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Denver Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Club |
THE YEARS OF RICE AND SALT
by
KIM STANLEY ROBINSON
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The Years of Rice and Salt (2002) |
 |
From the back cover of the paperback:
It is the fourteenth century and one of the most apocalyptic events in human history is set to occur -- the coming of the Black Death. History teaches us that a third of Europe's population was destroyed. But what if the plague had killed 99 percent of the population instead? How would the world have changed? This is a look at the history that could have been -- one that stretches across centuries, sees dynasties and nations rise and crumble, and spans horrible famine and magnificent innovation.
Through the eyes of soldiers and kings, explorers and philosophers, slaves and scholars, Robinson navigates a world where Buddhism and Islam are the most influential and practiced religions, while Christianity is merely a historical footnote. Probing the most profound questions as only he can, Robinson shines his extraordinary light on the place of religion, culture, power -- and even love -- in this bold New World.
Read for group discussion on August 13, 2003
| RATINGS:
How we each rated this book |
| Dan | 6 | Amy | 7 |
 |
10 Wow! Don't miss it 8-9 Highly recommended 7 Recommended 5-6 Mild recommendation 3-4 Take your chances 1-2 Below average; skip it 0 Get out the flamethrower! U Unfinishable or unreadable - Skipped or no rating given |
| Cheri | 9 | Barb | - | ||
| Aaron | - | Cynthia | 7 | ||
| Jackie | - | Ron | 6 | ||
| Christine | - | Mitch | - | ||
| Amelia | - |
Bibliography:
Kim Stanley Robinson (1952- ) is a US writer.
Awards
1988 Nebula Award for novella for "The Blind Geometer"
1991 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Pacific Edge
1993 British Science Fiction Association Award for Red Mars
1994 Nebula Award for novel Red Mars
1994 Hugo Award for novel Green Mars
1997 Hugo Award for novel Blue Mars
His first novel, The Wild Shore (1984), is set in Orange County, on the Pacific Coast, in the near future after a disaster. The Gold Coast (1988) and Pacific Edge (1990) share the same locale and theme. They are the loosely connected California trilogy.
Robinson's award-winning Mars Trilogy about terraforming and colonizing Mars, is comprised of Red Mars (1992), Green Mars (1994), and Blue Mars (1996). The Martians (1999) is a collection of Martian mythology, poetry, alternative scenarios, and outtakes from the trilogy.
Other books by Kim Stanley Robinson are Icehenge (fixup 1984); The Memory of Whiteness (1985) a tour of the solar system from the perspective of the musician; A Short, Sharp Shock (novella 1990) a surreal SF novel; Antarctica (1997) an eco-thriller; and The Years of Rice and Salt (2002) an alternate history book. Forthcoming in 2004 is Capital Code.
His short story collections are Author’s Choice Monthly Issue 20: A Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions (1991); The Planet on the Table (1986, 8 stories); Escape from Kathmandu (four linked stories, 1989); The Blind Geometer (1989, Tor double), Remaking History (1991, 15 stories); Down and Out in the Year 2000 (1992 UK) an omnibus containing "A Short, Sharp Shock", "The Blind Geometer" and 9 stories from Remaking History; Remaking History and Other Stories (1994) an omnibus of The Planet on the Table and Remaking History; and Vinland the Dream and Other Stories (2002, 14 stories) most stories were previously collected as part of The Planet on the Table and Remaking History.
He edited the anthology Future Primitive: The New Ecotopias (1994), and Nebula Awards Showcase 2002: The Year's Best SF and Fantasy (2002).
His nonfiction book The Novels of Philip K. Dick (1984) is a revised version of his PhD thesis.
Links:
Salon.com Books | "The Years of Rice and Salt" by Kim Stanley Robinson
january magazine: Review | The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
The SF Site Featured Review: The Years of Rice and Salt
The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson - an infinity plus review
NPR : 'Years of Rice and Salt' - featured interview
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This page was last updated October 03, 2008