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2312

Kim Stanley Robinson

3.53 · Rating details · 19,629 ratings · 2,396 reviews

The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity's only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future.

The first event take ...more

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Hardcover, 561 pages

Published May 22nd 2012 by Orbit

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Jul 09, 2012 Jeremy rated it it was ok

So I'm not actually done, but I couldn't make it through.

I've tried to read Kim Stanley Robinson in the past, and I've managed to plow through. His world building is great, but something about the novels fail to grab me.

This one though, ugh. I made it about 60% through before I could identify the problems. I don't care about the main protagonist AT ALL. She's a 140-something hermaphrodite of Chinese descent that grew up on Mercury (cool, right?), but at her age, she's completely self-absorbed, a ...more

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May 23, 2012 Dan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I read maybe one sci-fi book a year. My barrier to entry is generally the writing itself. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I find that most contemporary sci-fi books - as with most "genre" books - tend to be poorly written, sacrificing craft in favor of the fascinating worlds, etc that they present. So, it's always a pleasant surprise when I encounter a work of sci-fi that's also really well written because I am a bit of a futurist at heart and love to delve into these worlds. (It's not for nothing that S I read maybe one sci-fi book a year. My barrier to entry is generally the writing itself. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I find that most contemporary sci-fi books - as with most "genre" books - tend to be poorly written, sacrificing craft in favor of the fascinating worlds, etc that they present. So, it's always a pleasant surprise when I encounter a work of sci-fi that's also really well written because I am a bit of a futurist at heart and love to delve into these worlds. (It's not for nothing that Star Trek: The Next Generation was my favorite show as a kid.) I'm happy to say 2312 is such a work. Kim Stanley Robinson is perhaps most famous for his Mars trilogy, and from what I gather this book is typical of his earlier style. I haven't read the Mars trilogy, so I can't speak from personal experience. However, after 2312 I'm definitely intrigued.

It's difficult to summarize this book because it's really more a history of a possible future than a traditional novel. Sure, there's a main character and a central conflict, but so much of the book deals with the meta factors of life in space cohabiting with technology that it does the book a disservice to say it's simply the story of Swan Er Hong. Swan is Mercurial - in both the sense that she's prone to sudden mood shifts and that she's from the planet Mercury (there are a lot of little puns like that throughout) - and when we first meet her she's mourning the recent death of her grandmother. The plot picks up from there with Swan getting tangled up in a type of solar system manhunt/mystery. But, 2312 isn't a mystery, not really anyway. For one thing, the action scenes are few and far between and when they do arrive they're over before you even notice. No, the focus here is most definitely on exploring the time and place. Curiously enough, the strongest narrative voice here speaks from an even more distant future so that while reading one gets the dizzying sense of looking back on a time that for one reading today hasn't yet occurred. An interesting technique, but I could see how some might consider it gimmicky.

The greatest weakness here is also the novel's greatest strength. While the world building is fascinating it can at times drag on. It's worth enduring, however, as some of the most beautiful passages depict things never seen by human eyes: sunsets that last for 16 "days" on the moons of Saturn; clear aquarium "terrariums" floating in the nothingness of space; etc. Again, from what I gather, this is typical of Robinson's work, so if you're okay with that you shouldn't have any reservations about diving in. If this is the only sci-fi book I read this year, I'm glad it was such an enjoyable experience.

If you liked this, make sure to follow me on Goodreads for more reviews! ...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Chad Peterman rated it did not like it

I tried to read this book. I really tried. But after fighting to get halfway through this book without even being able to figure out what the plot was, I gave up.

I had read a lot of positive reviews for this book, so I decided to give it a read. Now I wonder if these reviewers read the same book I tried to read. The plot, at least up to the point where I gave up, hadn't progressed (in fact, I don't even know what the plot was). And I really wasn't invested in the characters.

Now this book did hav ...more

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Apr 10, 2021 ☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ rated it it was amazing

Now, this is quite the space travelogue to enjoy! I only wish it was longer since I totally didn't want the book to end.

Q:
Saint George, a social terrarium in which the men think they are living in a Mormon polygamy, while the women consider it a lesbian world with a small percentage of male lesbians. (c)
Q:
“So you have a sequence of thoughts that wander from one thought to the next in a more or less continuous flow, free associating from one topic to the next, across all the possible thoughts you ...more

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Jun 03, 2016 Nnedi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

i'll be brief: a ton of info dumping, but what a world and what ideas and what atmosphere ...just wow. i LOVED this novel. i do with there had been a more focused plot, but whatever, that's a different novel that i can write myself, haha. but this i really enjoyed. i could just settle into it and be there and say wow and oh and ah and wtf? and noooooo, etc. this is the type of science fiction i can sink my teeth into and i wish i had found works like this when i was a teen or in my 20s. but bett ...more

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Apr 23, 2019 Adrian rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, recommendation, zz-owned-books

Many moons ago I read KSR's Mars Trilogy, and really enjoyed his amazing world and character building, so was looking forward to getting to grips with this 500 + page monster, especially following recommendations from people.

And ?? Well I certainly wasn't disappointed, his world building is as stupendous as ever. This was a great story that spanned the whole solar system, with some really interesting characters and some fabulous technology just dropped in along the way. All this made the 550 pa ...more

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Dec 25, 2011 Alexandra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: re-read, read-in-2012, read-in-2018

This book just made me happy. Wonderfully, giddily happy. That's the TL;DR version: if you like nearish future sf and you would consider yourself small-l liberal and enjoy a bit of adventure and politicking, oh this is awesome.

Why?

There's the gender aspects. Robinson goes beyond gender-bending and into gender-thwarting. I first really realised something was going on when a new character was introduced and for the entire interaction, there were no pronouns used. And it's a gender-neutral name. S This book just made me happy. Wonderfully, giddily happy. That's the TL;DR version: if you like nearish future sf and you would consider yourself small-l liberal and enjoy a bit of adventure and politicking, oh this is awesome.

Why?

There's the gender aspects. Robinson goes beyond gender-bending and into gender-thwarting. I first really realised something was going on when a new character was introduced and for the entire interaction, there were no pronouns used. And it's a gender-neutral name. So... no clue as to whether biologically or otherwise male or female, and it didn't matter in the slightest; and nor did it matter for the many other characters for whom this was also true. The gender aspect is one where Robinson's sly use of language and meta-references comes in: there's a comment somewhere (I wish I had bookmarked it!) where the difficulty in determining sex or gender is remarked on, and the fact that humanity could now be called "ursuline" - because of the notorious difficulty in sexing bears, is the commenter's note. But I see what you did there, Robinson, and since le Guin is one of my favourite authors, I quite literally laughed and crowed aloud. This society has what ours would regard as the "normal" genders (with "outrageous" (p431) macho and fem behaviours as something of an art form), as well androgyns, wombmen, hermaphrodites, gynandromorphs, eunuchs, and the gender-indeterminate. There are people who have fathered and mothered children at different times, people who never disclose their gender to anyone, and... really the broadest range of sexual and gender identity that I can imagine (actually, broader than I had previously imagined). So, that aspect is a lot of fun - and it's presented as normal and as a full expression of humanity.

The political aspect comprehensively wooed and won me. It's common enough - perhaps not so much today, but still sometimes - in science fiction and fantasy to have a monarchy, or an authoritarian regime of some flavour to work within/against, or at any rate a government that can be seen as leaning to the right. And the characters often either agree with it or are actively rebelling against it. Robinson's solar system is far more complex and interesting. For a start the Earth isn't given a single governing body; it actually has more countries here, 300 years in the future, than it does today. The other planets and moons often have one controlling authority, but they are disparate in their aims and desires. In fact much of the inner solar system is held together as part of the Mondragon (based on the idea of a Basque town, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondrago...). A non-profit, cooperative-based, economic model aiming at mutual support. Yes please. This is contrasted with Earth, and again I will admit to laughing out loud at this description: "late capitalism writhed in its internal decision concerning whether to destroy Earth's biosphere or change its rules. Many argued for the destruction of the biosphere, as being the lesser of two evil" (p125). I laughed, and then I wept. Also this: "confining capitalism to the margin was the great Martian achievement, like defeating the mob or any other protection racket" (p127). A system where, overall, I feel encouraged by the politics and economic aims? Not utopian but aiming high and nobly? That makes me pretty happy.

These aspects combined make this an optimistic novel about the future, which also makes me happy. Don't get me wrong: this isn't a glorious love-in where nothing bad happens, where there's sunshine and rainbows and cookies for all. Life on Earth is hard - climate change has had a serous impact, especially if you lived anywhere near the coast (or where the coast used to be...); life on Mercury and the moons involves great difficulties; there is crime and anger and wanton destruction of life. But those things exist today, too. What makes this optimistic is the attitude taken by both Robinson and many of his characters that there is something that even insignificant people can do about it all. Maybe it won't make a change immediately, and that will be annoying, but long term changes can be worked towards - they're worth working towards, and enduring the setbacks, because people and institutions can change.

Of course, all of these things are well and good. The story is happy-making too. It's told largely though the lens of Swan Er Hong, resident of Mercury and restless spirit. Several other characters become important over time, and Robinson cleverly uses chapter titles to indicate which character will dominate ("Swan and Wang" = Swan is most important, Wang will loom large too).

Speaking of chapters, there are sets of Extracts and sets of Lists scattered at different points throughout, too. Extracts are a form of info-dump, with sections of texts literally like they are extracts from news reports, histories, or scientific papers. This is a neat trick and one that felt immersive - because it could easily be Swan or another character skimming books or websites - rather than throwing the reader out by being too info-heavy. And the Lists often feel whimsical, but they certainly add depth; my favourite, in a melancholy way, is a list of words beginning with boredom and escalating to death wish; it captures quite nicely the sentiments of at least one character at the time. (There's also a wonderful list of women honoured by having a crater named after them, from Annie Oakley to Emily Dickinson by way of Sappho and Xantippe.)

But back to the story: it's a curious one really. For much of the novel, it feels like the story is happening around the characters, but they're not often directly involved - at least, not in the big events: destruction of a city? Not there at the time. These big things have a big impact on our protagonists, but - much like we normal mortals experience events - those events act on them, rather than (mostly) being caused by them. For this reason Swan, for all she has important connections and is moderately famous, feels remarkably like a normal person. The narrative itself is basically a whodunit that gets bigger than expected: Swan's grandparent has died and left a somewhat unexpected inheritance, and then soon after her home, the city of Terminator on Mercury, is destroyed, leaving Swan determined to help find the culprit. This leads her all over the solar system (up to and including the moons of Saturn have been comprehensively colonised), interacting with people of all shapes and sizes (literally; being a tall or a small is more of a division in this society than gender). There's intrigue, and dismay, and maybe-love, and some wild ideas for how people in three centuries might get their kicks, from tampering with one's physiology to some rather extreme sports. Swan and friends do end up having an influence on events, but the manner and the outcome are far from predictable.

Swan herself, as I said, is a fairly normal-seeming person. She gets cranky and has wild ideas and is frequently hard to please; she is contrary and independent and determined and wants the best for the universe (mostly), so who can't people just agree with her when she's clearly right, dammit? The supporting cast - Wahrum and Wang and Genette and others - are varied, from police to scientists to politicians, with a variety of sexual orientations (when it's even specified), and a plethora of priorities and ambitions of their own. The society as a whole is gloriously well realised and complex, but familiar as human nonetheless.

In sum, then, this is a realistic (non-utopian), largely optimistic, enthusiastic look 300 years into the future, with complex and occasionally frustrating characters who may well remind you of people you know. This is what I would like science fiction to be like a lot more frequently. ...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi, worldbuilding-sf

This was a slightly more difficult book than is usual, but no less satisfying for having read it.

I remember the Mars Trilogy with great fondness but I also remember it being stuffed full of invention and depth that most tales have no more than a gloss. This novel is very much like his previous novels in this regard. I am at once in awe and fully satisfied with the tale as I am also annoyed at how long it took to have the human aspect developed.

If anyone had told me during the first 300 pages t ...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Graham Crawford rated it it was amazing

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It has an extremely interesting structure that verges on the allegorical. There's an alchemical marriage of Mercury and Saturn, The dynamic of old and emerging structures embedded in the present, three prose styles,- all very clever. A duet of Swan and Frog.

The lovers spin like Pluto and Charon, around the two plot Lagrange points of an endless walk beneath the surface of Mercury, and waiting to be rescued in the blackness of space- two p ...more

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Apr 17, 2013 BG Josh rated it did not like it

So at 65% I finally just kicked this pig and stopped reading. This book is objectively terrible. The story is foolish and non existent, no one involved is sympathetic or even slightly interesting. The main character actually gets her way by threatening to scream, at one point. I was constantly reminded of the twilight books.

The world is goodish, unless you have ever read any other trans humanist books.

The only people I can recommend this book to are extreme liberals. Unwashed hippies, reeking o ...more

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May 22, 2012 Kara Babcock rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-read, posthuman, artificial-intelligence, ebook, science-fiction, mystery, hugo-nominee, nebula-winner

For the past three years, I’ve paid for the privilege of voting in the Hugo Awards. I do this not because I love voting in the Hugo Awards (though that’s cool) but because, for the past few years, they have made available a voter packet containing digital copies of most of the nominated works. All I need do is purchase a supporting membership at the year’s WorldCon, which is always cheaper than if I were to buy the various novels and anthologies in which these works might be found. (Also, all th ...more

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Apr 04, 2017 Barry Cunningham rated it it was amazing

This is yet another brilliant book by Kim Stanley Robinson. Some remarkable future concepts and very scary scenarios. A superb plot and wonderful characters make this a fabulous read. Bring me more!!

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Feb 20, 2013 Shoshana rated it liked it

Shelves: adult, science-fiction, lit-fic, apocalyptic

I was afraid for a long time that all the literary crap in this book was covering up what was really an overdone, boring plot.

It turned out not to be true - the plot is cool - but the plot only inhabits about 100 pages of this monster 6 or 7 hundred pager of a capital-N Novel.

Really, Kim Stanley Robinson, did we need random-ish, unfathomable "lists" between each chapter? Actually, I can answer that for you. No.

And really, Kim Stanley Robinson, did you have to format your very cool, forgivably in ...more

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Apr 25, 2020 Gabi rated it liked it

Leaning towards 3.5 stars.

I'm in two minds about this novel that takes place in the same universe as his Mars trilogy.

I really liked the typical holistic KSR approach where he presents his idea of a possible future on a variety of scientific and social fields. As always I stopped from time to time to research some of the topics he mentioned, which among other things lead to me listening to Beethoven’s symphonies as accompanying soundtrack (and Holst’s planets – not mentioned in the book, but qui Leaning towards 3.5 stars.

I'm in two minds about this novel that takes place in the same universe as his Mars trilogy.

I really liked the typical holistic KSR approach where he presents his idea of a possible future on a variety of scientific and social fields. As always I stopped from time to time to research some of the topics he mentioned, which among other things lead to me listening to Beethoven’s symphonies as accompanying soundtrack (and Holst’s planets – not mentioned in the book, but quite appropriate) and fetching my Goldsworthy coffee-table book. I really appreciate it when an author makes me do that. Every time I read KSR I end up having learned something new. His research and extensive common knowledge paired with his ability of intelligent and (for laymen) comprehensible writing make the infodumping much more enjoyable than jarring (as is often the case for me with certain other SF authors).

I also liked the writing structure, which reminded me in part of the one in John Brunner’s „Stand on Zanzibar“. The narration chapters are interspersed with short ones with lists and fragmented notes that give a glimpse of social, technical or scientific topics related to the following ongoing of the story. It gives the appropriate feeling of an information overload from a computerized mind.

Last but not least I admired the choice of the two interacting main characters. KSR confronted a resident of Mercury with one from Saturn. He gave both those characters the properties usually attributed to the planets. On one side the effervescent, multitalented, bustling and emotionally rather instable Swan, on the other side Wahram with all the gravitas, calm, wisdom and stolidity of Saturn. The interaction of those two resulted in my favourite scenes in the book and into a lot of discussions on view of life, choices in gender and self improvement and the universe in general.

But the author unfortunately lost me on the plot. The start hinted at a crime thriller kind of story which would have worked wonderfully. In glimpses it came through, but way too sparse and without suspense. More often than was helpful for the attention of the reader the narration meandered into side plots and even more ideas. For example there was a rather long passage about the re-animation of Earth with animals bred in spacebound terraria: a topic worth exploring in a novel of its own, but here it felt just thrown in, broke the pace and was plain annoying. The further I got into the novel the more I was missing the golden thread. And in the end this just lead to an average rating.

I will always admire KSR’s intelligent imagination of the future and his broad love and understanding for all kind of topics. But I also need a plot to carry me along. Hopefully the next of his books I will read does better on that level. ...more

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Apr 25, 2020 Anthony rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nebula-winners, sf, arthur-c-clarke-award-nominees, hugo-nominees, popsugar-2020-challenge

Kim Stanley Robinson fearlessly packs this future-history novel with so many ideas that it at times bursts a bit at the seams, but at its best it remains grounded in a wonderful exploration of what it means to be human, with all of that exploration’s inherent contradictions and mysteries on full display. A sort of companion piece to his epic Mars Trilogy, 2312 is in many ways more intimate, but still with a comparable sweep, and with his characteristically profound intellect informing all of his ...more

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Feb 18, 2019 Evi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2019, sci-fi

This was my second book by Kim Stanley Robinson, and I have to say that I like his books. He’s got a very unique writing style.

Most of all: I love his world building, it is fascinating. He’s got amazing visions of the future. I always liked astronomy, when I was younger, I enjoyed reading about planets, stars and the whole world we know so little about... 2312 reminded me that I used to inquire into these things, and I’m greatful for this. I was fascinated by the chapters where planets and moon ...more

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Aug 23, 2013 Trudi rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2013, science-fiction, outer-space, abandoned, not-for-me

Abandoning this one at about the 50% mark. I gave it the ol' college try, but turns out this really ain't for me. Densely written, huge passages of world-building (and terraforming), but not enough of a propulsive plot or engaging characters to keep me turning the pages. ...more

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Feb 25, 2020 Dawn C rated it it was amazing

*edit: bugger that, I’m upping it from 4 to 5 stars because I can’t give such a confident book anything less.

I continue to be in awe of this vast universe Robinson has created. The posibilities are as endless as space itself, and I’ll eagerly pick up any book written about the people who populate this world where humans have expanded to other planets, terraforming and working and living their now medically prolonged lives.

The plot is somewhat simple and has been done before, the threat of artifi ...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Tom Burke rated it did not like it

I hate to rate this so low. The book was pretty ambitious and quite detailed. The story follows Swan, a 130 year old woman living on Mercury who finds herself in the middle of a terrorist plot.

The world as imagined by Robinson is quite amazing. Humans now inhabit most of the planets and thousands of asteroids. Swan is expert at designing worlds and it is quite compelling to read about hollowed out asteroids with completely fabricated eco-systems inside them.

My problem is probably not with the b ...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Tamara added it

Shelves: sf, space-opera, north-america, usa, space-station, near-future, female-protagonist, author-male, romance, mystery

I may be overdosing on this particular susgenre, since I read Blue Remembered Earth recently, and The Quiet War not long before that. They essentially tell the same story, but whats disturbing is that they essentially come to the same conclusion. All of this seems to come down to the Richard Florida version of the future. The 24th century for hipsters.

They're liberal-geek amusement parks. A guided tour of one half of the western culture war. The roller coaster of exciting new urbanism. The merr
I may be overdosing on this particular susgenre, since I read Blue Remembered Earth recently, and The Quiet War not long before that. They essentially tell the same story, but whats disturbing is that they essentially come to the same conclusion. All of this seems to come down to the Richard Florida version of the future. The 24th century for hipsters.

They're liberal-geek amusement parks. A guided tour of one half of the western culture war. The roller coaster of exciting new urbanism. The merry go round of climate change. Ferris wheel of non heteronormativity. That cute little train that goes around the park* of multiculturalism.

It's all very adorable and convenient, if you like that sort of thing, and I do like that sort of thing. I am so the target audience of these books it's not even funny. I read them, I enjoy them, i'll read more of them. I can read fanciful descriptions of space habitats, anarchist economic systems and new-fangled family arrangements until the cows come home. And I like amusement parks too. But after a while, i'd like to see the rest of whats out there too.

Basically, this now entirely failing to be in any way interesting or awe inspiring or thought provoking. It's just a kind of geek trivia porn. I read this stuff the way I read history articles on Cracked.com. I don't find it at all convincing, which, fair enough - SF is about the present, not about the future, ok. But it doesn't work for the present either. Its too neat and colorful in a tourist brochure sort of way. These futures don't feel in the slightest foreign or disorienting or futuristic. Lots of sex without gender. Lots of colonization without colonialism. Superficial multiracialism while actual religeon, culture and ideology become cheerfully contained esoterica, human variety for the sake of decoration. This isn't the future, its just the internet. Would someone please write something challenging?

*But only if it's got rails. If it's actually a tractor pulling wagons on car wheels, it can go fuck itself. ...more

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Apr 25, 2020 Jemppu rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I'm lost between 3 and 4 stars. Going up for a scholarly rating, over storyline.

As usual, KSR shines best with his well honed ability to tie together vast amounts of accumulated trivia into compellingly displayed assortments. Relying on facts and fact based speculations to deliver the wonder of his world(s) - surprisingly effectively.

In usual KSR fashion the book touched on several compelling topics. Here though, it felt the plot itself got distractedly jumbled towards the end.

What I didn't expe ...more

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May 21, 2012 Liviu rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-sf, 2012_release_read, read_2012

2312 is actually quite interesting about 100 pages in, I just wish the author's style would me more on my taste; this way it is like reading a very dry proof but of a very interesting result so while I derive little emotional pleasure, it's intellectually satisfying; let's hope that continues as otherwise as fiction I would have no reason to continue with 2312 and i really wish to finish it.

I finished 2312 and overall I wouldn't call it disappointing as I did not expect that much from it, but I 2312 is actually quite interesting about 100 pages in, I just wish the author's style would me more on my taste; this way it is like reading a very dry proof but of a very interesting result so while I derive little emotional pleasure, it's intellectually satisfying; let's hope that continues as otherwise as fiction I would have no reason to continue with 2312 and i really wish to finish it.

I finished 2312 and overall I wouldn't call it disappointing as I did not expect that much from it, but I wish the author would write better prose as the book is full of interesting ideas; that however is not enough as the novel is utterly lifeless and it reads like a play on an empty stage where characters rush along and try to engage the spectators in an imagination game (see, now I am traveling to Earth, now I am on Mercury, now we are in a spaceship...) while a constant flow of information rolls in the background...

In other words, the book has no "external reality" and the main characters read like paper constructs than actual living human beings

Here is a little more coherent take on the above as done on FBC:

There are a lot of detailed and raving reviews out there about 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson and I can appreciate them intellectually, but for me the "writing magic" that makes a book more than a collection of words without special meaning beyond the dictionary one, mostly lacks here.

I wouldn't call the novel disappointing as I did not expect that much from it considering my past experience with the author's style, but I wish the author would write better prose as the book is full of interesting ideas. That however is not enough as the novel is utterly lifeless and it reads like a play on an empty stage where characters rush along and try to engage the spectators in an imagination game: see, now I am traveling to Earth, now I am on Mercury, now we are in a spaceship, while a constant flow of information rolls in the background... In other words 2312 reminded me strongly of the TV play adaptions where characters talk and talk and describe action happening to them, though we actually have to imagine it, rather then see it...That's fine if the actors are great, but here as mentioned we have just a string of words...

So overall, 2312 has no "external reality" and the main characters read like paper constructs than actual living human beings and the book is most liekly the last I will ever attempt from the author as if one of the most interesting subjects possible for me (solar system space opera) and the book reads lifeless, there is no point in wasting time again.
...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Ric rated it really liked it · review of another edition

'Encyclopedic' is the word that comes to mind with 2312. Robinson set out for a broad brush look at our race 300 years ahead, and this is precisely what we get. The tale takes us to many locations in the future solar system --- Mercury and the city on the Terminator, Venus with its solar shield, Saturn and its multiple terraria, Earth and its old world colonialism. The only venue missing is Mars, but then, Robinson has written a boatload on Mars.

There is an SF mystery that ties the story togethe ...more

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May 11, 2012 TheBookSmugglers rated it really liked it

Shelves: hard-science-fiction, diversity, scifi, nebulas-2013, hugos-2013, tiptree-2013, clarke-2013

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers

In the year 2312, the solar system is a very different place. Humans have terraformed and colonized every inhabitable planet, moon and asteroid in the system; humanity has created thriving populations on the Jovian moons, hollowed out large space rocks and reconstituted them as terraria full of endangered animals and exotic life, and has even created a home on the impossibly hostile surface of Mercury. It is here, on Mercury's "Terminator" - a city that g ...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Gerhard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, sf-fantasy, 2012

There is an astonishing setpiece in this book where Swan visits New York, which climate change and rising sea levels has turned into a kind of new Venice. Fresh from space, Swan's intoxication with the beauty of Earth and the wonder of New York's transformation is ravishing.

So much SF these days focuses on the negative aspects of science and technology; KSR is quite old-fashioned in that he thinks we have enough of a technological base at the moment to get us through to a new level.

What has hap ...more

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Aug 20, 2014 Wealhtheow rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, queer-characters, pocmaincharacters

This book is huge in breadth and depth, covering everything from falling in love, the destruction of cities, the precise techniques required to recreate terran microbiomes, artificial intelligences integrating with human society...Sometimes I grew frustrated because the book spent fifty pages recounting two characters whistling to each other, and only a paragraph to enact and then dismiss a plan to provide affordable housing for all people on Earth. I wasn't always on board with the focus or the ...more

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Oct 05, 2015 Irshad rated it it was ok

Shelves: library-books

I couldn't get through with this book. Unfortunately I had to DNF it. It took too long for me to process the whole sci-fi realm. ...more

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May 03, 2020 Mareike rated it liked it

Shelves: scifi

A very good 3.5 but not quite 4 star read for me. (I think.)

As ever, I am in awe at the worldbuilding in KSR's work and the amount of research that must go into it. And how he manages to weave information into his narratives without making you feel like you're buried underneath an info dump.

The explorations of how humanity and human societies would change once it has spread across our solar system was expertly done and I enjoyed the investigation plot. However, at the same time, I sometimes wou ...more

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Jun 18, 2013 Beth Cato rated it it was ok

Shelves: science, ebook, nebula, 2013

I read this as part of the Hugo Nominee packet, knowing it won the Nebula. I expected dense science fiction, as winners tend to be along that line; that proved to be true. However, I didn't expect to find the book so annoying and unnecessarily long.

The world-building is the source 2312's brilliance. Mercury is described with astonishing vividness from the very start--this being a world where sun worshipers risk their lives to see the sun rise, and where the sole bastion of civilization is a mob I read this as part of the Hugo Nominee packet, knowing it won the Nebula. I expected dense science fiction, as winners tend to be along that line; that proved to be true. However, I didn't expect to find the book so annoying and unnecessarily long.

The world-building is the source 2312's brilliance. Mercury is described with astonishing vividness from the very start--this being a world where sun worshipers risk their lives to see the sun rise, and where the sole bastion of civilization is a mobile terrarium that is constantly outrunning fatal sunlight. Most space travel is also done via terrariums--microcosms of Earth or fantasy environments, replete with wild animals and agriculture and cities; I loved the uniqueness of this. The physics also feel very real, down to g-forces, the dangers of space, and the mechanics of space elevators. Biological adaptations are also commonplace. The lead characters go by standard gender pronouns, but there's something more going on in their pants.

Earth is the source of humanity's diaspora, and it has suffered in the years prior to 2312. Global warming has melted many of the ice caps and flooded the continents. Florida is completely underwater. I was fascinated by how he described Earth in this condition.

However, the lead character was not as compelling.

Swan is rather unstable, manic and outright annoying. She does incredibly stupid things, repeatedly; there's a subplot involving wolves that felt like it was supposed to be largely symbolic, and it was more of a distraction. When she is intelligent, it's because of her qube, her computer implant. Sadly, the qube isn't in charge most of the time. Robinson's writing is excellent in showing Swan from her own viewpoint and that of others, and how she does annoy other people and drive them away (readers included, alas).

The book is over 500 pages and feels far too long. The plot wanders all of the place. There are extra brief chapters interspersed throughout that have extracts and lists of key words. They seemed largely pointless, or in same cases like an excuse to drop in tidbits of world-building that didn't fit in with the narrative.

I can see why the book compelled so many people to vote for it to win the Nebula, but it simply doesn't feel like a cohesive story to me. I think I would have enjoyed a Wikipedia about Earth and the universe in 2312 instead of the character-based novel. ...more

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Aug 18, 2017 Lata rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, x2017-read, bipoc-actor

Have to mull. Enjoyed this, but I did find this a long book.

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About Kim Stanley Robinson

Kim Stanley Robinson

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Kim Stanley Robinson is an American science fiction writer, probably best known for his award-winning Mars trilogy.

His work delves into ecological and sociological themes regularly, and many of his novels appear to be the direct result of his own scientific fascinations, such as the 15 years of research and lifelong fascination with Mars which culminated in his most famous work. He has, due to his ...more

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Quotes from 2312

“Humans were still not only the cheapest robots around, but also, for many tasks, the only robots that could do the job. They were self-reproducing robots too. They showed up and worked generation after generation; give them 3000 calories a day and a few amenities, a little time off, and a strong jolt of fear, and you could work them at almost anything. Give them some ameliorative drugs and you had a working class, reified and coglike.” — 42 likes

“In the pseudoiterative, one performs the ritual of the day attentive to both the joy of the familiar and the shiver of the accidental.” — 15 likes

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