more elegantly than in some of his later novels.

Related Topics:
Hard science fiction - Ecological sustainabitiy - Sexual dimorphism - Scientific method

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Antarctica

Main article: Antarctica

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Antarctica (1997) follows very heavily in the footsteps of the Mars trilogy, and covers much of the same ground despite the differences in setting. It is set on the icy continent of the title, much closer to the present day, but evokes many of the same themes, dealing as it does with scientists in an isolated environment, the effect which this has on their personalities and interactions. It even evokes the same sense of beauty and wonder at a bleak, hostile environment.

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As with all of Robinson's latter work, ecological sustainability is a major theme in Antarctica. Much of the action is catalysed by the recent expiration of the Antarctic Treaty and the threat of invasion and despoiling of the near-pristine environment by corporate interests.

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The Martians

Main article: Mars trilogy

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The Martians is a collection of short stories set in the same world as the Mars Trilogy. They occur before, during and after the events of the book, some expanding on existing characters and others introducing new ones. It also includes the Constitution of Mars and poetry written 'in character' by a citizen of Mars. It is a useful companion piece to the original trilogy, though some have criticised it as an attempt by Robinson to capitalise or 'cash in' on previous success.

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The Years of Rice and Salt

Main article: The Years of Rice and Salt

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The Years of Rice and Salt is an epic work of alternate history dealing with a world in which the Black Plague wiped out Europe entirely, leaving the continent free for Asian expansion. It covers ten generations of history, focusing on the successive reincarnations of the same few characters as they pass through varying genders, social classes and (in one notable example) species.

Related Topics:
Alternate history - Black Plague

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The Years of Rice and Salt features Muslim, Chinese and Hindu culture and philosophy. Not only because of the long time scale, but because of its realistic-utopian elements, and the frequent reflections about human nature The Years of Rice and Salt resembles the Mars books, brought to Earth. This is a sweeping, epic tale, a bold attempt to contain the entire history of a world into a single volume. At times the reader may find the format frustrating, as they are permitted only a brief glimpse at each stage of the world before the narrative sweeps them on to the next. Nevertheless, the scope alone makes this novel a powerful and important achievement.

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