Kim Stanley Robinson is probably my favorite living author; I don’t think anyone does setting and worldbuilding better than he does, yet his stories are largely character-driven.
Here’s my favorites of his that I’ve read:
- Aurora, where a generation ship is on it’s way to Tau Ceti
- The Years of Rice and Salt, an alt-history where most of Europe perishes in a great plague in the 14th century
- Shaman, a fictional narrative about the people who painted Chauvet Cave
I love how his stories are about being optimistic in times where that’s a hard thing to be. I like the focus on environmentalism and the sublime (Ministry for the Future is basically a solarpunk novel). He mostly writes hard sci-fi, which is my favorite genre, but also spins off into history and philosophy like in Galileo’s Dream.
I think most people know his writing from his Red/Green/Blue Mars series, which I love, but he’s done so much more than that.
So what’s your favorite of his books?
I finished the first of the Mars trilogy. I just found it for the most part very boring. I started the second but moved on to other books. I’m sure I’ll finish them but they just need to be after things I desire to read more.
The first book is a slower burn, stick it out it’s worth it.
It does have one of the coolest moments in all sci-fi though, where
Spoiler
the rebels crash a moon into the planet as a form of direct action
It’s been a while, wasn’t that the
Spoiler
space elevator that came down?
Yup!
Spoiler
The cable wrapped it’s way around the equator.
I couldn’t get enough of them, myself.
I actually love that people enjoy different things though. How boring would life be if everyone liked the same stuff?
Right!