The Ministry for the Future
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- Create Date：2021-08-17 03:19:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Kim Stanley Robinson
- ISBN：0316300144
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Summary
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR
“The best science-fiction nonfiction novel I’ve ever read。” —Jonathan Lethem
"If I could get policymakers， and citizens， everywhere to read just one book this year， it would be Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future。" —Ezra Klein （Vox）
The Ministry for the Future is a masterpiece of the imagination， using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all。 Its setting is not a desolate， postapocalyptic world， but a future that is almost upon us。 Chosen by Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of the year， this extraordinary novel from visionary science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson will change the way you think about the climate crisis。
"One hopes that this book is read widely—that Robinson’s audience， already large， grows by an order of magnitude。 Because the point of his books is to fire the imagination。"―New York Review of Books
"If there’s any book that hit me hard this year， it was Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future， a sweeping epic about climate change and humanity’s efforts to try and turn the tide before it’s too late。" ―Polygon （Best of the Year）
"Masterly。" —New Yorker
"[The Ministry for the Future] struck like a mallet hitting a gong， reverberating through the year 。。。 it’s terrifying， unrelenting， but ultimately hopeful。 Robinson is the SF writer of my lifetime， and this stands as some of his best work。 It’s my book of the year。" —Locus
"Science-fiction visionary Kim Stanley Robinson makes the case for quantitative easing our way out of planetary doom。" ―Bloomberg Green
“The best science-fiction nonfiction novel I’ve ever read。” —Jonathan Lethem
"If I could get policymakers， and citizens， everywhere to read just one book this year， it would be Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future。" —Ezra Klein （Vox）
The Ministry for the Future is a masterpiece of the imagination， using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all。 Its setting is not a desolate， postapocalyptic world， but a future that is almost upon us。 Chosen by Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of the year， this extraordinary novel from visionary science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson will change the way you think about the climate crisis。
"One hopes that this book is read widely—that Robinson’s audience， already large， grows by an order of magnitude。 Because the point of his books is to fire the imagination。"―New York Review of Books
"If there’s any book that hit me hard this year， it was Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future， a sweeping epic about climate change and humanity’s efforts to try and turn the tide before it’s too late。" ―Polygon （Best of the Year）
"Masterly。" —New Yorker
"[The Ministry for the Future] struck like a mallet hitting a gong， reverberating through the year 。。。 it’s terrifying， unrelenting， but ultimately hopeful。 Robinson is the SF writer of my lifetime， and this stands as some of his best work。 It’s my book of the year。" —Locus
"Science-fiction visionary Kim Stanley Robinson makes the case for quantitative easing our way out of planetary doom。" ―Bloomberg Green
Reviews
Ryan Denson
，
"Easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism: the old saying had grown teeth and was taking on a literal， vicious accuracy。""We laughed out loud。 For a while we couldn't stop。 Fuck Margaret Thatcher， I said when I could catch my breath。 And I say it again now: fuck Margaret Thatcher， and fuck every idiot who thinks that way 。 。 。 Because when the taps run dry， society becomes very real。"Beginning in 2025 with a heat wave that kills millions in India， Robinson's projection o "Easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism: the old saying had grown teeth and was taking on a literal， vicious accuracy。""We laughed out loud。 For a while we couldn't stop。 Fuck Margaret Thatcher， I said when I could catch my breath。 And I say it again now: fuck Margaret Thatcher， and fuck every idiot who thinks that way 。 。 。 Because when the taps run dry， society becomes very real。"Beginning in 2025 with a heat wave that kills millions in India， Robinson's projection of one possible future envisions many brutal events。 From the primary effects of climate change such as devastating heat waves， storms， and floods to more secondary elements like millions of people forced to become climate refugees， the formation of ecoterrorist groups， economic instability， and psychological effects， the book is grounded in a deep realism， serving to highlight the human costs of climate change on both individual and societal levels。 Shortly before the Indian heatwave， a new organization called The Ministry for the Future is formed under the Paris Agreement to represent the interests of future persons， and to lobby governments and international agencies in favor of actions to improve the climate catastrophe。 Thus， the novel is littered with potentially viable solutions on a variety of issues， which Robinson has evidently gone to great lengths to research。 This includes the creation of a "carbon coin" to supply a financial incentive for corporations to reduce carbon emissions， and glacial pumping in Antarctica to slow down the melting of ice shelves。 The book's style is an interesting one for the subject matter。 Rather than a single cohesive narrative， it is fundamentally kaleidoscopic in nature。 Each of the 106 chapters shifts to a different perspective， such as that of climate refugees in camps， someone caught up in a mass flood， the ecoterrorist group called the Children of Kali， or various chapters concerning philosophical and social ruminations。 This style serves to enhance the book's realism， furnishing a variety of perspectives and reactions to these problems。 Although it might be said that Mary Murphy and Frank May are the main characters of the novel， this is not true in any conventional sense。 These are simply the characters to whom the book returns to the most。 Mary， as head of The Ministry for the Future， is certainly given a large role， but Robinson relentlessly avoids casting the necessary work of ameliorating the effects of climate change as the task of a single person。 Mary's frustrations in negotiating with various organizations hints at one of the great challenges inherent in this。 Ideas alone are never enough to create such Forging the political and social will to implement such ideas is always the greater challenge。 Alongside this， Frank's struggles with PTSD from surviving the Indian heat wave and climate grief add a vital emotional and psychological element to the brutal impacts of climate change。 Surprisingly， the book does end on an optimistic tone。 Owing to the advocacy of The Ministry for the Future and other movements， carbon emissions finally turn negative on a global scale。 Coal and oil become essentially abandoned in favor of cleaner energy。 Alternative transportation methods via sea and newly designed airships become commonplace to replace the carbon of modern airplanes。 A form of global citizenship is created to aid climate refugees。 It is by no means utopic world， and Robinson is careful to note many of the ongoing issues in this world。 Yet， this hopefully tone is perhaps belied by the grim reality that it seems unlikely to prevail in the real world， where entrenched capitalistic forces， and general apathy for the future seem to， at this moment， be prevailing over any genuine hope。Robinson's book， though， if taken seriously enough by enough people， will perhaps be a useful story in piercing our fatalism and cumulative malaise with regard to climate change。 It is a masterwork of a subgenre of science fiction， sometimes called climate fiction （Cli-fi）。 Robinson's work is brilliant for laying out many of the anticipated problems of the climate catastrophe。 Even issues that one would not normally associate with climate change， such as patriarchy and the student debt crisis， find their way into this book。 Crucially， Robinson consistently attributes an underlying cause of the climate catastrophe to the influences of capitalism。 A shift away from capitalistic excesses and mass consumerism is a major part of why Robinson is able to end the novel on a positive tone。 After all， mass social and economic changes， along with a reassessment of the our relationship to the environment and each other is the only way to enact a meaningful change to avert such catastrophes。 。。。more
George Hahn
，
Interesting novel about global warming and a fight to reverse it。 It is somewhat preachy， but given the obvious importance of the issue and the research behind the novel， it's still worth four stars。 Interesting novel about global warming and a fight to reverse it。 It is somewhat preachy， but given the obvious importance of the issue and the research behind the novel， it's still worth four stars。 。。。more
Adam Crosby
，
This book was simultaneously awesome and intensely frustrating。I think Robinson needed a much more assertive editor - cut the length by half， remove all of the interstitials that really didn't add anything， and focus on the story， which was awesome。Without all that extra baggage this is 5-star， and I've recommended it to a bunch of friends。 This book was simultaneously awesome and intensely frustrating。I think Robinson needed a much more assertive editor - cut the length by half， remove all of the interstitials that really didn't add anything， and focus on the story， which was awesome。Without all that extra baggage this is 5-star， and I've recommended it to a bunch of friends。 。。。more
Ryan
，
This was my first Kim Stanley Robinson novel， and I found it to be an immersive and provocative tale， understanding now I guess what all the fuss is about。 It was speculative fiction at its best; speculating as to what the looming climate catastrophe might reasonably look like， as well speculating as to how humans might confront and attempt to solve our bungling of this wee planet we are all hurling through space on together。 The disjointed first-person narratives begin to coalesce as the novel This was my first Kim Stanley Robinson novel， and I found it to be an immersive and provocative tale， understanding now I guess what all the fuss is about。 It was speculative fiction at its best; speculating as to what the looming climate catastrophe might reasonably look like， as well speculating as to how humans might confront and attempt to solve our bungling of this wee planet we are all hurling through space on together。 The disjointed first-person narratives begin to coalesce as the novel goes along， centering on Mary， the Minister of the Ministry for the Future， and Frank， a young man who survived a heat wave in India， suffering from PTSD who has become radicalized on behalf of the environment and kidnaps， briefly， Mary， and the two form a bond。 Lots of other plots are discussed as to the micro and macro effects of biosphere collapse and the surrounding economics of a period roughly 15-30 years from now; the rise of eco-terrorist， the rise of carbon reducing methods of travel and energy and the re-wilding of vast regions of the earth in order to encourage carbon sequestration。 It's part essay， part fiction and part cautionary tale， and utter page-turner。I listened to many grim， ambient albums while reading this， but what stood out were Perlina's How Much Time it is Between You and Me？， Lageos by Actress， and more of Föllakzoid's I。 。。。more
Jose
，
El Ministerio del Futuro: Compendio perfecto del buen progre: No al mercado， ecologista， feminista y sobretodo， más listo que nadie por lo que cualquiera que le discuta alguna barbaridad， es un nazi， facha， neoliberal y sobretodo mala persona。 En resumen， no es una novela， es un panfleto bien escrito porque el tipo escribe bien。
Gail
，
The Ministry for the Future weaves a complex， multi-layered look at how humanity is coping with climate change on planet Earth after a massive heat wave kills twenty million people in India sometime in the 2030’s。 The Ministry for the Future has been created by the Paris Climate Accord of 2024 to represent the people and resources of the future。 It explores how humanity might react to the increasing pressure of climate change， given the human brain’s innate lack of rationality。 I loved the explo The Ministry for the Future weaves a complex， multi-layered look at how humanity is coping with climate change on planet Earth after a massive heat wave kills twenty million people in India sometime in the 2030’s。 The Ministry for the Future has been created by the Paris Climate Accord of 2024 to represent the people and resources of the future。 It explores how humanity might react to the increasing pressure of climate change， given the human brain’s innate lack of rationality。 I loved the exploration of ideology as an attempt to function in this sea of irrationality and the creative， unlikely solutions to our planet’s future that are woven together。 。。。more
Rebecca Mordini
，
It is tempting to give this book five stars for it's importance。 Everyone should definitely read it because it gives a narrative to the future which we are already dipping our toes into。 The book opens with a heat-dome event which kills millions， and by the time I had finished it， a triple digit heat dome was causing much suffering over Canada- a scenario that a fiction writer would not dare include， as too improbable。 So impact #1- a visceral experience of the consequences of climate change whi It is tempting to give this book five stars for it's importance。 Everyone should definitely read it because it gives a narrative to the future which we are already dipping our toes into。 The book opens with a heat-dome event which kills millions， and by the time I had finished it， a triple digit heat dome was causing much suffering over Canada- a scenario that a fiction writer would not dare include， as too improbable。 So impact #1- a visceral experience of the consequences of climate change which we may have only experienced on a smaller scale through news， not personally。 Impact #2 exposure to the many scientific， financial， cultural etc ways to deal with climate change from resilience to drawdown， through the eyes of those implementing the solutions。 There is so much to learn from this book。 I found the structure realistic， many different points of view over quite a long period of time， but unfortunately not the sort of fiction I like。 The characters seemed opaque， did they grow or just survive？ Their relationships seemed impersonal。 The narrative had less of s story arc- which is a style， but not compelling to me。 I am grateful for the solutions I had not heard about， the realism that this provides， but I can't really say I enjoyed it。 。。。more
J
，
Go read this book。 Mandatory reading for anyone who cares about our future。 The first 1/3 is a bit of a slog， and it jumps around a bit。 In general I didn't find it the easiest read， but the ideas contained are worth the battle。 Go read this book。 Mandatory reading for anyone who cares about our future。 The first 1/3 is a bit of a slog， and it jumps around a bit。 In general I didn't find it the easiest read， but the ideas contained are worth the battle。 。。。more
Aaron
，
Maybe as much as the Mars Trilogy this feels like KSR has come back from the future and told us what he saw。 With IPCC report coming out this week this read was timely and hopeful， it shows a future where we do sort it out， albeit there is some pain on the way。 This pain is mostly shown by a narrative thread relating to a dangerous heat wave but also other significant conflicts。 The narrative threads that are interspersed with accounts of technical， scientific and other events are sometimes unde Maybe as much as the Mars Trilogy this feels like KSR has come back from the future and told us what he saw。 With IPCC report coming out this week this read was timely and hopeful， it shows a future where we do sort it out， albeit there is some pain on the way。 This pain is mostly shown by a narrative thread relating to a dangerous heat wave but also other significant conflicts。 The narrative threads that are interspersed with accounts of technical， scientific and other events are sometimes underdone and sometimes unconvincing but it's the metastory that drives the book。 The approach here is like world war Z， shit is going down so let's talk about it from 1000 angles。 And it mostly works。 But that metastory is so good， so believable and so inspirational it blocks out some of those issues。 A must read， as hackneyed as that is。 。。。more
Tammy
，
The expository chapters were too long， too frequent， and too boring。 I loved the actual storyline。
Simon Plowes
，
Started off well， definitely had some good concepts throughout， but the ending just felt a little flat。
Hope
，
“To be clear， concluding in brief: there is enough for all。 So there should be no more people living in poverty。 And there should be no more billionaires。 Enough should be a human right， a floor below which no one can fall; also a ceiling above which no one can rise。 Enough is as good as a feast—or better。”― Kim Stanley Robinson， The Ministry for the FutureIt was refreshing to read a book that gave me some hope for the future。 It's going to take an effort on humanity's part。 A HUGE effort。 But i “To be clear， concluding in brief: there is enough for all。 So there should be no more people living in poverty。 And there should be no more billionaires。 Enough should be a human right， a floor below which no one can fall; also a ceiling above which no one can rise。 Enough is as good as a feast—or better。”― Kim Stanley Robinson， The Ministry for the FutureIt was refreshing to read a book that gave me some hope for the future。 It's going to take an effort on humanity's part。 A HUGE effort。 But it was good to know that not everything has to be doom and gloom and it's possible to save this planet and what's left of the beauty it has created。 。。。more
Natalie Weizenbaum
，
somehow both crushingly depressing， impossibly optimistic， and real good
Wade Catt
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Give all the factory farm cows prion disease！
Deirdre
，
Amazing book。 As soon as i finished， i started again。 So rich and complex it's hard to describe。 The author takes us slowly through an ecological apocalypse in the near future without losing hope for humanity。 Interesting characters and relationships。 Politics， science， history and science fiction wound together。 Long and totally worth it。 Amazing book。 As soon as i finished， i started again。 So rich and complex it's hard to describe。 The author takes us slowly through an ecological apocalypse in the near future without losing hope for humanity。 Interesting characters and relationships。 Politics， science， history and science fiction wound together。 Long and totally worth it。 。。。more
David
，
I have had the audiobook of Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future （Hachette Audio） bubbling under in the background for a couple of weeks or more now。 It focuses on the climate crisis with a big bang introduction where wet bulb temperatures reach 35 in India， the temperature at which humans start dropping dead。 A foreign journalist survives and their story interlinks with others who are involved in actions designed to force action， and the Ministry for the Future considers what leng I have had the audiobook of Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future （Hachette Audio） bubbling under in the background for a couple of weeks or more now。 It focuses on the climate crisis with a big bang introduction where wet bulb temperatures reach 35 in India， the temperature at which humans start dropping dead。 A foreign journalist survives and their story interlinks with others who are involved in actions designed to force action， and the Ministry for the Future considers what lengths it should go to in order to effect that change。 Should it have a black ops division designed to take out the half dozen or so most guilty billionaire abusers， or should air travel and eco unfriendly power sources be targeted？ As planes start falling out of the sky and airships thrive， is there a cell already in place that the head of the Ministry knows nothing about？ The action is interspersed with science and exploration of the operations that might make a difference， from pumping water from underneath glaciers and on top of the Arctic ice， to carbon capture and solar geo-engineering。 Not sure how accurate the science is but it’s intriguing to examine the impact in a fictional form。 I’m about halfway through and it’s a good addition to the holiday， though Test Match Special competes strongly when available。 。。。more
Tad Deshler
，
A very ambitious project chock full of innovative ideas for mitigating not just climate change， but many other intractable problems。 As a novel， however， the thin story within seem swallowed up and barely visible。
Richard
，
I’m struggling to describe Robinson’s style of fiction。I’m going to try the term “humanist technocrat”。At his best， he writes good characters， throws them into intriguing situations， and has them responding in interesting and fairly natural ways。At his worst， he uses elements of the story to do infodumps。 His infodumps are among the best， but generally speaking it’s still a very poor storytelling tactic。The Ministry for the Future is representative of his work。 Better than some， and perhaps wors I’m struggling to describe Robinson’s style of fiction。I’m going to try the term “humanist technocrat”。At his best， he writes good characters， throws them into intriguing situations， and has them responding in interesting and fairly natural ways。At his worst， he uses elements of the story to do infodumps。 His infodumps are among the best， but generally speaking it’s still a very poor storytelling tactic。The Ministry for the Future is representative of his work。 Better than some， and perhaps worse than others。 I think he did better here than most of his Science in the Capital series， although this work also benefited from not being a trilogy， so he had less scope for that kind of flaw。 I remember his Mars Trilogy more fondly， but I suspect the big difference was that it wasn’t particularly preachy。 Robinson wants his recent fiction to motivate people to be more concerned about the approaching collapse of civilization （you may think I’m being melodramatic， but I’m confident you’ll eventually discover I’m not）， but terraforming Mars isn’t a existential imperative。Robinson’s stature as a thoughtful observer of climate change and as someone who has studied mitigation has given him something of a bully pulpit。 The Economist included this book among their ‘books of the year’， and then interviewed him in their The World Ahead on the topic of deadly heat waves — which is how he opens this novel。Ezra Klein of the New York Times includes Robinson as one of “four environmental thinkers” in his discussion ominously titled What if American Democracy Fails the Climate Crisis？。 The other three interviewees are all experts on science or policy。 （Either Klein or Robinson — wisely， I believe — kept his contribution minimal。）In the New Yorker piece The Enormous Risk of Atmospheric Hacking the climate journalist Bill McKibben acknowledges the sobering possibility that our collective inaction may cause the geoengineering Robinson portrays herein to become a reality。I was somewhat relieved The New York Times didn’t include this book in its “The Short List” review of Three Books Offer New Ways to Think About Environmental Disaster。 The books listed there （ Scorched Earth: Environmental Warfare as a Crime Against Humanity and Nature by Emmanuel Kreike; How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos by David Pogue; How to Blow Up a Pipeline by Andreas Malm） don’t appear to be nearly as optimistic as Robinson ultimately is。 。。。more
Andrew Pregnall
，
The Ministry for the Future is my second foray into the work of Kim Stanley Robinson， and it was a book I found less pleasurable to read per se than it was important to read。 In Ministry， Robinson attempts to tell the story of how humanity will adapt to climate change in the coming decades。 The opening chapters are brutal — millions of people die in India due to an unprecedented heat wave — and what follows is similarly morose。 Ecoterrorism。 Melting glaciers。 Humanity-driven extinctions。 Robinso The Ministry for the Future is my second foray into the work of Kim Stanley Robinson， and it was a book I found less pleasurable to read per se than it was important to read。 In Ministry， Robinson attempts to tell the story of how humanity will adapt to climate change in the coming decades。 The opening chapters are brutal — millions of people die in India due to an unprecedented heat wave — and what follows is similarly morose。 Ecoterrorism。 Melting glaciers。 Humanity-driven extinctions。 Robinson often describes these events as having happened from the point of view of an omniscient narrator; we then witness each of them through the eyes of the often nameless people who caused them， lived them， or responded to them。 It's a clever structural device that allows you to feel both the overwhelming weight of what climate change can （will） do to us on a macroscopic scale and the disruptive， often traumatic， impact of what climate change will do to us on an individual level。 While witnessing these events， we also follow the stories of Mary — the head of the titular Ministry for the Future — and Frank — the lone survivor of that opening heatwave。 Like the omniscient narrator and first-person narrator chapters， the chapters focusing on Mary and Frank are an exercise in balance: Mary often focuses on the picture。 Her job necessitates it。 Frank often focuses on the smaller scale human element — something he challenges Mary to grapple with more。 I enjoyed following the arks of both these characters （though I cannot say that Ministry is by any means a character-driven story） and I think Robinson did right by each of them。 The final narrative component of Ministry is the more philosophical， didactic chapters which touch on many different subjects， though economics by far makes the most appearances。 These sections were interesting， for they contained the seedling for many ideas that could be used in the fight against climate change （emphasis of seedling。） Overall， I would say that The Ministry for the Future is an important if not radicalizing book to read because it forces you to see the monumental scale of change required to fully address climate change， to look inward and realize that no part of your own life will go untouched if we truly rise to the challenge。 。。。more
Il’ia
，
very intense， pulled me way in。 meticulously researched。 i was dubious of the legislative & nation/state-based approaches described in the book but also i’m anti-state， so
Kelsey Landhuis
，
I don't think that "visionary" is too strong a word to use when it comes to Kim Stanley Robinson， especially in regards to this book。 The Ministry for the Future is a stark departure from most climate change narratives （both fiction and nonfiction） in that it is neither utopian nor dystopian， but a realistic view of the ways in which it is possible to mitigate climate disaster via scientific， economic， cultural， and political methods。 In other words， this book allows the reader to imagine not on I don't think that "visionary" is too strong a word to use when it comes to Kim Stanley Robinson， especially in regards to this book。 The Ministry for the Future is a stark departure from most climate change narratives （both fiction and nonfiction） in that it is neither utopian nor dystopian， but a realistic view of the ways in which it is possible to mitigate climate disaster via scientific， economic， cultural， and political methods。 In other words， this book allows the reader to imagine not only a better world， but the steps that might be necessary to get there。 The novel's kaleidoscope of viewpoints--both human and nonhuman--drives the narrative forward in an entertaining and engaging way while also supporting one of its many thesis statements， that in order to survive humanity needs to consider what's best for the Earth as a whole， including the plants and animals that make it home。 。。。more
Mike
，
Science fiction （some of it， anyway） used to be about our possible future; and this book is that。 KSR looks at all the technologies we can muster， including law and social media and digital currency and terror attacks by drones that provide the carrot， stick， and means to change our climate future。 Along the way， virtually everything else changes， too。For me this wasn't a page-turner， but it's thorough and thoughtful and quietly and realistically optimistic。 It was just the right medicine for 20 Science fiction （some of it， anyway） used to be about our possible future; and this book is that。 KSR looks at all the technologies we can muster， including law and social media and digital currency and terror attacks by drones that provide the carrot， stick， and means to change our climate future。 Along the way， virtually everything else changes， too。For me this wasn't a page-turner， but it's thorough and thoughtful and quietly and realistically optimistic。 It was just the right medicine for 2020。 。。。more
Jamie
，
Probably the most uneven and disappointing book I’ve ever read。A truly harrowing first chapter， followed by lightly gussied up essays and some truly cringe inducing sections told from the perspective of a photon， the blockchain and in one case the concept of history。 So much of this books feels like Robinson’s writing Trapper Keeper cobbled into a novel。 There’s good stuff here， but it’s stranded in the middle of oceans of tepid writing。 It’s also hard to find believable - things just work witho Probably the most uneven and disappointing book I’ve ever read。A truly harrowing first chapter， followed by lightly gussied up essays and some truly cringe inducing sections told from the perspective of a photon， the blockchain and in one case the concept of history。 So much of this books feels like Robinson’s writing Trapper Keeper cobbled into a novel。 There’s good stuff here， but it’s stranded in the middle of oceans of tepid writing。 It’s also hard to find believable - things just work without much complication that isn’t off the page。 Oh， and there’s the weirdness about Robinson kind of sort of being maybe just a little bit in favour of eco terrorists planting bombs and bringing down a whole lot of planes。 Except for a couple pages， all of this horror is kept off-page， and is almost presented as just another way to fight climate change。 Ultimately， this turned into such a slog that I basically skimmed the last 200 pages。 I can’t recommend this to anyone， not even to KSR fans or anyone looking for an antidote to climate dystopia news and fiction。 I really wanted to like this when I started， but the dull writing， bizarre messaging and too easy resolutions just made it unlikeable for me。 。。。more
Bob Peterson
，
Very provocative -- we need this to be read by people everywhere -- as it shows both the potential danger of climate change and lots of creative ways that it might be addressed。。。 （not all of them are legal。）
Gianna Milton
，
had to drop bc made me way to depressed and stressed about the future :）
Ben
，
not great as "literature"， but great as a though experiment for what it might take for the world to avert climate disaster。。。though unfortunately many of the measures seem utopian from the vantage point of 2021。 “For things to remain the same， everything must change。” not great as "literature"， but great as a though experiment for what it might take for the world to avert climate disaster。。。though unfortunately many of the measures seem utopian from the vantage point of 2021。 “For things to remain the same， everything must change。” 。。。more
Kevin
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Take your pick:a） fiction with nonfiction elements: this bookb） nonfiction dressed as fiction: Another Now: Dispatches from an Alternative Presentc） nonfiction: Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist…Better yet， read them all！ Considering the urgency of the topic （political economy in the age of Anthropocene/Capitalocene and “There Is No Alternative”/“It’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism”）， the more styles of delivery targeting var Take your pick:a） fiction with nonfiction elements: this bookb） nonfiction dressed as fiction: Another Now: Dispatches from an Alternative Presentc） nonfiction: Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist…Better yet， read them all！ Considering the urgency of the topic （political economy in the age of Anthropocene/Capitalocene and “There Is No Alternative”/“It’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism”）， the more styles of delivery targeting varying audiences the better…The Good:--Relative to Goodreads， I’m in the minority of strongly favouring nonfiction。 However， the main characters grew on me （the first half was uncomfortable reading as we were going through an unprecedented heat wave and our new norm of forest fire smoke）， although embarrassingly I lost track of what happened to one of the protagonists… what happened to Frank？！--What a coincidence to read this fiction alongside nonfiction Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist， as they overlap on so much: economic growth/degrowth， reviving the Commons， money/central banks/public banks， etc。 I’m also reminded once again to read Edward O。 Wilson。 …Okay， I can’t help it， let me bash fiction for a bit: this fiction literally injects nonfiction encyclopedic definitions （what fiction talks about John Maynard Keynes’ “bancor” and “euthanasia of the rentier”？！）， making it probably the most informative fiction I’ve read while barely scratching the surface。 （Alright， I get it， fiction can have different uses）。 The Questionable: Note: since there are numerous voices in this book， it’s sometimes difficult to determine the author’s opinions （indeed， I keep thinking the author knows better given certain contradictions）。 1） On violence: the violent protests in this book deserves a lot of attention， but I’m surprised by the relative absence of reactionary violence and state surveillance/violence。 2） Geopolitics: related to violence is the messy geopolitics。 I would love for India to correct her current trajectory， revert back to and exceed her Non-Aligned Movement’s imagination （The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World） to lead the world in the revolution against climate change and precariat wage labour。 But I cannot help detecting a Western imperialist narrative when the author constantly uses phrases like “the world’s largest democracy” （elsewhere a character mocks spectatorship “democracy”， i。e。 bought and paid for， vs。 participatory democracy， which should be common sense for the topic of this book） while China is just a “police state” where the single party dominates， resulting in rules-without-law （unlike Hong Kong）。 …Let Vijay Prashad unpack this:-India/China: https://youtu。be/4hz5sXYiBo8-China: https://youtu。be/8-m-DZHLNGs-Imperialist ideological censorship: https://youtu。be/6jKcsHv3c74。。。The few naysayers of Varoufakis' "Another Now" book immediately attack the "likelihood" of Another Now's political timeline。 I tend to see this critique as missing the main point; to me， "Another Now" is nonfiction dressed as fiction to bring alternative economic theories to life， i。e。 reviving social imagination。 The bulk of the content is describing the nonfiction economic alternatives （in particular the settled form， rather than the messy transition period）。 。。。Now， "The Ministry for the Future" is primarily fiction and lacks the nonfiction details。 So， geopolitical transitional plot is a more relevant critique。 --Read nonfiction！ Especially when you have an engaging + accessible writer… here are some more:-Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World-The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions-Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or， How Capitalism Works - and How It Fails-Washington Bullets-Debt: The First 5，000 Years-Bullshit Jobs: A Theory-The Democracy Project: A History， a Crisis， a Movement-Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom， Scientific Knowledge， and the Teachings of Plants …More academic writers:-Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System-Too Many People？: Population， Immigration， and the Environmental Crisis （debunking overpopulation）-Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action-Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World 。。。more
Brad
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I’ve been a KSR fan for 20 years， Red Mars being my introduction。 Nothing since the Red Mars trilogy has met that high bar， though I did love Aurora。 I’m so happy to say that The Ministry for the Future is a triumphant return to that high standard。 The hard cli-fi is still there， but I found it accessible。 The stable of characters is smaller than a typical KSR book， and I appreciated getting to know Mary and Frank more deeply。 The characters that we meet for just a single chapter were great， too I’ve been a KSR fan for 20 years， Red Mars being my introduction。 Nothing since the Red Mars trilogy has met that high bar， though I did love Aurora。 I’m so happy to say that The Ministry for the Future is a triumphant return to that high standard。 The hard cli-fi is still there， but I found it accessible。 The stable of characters is smaller than a typical KSR book， and I appreciated getting to know Mary and Frank more deeply。 The characters that we meet for just a single chapter were great， too， especially the Los Angeles kayaker。 Believable， optimistic， climate fiction is tough to pull off; KSR nailed it with this book。 。。。more
Tom Quinn
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In some ways a worthy successor to the techno-thriller mantle Michael Crichton used to wear， this book aims to be a draw-you-in page turner built on a foundation of current events and present-day science， extrapolated into a claustrophobic tale of human survival in a hostile environment。 It mostly succeeds but falters a bit after a strong opening before settling into a mundane and exposition-heavy final act。 Robinson has explored at great length （probably too great - this could be shorter） the r In some ways a worthy successor to the techno-thriller mantle Michael Crichton used to wear， this book aims to be a draw-you-in page turner built on a foundation of current events and present-day science， extrapolated into a claustrophobic tale of human survival in a hostile environment。 It mostly succeeds but falters a bit after a strong opening before settling into a mundane and exposition-heavy final act。 Robinson has explored at great length （probably too great - this could be shorter） the ramifications of climate policy in the near future and he delivers the tale in a satisfying vignette layout， shifting viewpoints between many different narrators to share component pieces of the story。 It gave me a bit of a Grapes of Wrath vibe， what with the bleak landscapes and terse play-by-plays。 But that's probably generous。 Maybe World War Z is the better comparison， as we're not approaching Steinbeck levels of literary artwork here。 Good story at heart， but once again it doesn't need to be this long。 Robinson has an unfortunate habit of listing things， great honking chains of comma-strewn lists that often run ten to thirteen items long， depending on whether you count entries between commas but joined by "and" as a single item or two。 This really gums up the works of what could be a tighter narrative。 Cut that stuff down as well as the rehashing of cause/effect， scientific consensus， and finer policy points—the audience reading this book is already on board， man—and serve up more of the single character drama。 And I mean drama， please， not policy speeches and pensive hikes through snowy mountain trails。3 stars。 。。。more
Cynthia Sprout
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