What do you think?
Rate this book
A Fable of Utopia #2
Kilimanjaro
Twenty years after the publication of Kirinyaga, the most-awarded science fiction book in history, comes this companion novella by 5-time Hugo winner Mike Resnick.
The Kikuyu tribe of East Africa attempted to create a Utopia on the terraformed planetoid Kirinyaga, which was named for the mountain where their god lives. Things went wrong. Now, a century later, the Maasai tribe has studied Kirinyaga's history, has analyzed their mistakes, and is ready to create a Maasai Utopia on the planetoid Kilimanjaro, named for the mountain where their god lives.
This is the story of that experiment.
The Kikuyu tribe of East Africa attempted to create a Utopia on the terraformed planetoid Kirinyaga, which was named for the mountain where their god lives. Things went wrong. Now, a century later, the Maasai tribe has studied Kirinyaga's history, has analyzed their mistakes, and is ready to create a Maasai Utopia on the planetoid Kilimanjaro, named for the mountain where their god lives.
This is the story of that experiment.
- GenresScience FictionNovella
120 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 2008
87 people want to read
About the author
Mike Resnick
813 books552 followersMichael "Mike" Diamond Resnick, better known by his published name Mike Resnick, was a popular and prolific American science fiction author. He is, according to Locus, the all-time leading award winner, living or dead, for short science fiction. He was the winner of five Hugos, a Nebula, and other major awards in the United States, France, Spain, Japan, Croatia and Poland. and has been short-listed for major awards in England, Italy and Australia. He was the author of 68 novels, over 250 stories, and 2 screenplays, and was the editor of 41 anthologies. His work has been translated into 25 languages. He was the Guest of Honor at the 2012 Worldcon and can be found online as @ResnickMike on Twitter or at www.mikeresnick.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 16, 2012
I liked this one better than it's predecessor, Kirinyaga: A Fable of Utopia. This one had a few things going for it that made it a bit more likable:
1) It's more hopeful and upbeat.
2) The main character is generally more likable.
and
3) It's shorter.
In Kirinyaga nothing really worked out right, and the overall sense was almost one of pointlessness - why bother trying to make your Utopia because it'll never work. This one, though, had more of a sense of possibility.
This is mainly due to the fact that David, the protagonist of this novella, is very different from Koriba, of Kirinyaga. Koriba, I feel, had a vision and an idea of Utopia, but he was a fanatic who saw everything as black and white and refused to bend to the inevitability of natural change and progression. David is almost his exact opposite, but not in the sense of being a fanatic of the opposite side, but in the sense that he's the epitome of moderation and compromise. Sometimes, perhaps, a bit too much so, but, overall, to positive results.
And, lastly, it being shorter it didn't feel nearly so repetitive as Kirinyaga. In Kirinyaga every chapter followed the same outline, and the lessons were always pretty much the same, with Koriba becoming more and more obstinate as things around him wanted to change.
In this story there were a slightly more varied set of issues which had to be resolved, and though each one was handled with the general notion of compromise, each situation was handled slightly differently, which was a nice chance to the first story which became kind of tedious after the first few chapters.
Both, together, tell a decent 'fable', presenting an overall sort of right and wrong way to go about things. Though, of course, with any such narrative, the right ways are also subjective, telling us more, perhaps, about the thoughts of the author than anything else. (Though since I'm a big proponent of moderation and the middle ground, I at least found myself in general agreement, which, of course, helped make a more enjoyable read.)
Still, not the sort of story you really latch onto or anything. Decent enough for what it is, but nothing exactly earth-shattering or anything.
1) It's more hopeful and upbeat.
2) The main character is generally more likable.
and
3) It's shorter.
In Kirinyaga nothing really worked out right, and the overall sense was almost one of pointlessness - why bother trying to make your Utopia because it'll never work. This one, though, had more of a sense of possibility.
This is mainly due to the fact that David, the protagonist of this novella, is very different from Koriba, of Kirinyaga. Koriba, I feel, had a vision and an idea of Utopia, but he was a fanatic who saw everything as black and white and refused to bend to the inevitability of natural change and progression. David is almost his exact opposite, but not in the sense of being a fanatic of the opposite side, but in the sense that he's the epitome of moderation and compromise. Sometimes, perhaps, a bit too much so, but, overall, to positive results.
And, lastly, it being shorter it didn't feel nearly so repetitive as Kirinyaga. In Kirinyaga every chapter followed the same outline, and the lessons were always pretty much the same, with Koriba becoming more and more obstinate as things around him wanted to change.
In this story there were a slightly more varied set of issues which had to be resolved, and though each one was handled with the general notion of compromise, each situation was handled slightly differently, which was a nice chance to the first story which became kind of tedious after the first few chapters.
Both, together, tell a decent 'fable', presenting an overall sort of right and wrong way to go about things. Though, of course, with any such narrative, the right ways are also subjective, telling us more, perhaps, about the thoughts of the author than anything else. (Though since I'm a big proponent of moderation and the middle ground, I at least found myself in general agreement, which, of course, helped make a more enjoyable read.)
Still, not the sort of story you really latch onto or anything. Decent enough for what it is, but nothing exactly earth-shattering or anything.
December 2, 2014
One of my all-time favorite books is Kirinyaga: A Fable of Utopia, so I was excited to read this.
However... it's not exactly a reprise of Kirinyaga. It's actually about a different utopian world, from a neigbouring African culture to the Kikuyu, who study the "mistakes" made on Kirinyaga to develop a better African utopia that works for them.
So, it's different, and thus I shouldn't compare it directly to Kirinyaga. But I admit that I missed one of the central features that made Kirinyaga so memorable - where is the ethical conflict? In Kirinyaga, there was always a deep conflict between the old, traditional ways of the Kikuyu and the newer, modern ways.
In this book, however, there's nothing really challenging ethically. It's still a good read, with basically the same theme (exploring how modern ways overtake traditions). However, in Kirinyaga there was no sense of inevitability that modern ways would prevail; often, shockingly, the traditional ways were upheld in stark manners.
Here, however, there is a ever-present sense that in each story arc, the old traditions will not be upheld. This did diminish some of the reading pleasure for me. I did like the book, and would likely reread at some time. But it's more a case of "here is how things were able to change" instead of "here's how you're going to be stunned by the way we were able to stop things from changing".
...which briefly summarizes what was so great about Kirinyaga, and why this is merely a 4-star book. A very good book, but not a masterwork.
However... it's not exactly a reprise of Kirinyaga. It's actually about a different utopian world, from a neigbouring African culture to the Kikuyu, who study the "mistakes" made on Kirinyaga to develop a better African utopia that works for them.
So, it's different, and thus I shouldn't compare it directly to Kirinyaga. But I admit that I missed one of the central features that made Kirinyaga so memorable - where is the ethical conflict? In Kirinyaga, there was always a deep conflict between the old, traditional ways of the Kikuyu and the newer, modern ways.
In this book, however, there's nothing really challenging ethically. It's still a good read, with basically the same theme (exploring how modern ways overtake traditions). However, in Kirinyaga there was no sense of inevitability that modern ways would prevail; often, shockingly, the traditional ways were upheld in stark manners.
Here, however, there is a ever-present sense that in each story arc, the old traditions will not be upheld. This did diminish some of the reading pleasure for me. I did like the book, and would likely reread at some time. But it's more a case of "here is how things were able to change" instead of "here's how you're going to be stunned by the way we were able to stop things from changing".
...which briefly summarizes what was so great about Kirinyaga, and why this is merely a 4-star book. A very good book, but not a masterwork.
June 8, 2015
The Maasais try to learn from Kirinyaga and try to set up a Utopia for Maasais on a terraformed planet they name Kilimanjaro. A quick short read. It wasn't as mind blowing as Kirinyaga.
July 10, 2010
This book is a quick read, due to the short page length and the terse writing style. I'm not sure if the style is purely the author's, as the book is written as a series of memoirs by a historian who, by his own admission, prefers to deal with facts instead of opinions. The result is a novella that deals with ideas and their ramifications rather than descriptions of things.
In the near future, an African tribe creates a "utopia" on a terraformed planetoid. Determined not to make the same mistakes as a previous tribe (detailed in an earlier, award winning story; there are passing references but I never read it or came away thinking it was necessary to do so), the inhabitants continually seek the advice of the historian narrator in order to learn from the past. The narrator ends up being being an active agent of change in a society trying to reconcile the old tribal ways with urban advances and participation in a global (interstellar?) economy.
The book certainly gives the reader something to think about, but very little to engage or attach to. We don't get a chance to identify with or empathize with the characters - they are mere 2-dimensional actors who have their part to play in the evolution of the society and that's it.
In the near future, an African tribe creates a "utopia" on a terraformed planetoid. Determined not to make the same mistakes as a previous tribe (detailed in an earlier, award winning story; there are passing references but I never read it or came away thinking it was necessary to do so), the inhabitants continually seek the advice of the historian narrator in order to learn from the past. The narrator ends up being being an active agent of change in a society trying to reconcile the old tribal ways with urban advances and participation in a global (interstellar?) economy.
The book certainly gives the reader something to think about, but very little to engage or attach to. We don't get a chance to identify with or empathize with the characters - they are mere 2-dimensional actors who have their part to play in the evolution of the society and that's it.
February 15, 2012
This novella is the sequel to Kirinyaga. It's told in a much more comfortable manner that the first one, with a narrator that's much easier to like.
January 29, 2020
I grabbed this out of the library to read when I left my regular book home when doing errands today... I haven't read the companion book from 20 years before... but it really wasn't needed.
I love the idea of having a bunch of little attempts at Utopia orbiting the Earth, and I enjoyed Resnick's social commentary through the main character.
The problems solved were far too easy, and I don't think I agree with some of Resnick's assumptions on societies (he states that capitalism and Democracy and the only choices in an enlightened society), but it was a quick, enjoyable read overall.
Resnick is very underrated. While he's never written anything that has had huge commercial or critical success (though he has won a few awards I suppose), he really does alot of different things well.. I find I'm never disappointed in one of his books.
I love the idea of having a bunch of little attempts at Utopia orbiting the Earth, and I enjoyed Resnick's social commentary through the main character.
The problems solved were far too easy, and I don't think I agree with some of Resnick's assumptions on societies (he states that capitalism and Democracy and the only choices in an enlightened society), but it was a quick, enjoyable read overall.
Resnick is very underrated. While he's never written anything that has had huge commercial or critical success (though he has won a few awards I suppose), he really does alot of different things well.. I find I'm never disappointed in one of his books.
May 15, 2019
I loved Kirinyaga. I teach Kirinyaga and my students (mostly) love it too. It has depth and nuance and drama. Kilimanjaro does not rise to the same level. And I am actually disturbed by those who say they found this book more enjoyable than Kirinyaga, esp. because if they say so because this book is more "happy" or "optimistic" in their view. I think they misunderstood fundamental messages in both Kirinyaga and this work. However, I am aware that my feeling about Kilimanjaro are a result of thinking Kirinyaga was so good.
February 17, 2020
No es kirinyaga (ni creo q pretenda serlo), y con eso se pierde un poco de la esencia y de lo bonito de la historia. En kilimanjaro vemos otro camino a topar hacia la querida Utopía.
No está mal, las historias tmb te hacen reflexionar sobre la temática de los derechos entre hombres y mujeres, inmigración...
No está mal, las historias tmb te hacen reflexionar sobre la temática de los derechos entre hombres y mujeres, inmigración...
May 26, 2022
A Maasai colony learns from Koriba's mistakes in this uplifting sequel to Kirinyaga.
March 2, 2024
Original y entretenido pero no iguala ni supera a Kirinyaga
March 17, 2010
When I first began Kilimanjaro, I was worried it was just Kirinyaga, Take Two. I enjoyed Kirinyaga but felt no need for a repeat performance. It turns out that I was right but for the wrong reasons. Kilimanjaro stands apart from Kirinyaga, with different themes even if it has a similar setting.
The main character, David, seemed just as arrogant about the superiority of Maasai ways over Kikuyu ways as Koriba was about the superiority of Kikuyu ways over European ways. David is remarkably naive for a historian, constantly espousing optimism even when it's obvious that the situation won't turn out well. Rather than being an obstinate mundumugu who insists that it's his way or the highway, David is an open-minded historian who looks to compromise for solving his problems. This is an important difference between the two protagonists.
The juxtaposition of a desire to maintain traditional lifestyles in the face of increasing urbanization and assimilation that worked in Kirinyaga returns in Kilimanjaro, to good effect. The Maasai attempt to learn from the mistakes made on Kirinyaga. They know that returning totally to a traditional lifestyle is impossible, that the "damage" has already been done. Nevertheless, there's still a sense that a certain erosion is happening, as seen in the story with Sokoine the laboni. Even though the role of the laboni over that of the doctor remains paramount on the manyattas, Sokoine finds more and more pastoral Maasai opting for hospital care instead of witch doctor care. Similarly, toward the end of the book, Kilimanjaro opens itself up to tourism in an attempt to make its big game park an economically self-sustaining entity. But as David explains, tourism means the need for tourist accommodations, tour guides, space ports (and gift shops!), banks, etc.
The message is not that traditional ways of living are doomed but that society is always changing (although the former may follow from the latter depending on the nature of that change). We can't always control that change. Even we do manage to direct it during our lifetimes, there is no guarantee things won't spiral out of control when we are gone. As Blumlein puts it, "Utopia isn't the end result at all, but rather the simple act of striving for that result?" Hence, Kilimanjaro rather baldly states its theme. It is not as subtle (nor as ambiguous) as The Dispossessed in its analysis of utopia, but that makes it no less worthy a book.
Resnick explores what happens when cultures collide, especially along generational and gender lines. I'm torn, when comparing the two books, whether I prefer Kirinyaga or Kilimanjaro. The latter does feel like a repeat, but I prefer its protagonist. On the other hand, Kirinyaga had better stories. Koriba was quite clever when in some of his solutions, and watching him execute a plan was a pleasure. David, in contrast, tends to sort of stumble through his conflicts, trusting on the rationality of people to result eventually in some form of resolution.
So I think my conclusion is . . . read both. They're really the same book, or two halves of one book, the Janus of utopian literature. Kilimanjaro makes you think differently about Kirinyaga than reading the latter just on its own; vice versa for the former. I can't say much for Resnick's ability to create characters or compelling plots; neither of those things are present here to any great degree, and these are the only two books of his I've read. He does know how to put science fiction to good use though.
The main character, David, seemed just as arrogant about the superiority of Maasai ways over Kikuyu ways as Koriba was about the superiority of Kikuyu ways over European ways. David is remarkably naive for a historian, constantly espousing optimism even when it's obvious that the situation won't turn out well. Rather than being an obstinate mundumugu who insists that it's his way or the highway, David is an open-minded historian who looks to compromise for solving his problems. This is an important difference between the two protagonists.
The juxtaposition of a desire to maintain traditional lifestyles in the face of increasing urbanization and assimilation that worked in Kirinyaga returns in Kilimanjaro, to good effect. The Maasai attempt to learn from the mistakes made on Kirinyaga. They know that returning totally to a traditional lifestyle is impossible, that the "damage" has already been done. Nevertheless, there's still a sense that a certain erosion is happening, as seen in the story with Sokoine the laboni. Even though the role of the laboni over that of the doctor remains paramount on the manyattas, Sokoine finds more and more pastoral Maasai opting for hospital care instead of witch doctor care. Similarly, toward the end of the book, Kilimanjaro opens itself up to tourism in an attempt to make its big game park an economically self-sustaining entity. But as David explains, tourism means the need for tourist accommodations, tour guides, space ports (and gift shops!), banks, etc.
The message is not that traditional ways of living are doomed but that society is always changing (although the former may follow from the latter depending on the nature of that change). We can't always control that change. Even we do manage to direct it during our lifetimes, there is no guarantee things won't spiral out of control when we are gone. As Blumlein puts it, "Utopia isn't the end result at all, but rather the simple act of striving for that result?" Hence, Kilimanjaro rather baldly states its theme. It is not as subtle (nor as ambiguous) as The Dispossessed in its analysis of utopia, but that makes it no less worthy a book.
Resnick explores what happens when cultures collide, especially along generational and gender lines. I'm torn, when comparing the two books, whether I prefer Kirinyaga or Kilimanjaro. The latter does feel like a repeat, but I prefer its protagonist. On the other hand, Kirinyaga had better stories. Koriba was quite clever when in some of his solutions, and watching him execute a plan was a pleasure. David, in contrast, tends to sort of stumble through his conflicts, trusting on the rationality of people to result eventually in some form of resolution.
So I think my conclusion is . . . read both. They're really the same book, or two halves of one book, the Janus of utopian literature. Kilimanjaro makes you think differently about Kirinyaga than reading the latter just on its own; vice versa for the former. I can't say much for Resnick's ability to create characters or compelling plots; neither of those things are present here to any great degree, and these are the only two books of his I've read. He does know how to put science fiction to good use though.
July 27, 2010
An enjoyable entry in Resnick's Africa series, this book is billed as a follow up to his award winning "Kirinyaga," and indeed, the utopia built by fellow Kenyans uses the "Kirinyaga" failure as inspiration to get it right, and they do.
Led by historian David ole Saitoti, who becomes like a shaman for the Council and people, the Masaai establish their own Utopia, which, instead of focusing strictly on one lifestyle, focuses on a variety of settings enjoyed by the Masaai. These creates a sense of freedom and adaptability which serves them well, for, like the other utopia experiments, unexpected circumstances and inquiries lead to pushing the Council for change. How they handle that and where it leads is the heart of this story.
Written as a special release novella for Subterranean Press, it may be hard to find this book, but I tracked it down on Amazon with little trouble. Regardless, it's worth the effort for those who enjoyed Mike Resnick's previous Africa works, and it provides a unique look at another idea of utopia different from the others, yet, one which raises as many questions and leaves us to determine the answers.
Highly enjoyable and recommended. A bit edgier than his other books language-wise, probably because of its limited audience, but that shouldn't keep most adults away.
Led by historian David ole Saitoti, who becomes like a shaman for the Council and people, the Masaai establish their own Utopia, which, instead of focusing strictly on one lifestyle, focuses on a variety of settings enjoyed by the Masaai. These creates a sense of freedom and adaptability which serves them well, for, like the other utopia experiments, unexpected circumstances and inquiries lead to pushing the Council for change. How they handle that and where it leads is the heart of this story.
Written as a special release novella for Subterranean Press, it may be hard to find this book, but I tracked it down on Amazon with little trouble. Regardless, it's worth the effort for those who enjoyed Mike Resnick's previous Africa works, and it provides a unique look at another idea of utopia different from the others, yet, one which raises as many questions and leaves us to determine the answers.
Highly enjoyable and recommended. A bit edgier than his other books language-wise, probably because of its limited audience, but that shouldn't keep most adults away.
July 20, 2010
This short book was pretty good. I actually won a signed copy from Pat Rothfuss' Worldbuilders charity auction. I wouldn't have read it otherwise.
At times I found the story a little dry and meandering at times. Perhaps the point wasn't to be too surprising as the general supposition is that people are the same no matter where you go and will carry on the positive and negative attributes of the human race. That being said it felt like the events that did take place in the book were somewhat arbitrary in and of themselves but still allowed the point to get across.
I am giving this book 4 stars because despite my complaints its message was clear and concise and I enjoyed it for its fairly unique perspective.
At times I found the story a little dry and meandering at times. Perhaps the point wasn't to be too surprising as the general supposition is that people are the same no matter where you go and will carry on the positive and negative attributes of the human race. That being said it felt like the events that did take place in the book were somewhat arbitrary in and of themselves but still allowed the point to get across.
I am giving this book 4 stars because despite my complaints its message was clear and concise and I enjoyed it for its fairly unique perspective.
February 18, 2020
Bland and patronizing in its descriptions of ease with which the western-centered social changes take over all-too-eager Maasai Utopia. Unfortunately, the author's stance on the inevitability of a very specific way of life keeps this book from being interesting even in terms of ideas. The prequel - Kirinyaga - had the same problems, clever use of fables and a quite believable protagonist (if not the supporting cast) kept that book from becoming boring.
July 3, 2012
Too simplistic for my tastes, both in content and style, but it does have the word "fable" in its title, so I can't count that against it too much.
November 23, 2017
Más flojita que su predecesora por su argumeto y sus personajes pero no menos original ni brillante. Resnick se esfuerza en darnos otro punto de vista, pero no consigue ese efecto demoledor que me provocó Koriba. Me ha gustado también sin embargo.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews