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طوفان مهیب
Tales from The Warming is unique in the annals of climate fiction, a new literary genre spawned in the last decade by the climate crisis. The anthology of 10 short stories takes readers all over the world and over time to experience—in human terms—the growing impact of what the author has dubbed “The Warming,” the man-made catastrophe that is increasing the world’s temperature, raising ocean levels and causing increasingly violent weather.
The stories—powerful, prophetic and poignant—are thought exercises that blend fact and fiction to examine the human impact of the crisis. They are based on current worst-case scenarios proposed by climate science. Each concerns a different challenge thrust upon us by the warming. In them readers witness people’s struggles to deal with these new realities. Some of the stories put people in harm’s way; others focus more on human creativity in mitigating its effects.
Story locations range from Bangladesh to Venice, Los Angeles to Polynesia, South Sudan to Southwestern China, Mount Kilimanjaro to the Persian Gulf, Miami to Greenland. The time frame is 2022 to 2059, a period during which the world is beginning to suffer the far reaching effects of this civilization-changing phenomenon.
The stories—powerful, prophetic and poignant—are thought exercises that blend fact and fiction to examine the human impact of the crisis. They are based on current worst-case scenarios proposed by climate science. Each concerns a different challenge thrust upon us by the warming. In them readers witness people’s struggles to deal with these new realities. Some of the stories put people in harm’s way; others focus more on human creativity in mitigating its effects.
Story locations range from Bangladesh to Venice, Los Angeles to Polynesia, South Sudan to Southwestern China, Mount Kilimanjaro to the Persian Gulf, Miami to Greenland. The time frame is 2022 to 2059, a period during which the world is beginning to suffer the far reaching effects of this civilization-changing phenomenon.
252 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2022
415 people want to read
About the author
Lorin R. Robinson
4 books33 followersLorin Robinson’s career has been split primarily between university teaching/
administration and business.
He chaired the Journalism Department at the University of Wisconsin—River Falls for 10 years after founding and managing the school’s public radio station. He then joined 3M Company as a marketing communications manager. After 24 years at 3M, he returned to teaching—in the Graduate College of Business, University of St. Thomas.
Robinson has BS and MS Degrees in Journalism from Northwestern University and a PhD in Communication from the University of Minnesota.
Over the years, Robinson has also worked as a professional journalist, photojournalist and freelance magazine writer.
He and Linda, his wife and editor, live in Lake Elmo, MN.
administration and business.
He chaired the Journalism Department at the University of Wisconsin—River Falls for 10 years after founding and managing the school’s public radio station. He then joined 3M Company as a marketing communications manager. After 24 years at 3M, he returned to teaching—in the Graduate College of Business, University of St. Thomas.
Robinson has BS and MS Degrees in Journalism from Northwestern University and a PhD in Communication from the University of Minnesota.
Over the years, Robinson has also worked as a professional journalist, photojournalist and freelance magazine writer.
He and Linda, his wife and editor, live in Lake Elmo, MN.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 19, 2018
One of the hot-button topics over the last few decades have fallen on the impending arrival of catastrophic global warming. There's no getting around it, the Earth is trending to become warmer. Author Lorin Robinson presents a dismal look at what will greet us around the globe in the not-too-distant future. Fasten your seatbelts.
Rising sea levels will have invaded coastlines worldwide. Millions, perhaps a billion lives will be directly impacted. A triggered sequence of disasters will reign in the remaining population. No one escapes unscathed. This well-written narrative guided me through 10 tragic, likely, scenarios around the world in the not-too-distant future. Each plagued with their own unique disaster. Sadly, we could predict the devastation that was coming but merely stood by.
The main culprit for the ever encroaching global warming phenomena is carbon dioxide. Some studies have shown that this greenhouse gas can last in the atmosphere for anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years. So, in an ideal world, even if we all stopped using fossil fuels tomorrow, the global warming effect would fail to end. That being the case, many cried, "So why bother?"
The author said that as a rule, if we're not being impacted by the effects of global warming at the present moment then it's not regarded as a serious enough threat. As long as the world keeps its finger plugged in the dam from day to day, there's no reason for alarm, live for today. That's typically been humanity's answer.
The sentiment goes that the seas will rise but not to worry, it won't happen overnight. Storms will reach new levels of ferocity but we'll see them coming - not a problem. We'll make our adjustments as needed, move inland; get to higher ground - whatever it takes. It's easier to leave our heads buried in the sand. Maybe it'll all go away all on its own.
Many developing nations are not able to bear the overwhelming cost of switching over to alternative energy sources; food, shelter, and medical assistance come first on the agenda. They have bigger fish to fry. Fossil fuels arrive at bargain rates. They subsist by the motto, 'show me the money.' In a nutshell, they're not in the warming game. Their hands will remain in their pockets.
My thanks to Lorin Robinson and Open Books Publishers for this digital edition in exchange for an unbiased review.
Rising sea levels will have invaded coastlines worldwide. Millions, perhaps a billion lives will be directly impacted. A triggered sequence of disasters will reign in the remaining population. No one escapes unscathed. This well-written narrative guided me through 10 tragic, likely, scenarios around the world in the not-too-distant future. Each plagued with their own unique disaster. Sadly, we could predict the devastation that was coming but merely stood by.
The main culprit for the ever encroaching global warming phenomena is carbon dioxide. Some studies have shown that this greenhouse gas can last in the atmosphere for anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years. So, in an ideal world, even if we all stopped using fossil fuels tomorrow, the global warming effect would fail to end. That being the case, many cried, "So why bother?"
The author said that as a rule, if we're not being impacted by the effects of global warming at the present moment then it's not regarded as a serious enough threat. As long as the world keeps its finger plugged in the dam from day to day, there's no reason for alarm, live for today. That's typically been humanity's answer.
The sentiment goes that the seas will rise but not to worry, it won't happen overnight. Storms will reach new levels of ferocity but we'll see them coming - not a problem. We'll make our adjustments as needed, move inland; get to higher ground - whatever it takes. It's easier to leave our heads buried in the sand. Maybe it'll all go away all on its own.
Many developing nations are not able to bear the overwhelming cost of switching over to alternative energy sources; food, shelter, and medical assistance come first on the agenda. They have bigger fish to fry. Fossil fuels arrive at bargain rates. They subsist by the motto, 'show me the money.' In a nutshell, they're not in the warming game. Their hands will remain in their pockets.
My thanks to Lorin Robinson and Open Books Publishers for this digital edition in exchange for an unbiased review.
February 7, 2023
۳.۵/۵
Tales from the warning
یا
طوفان مهیب ، ده داستان در مورد گرمایش و انهدام زمین به دست بشر، احتمالا چند سال پیش یه کتاب آخرالزمانی به حساب میاومد اما از اونجا که داستان ها از ۲۰۲۲ تا ۲۰۵۹اتفاق میافتن فکر کنم دیگه شده داستان جهان ما. ( خیلی حس عجیبیه که کمکم داستان ها آخرالزمانی دارن با جهان ما یکی میشن، یا جهان ما با اون ها یکی میشه ، یا شده به قول واچر توی مارول زمان حتی یه خط مستقیم هم نیست. بگذریم)
داستان ها اتفاقات مختلفی رو روایت می کنن از جهانی که به دست بشریت داره نابود میشه. گرمای کرهی زمین و افزایش دمای کلی اتمسفر اثرات طولانی مدتی روی جهان گذاشته و بشریت که خودش رختخواب رو پهن کرده حالا باید توش بخوابه. فکر کنم داستان مورد علاقهی من اولین داستان بود. شاید به خاطر این که همزادپنداری با افراد از جمعیت ها راحت تره. در کل داستان ها اغلب روند آهستهای دارن که. بعضی جاها به جذابیت داستان کمک میکنه. باعث میشه بهار عمق اتفاقات رو درک کنیم اما یه جاهایی آزار دهنده میشه. موضوع کتاب جالب و ترجمهی اون روان بود. ولی خب مثل خیلی مجموعه داستان های کوتاه دیگه همهی داستان ها ممکنه توجه خواننده رو جلب نکنن. در کل اگر به موضوعات محیط زیستی و اجتماعی علاقه دارید احتمالا از خوندنش لذت ببرید.
Tales from the warning
یا
طوفان مهیب ، ده داستان در مورد گرمایش و انهدام زمین به دست بشر، احتمالا چند سال پیش یه کتاب آخرالزمانی به حساب میاومد اما از اونجا که داستان ها از ۲۰۲۲ تا ۲۰۵۹اتفاق میافتن فکر کنم دیگه شده داستان جهان ما. ( خیلی حس عجیبیه که کمکم داستان ها آخرالزمانی دارن با جهان ما یکی میشن، یا جهان ما با اون ها یکی میشه ، یا شده به قول واچر توی مارول زمان حتی یه خط مستقیم هم نیست. بگذریم)
داستان ها اتفاقات مختلفی رو روایت می کنن از جهانی که به دست بشریت داره نابود میشه. گرمای کرهی زمین و افزایش دمای کلی اتمسفر اثرات طولانی مدتی روی جهان گذاشته و بشریت که خودش رختخواب رو پهن کرده حالا باید توش بخوابه. فکر کنم داستان مورد علاقهی من اولین داستان بود. شاید به خاطر این که همزادپنداری با افراد از جمعیت ها راحت تره. در کل داستان ها اغلب روند آهستهای دارن که. بعضی جاها به جذابیت داستان کمک میکنه. باعث میشه بهار عمق اتفاقات رو درک کنیم اما یه جاهایی آزار دهنده میشه. موضوع کتاب جالب و ترجمهی اون روان بود. ولی خب مثل خیلی مجموعه داستان های کوتاه دیگه همهی داستان ها ممکنه توجه خواننده رو جلب نکنن. در کل اگر به موضوعات محیط زیستی و اجتماعی علاقه دارید احتمالا از خوندنش لذت ببرید.
July 16, 2018
When I opted to review this collection of short stories, I was drawn in by the subject. Global warming is an issue I skirt around the edges of, I hear of it often, but in all honesty, I am confused by it. And I think that goes for many other people. The general population rely on facts being given to us, but when scientists, governments and other authority figures have such disparity amongst them about what the facts actually are, and the interpretation of them, it’s no wonder so many choose not to believe global warming is happening, let alone to start to know what to do about it as an individual. There are so many conflicting schools of thought that I don’t know what to believe, and so I started to read this collection in the hope that it would enlighten me.
This collection is not an easy read. Each short story deals with the effects of global warming in a different year and in a different country, and each is crammed full of detail which can be a bit mind boggling. The author has clearly done a lot of in depth research and is keen to educate the reader as much as possible in the space of just a few pages. The pace is pretty fast at times and it feels as if there are vast amounts of information being thrown at you – but none of it feel unnecessary and it all serves to beautifully shape each story.
What most struck and saddened me whilst reading was how the for the majority of the characters, there is an easy acceptance. Like Robinson mentions in the introduction, the effects of global warming are slow moving and so we accept it as ‘the new normal’. Equally, I had half expected ten short stories filled with shocking Hollywood type drama, and I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth of this collection. The focus is not just catastrophe. Instead other, more indirect angles are covered; world and local politics, eco-activism, immigration and the scientific hunt for survival amongst them. I almost found this to be more shocking, as it made the events feel very real and relatable to the world we currently live in. No CGI, no special effects – just people like us, dealing with the world they inhabit.
Another element I found quite disturbing was the lack of a global community. The stories set throughout the book are in chronological order, and yet events in one seem to have no impact on another. It could just be that they are meant to be completely singular stand-alone stories – but I felt it spoke volumes of the author’s opinion on the current lack of unity regarding the issue.
Although it’s not a collection I would avidly return to time and time again, I did find Tales from the Warming very readable, educational and thought provoking. Although fiction, it is based on scientific facts and predictions. It frightens me that these events could become reality in my lifetime, and as a Mum of two young children I feel worried for the world they will grow up in. It has definitely made me much more aware.
This collection is not an easy read. Each short story deals with the effects of global warming in a different year and in a different country, and each is crammed full of detail which can be a bit mind boggling. The author has clearly done a lot of in depth research and is keen to educate the reader as much as possible in the space of just a few pages. The pace is pretty fast at times and it feels as if there are vast amounts of information being thrown at you – but none of it feel unnecessary and it all serves to beautifully shape each story.
What most struck and saddened me whilst reading was how the for the majority of the characters, there is an easy acceptance. Like Robinson mentions in the introduction, the effects of global warming are slow moving and so we accept it as ‘the new normal’. Equally, I had half expected ten short stories filled with shocking Hollywood type drama, and I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth of this collection. The focus is not just catastrophe. Instead other, more indirect angles are covered; world and local politics, eco-activism, immigration and the scientific hunt for survival amongst them. I almost found this to be more shocking, as it made the events feel very real and relatable to the world we currently live in. No CGI, no special effects – just people like us, dealing with the world they inhabit.
Another element I found quite disturbing was the lack of a global community. The stories set throughout the book are in chronological order, and yet events in one seem to have no impact on another. It could just be that they are meant to be completely singular stand-alone stories – but I felt it spoke volumes of the author’s opinion on the current lack of unity regarding the issue.
Although it’s not a collection I would avidly return to time and time again, I did find Tales from the Warming very readable, educational and thought provoking. Although fiction, it is based on scientific facts and predictions. It frightens me that these events could become reality in my lifetime, and as a Mum of two young children I feel worried for the world they will grow up in. It has definitely made me much more aware.
July 26, 2017
Tales from the Warming presents a series of ten short stories set in the near future that tells about the impact of global warming on human life. All of these stories exhibit in a very realistic fashion what will happen to people from all around the Earth if we do not try to stop or at least slow or global Carbon Dioxide emissions. Beginning with the very near future in 2022, we follow a weather reported to the top of Kilimanjaro where the last of the snow is melting. This event in itself is not all that dramatic, but it is just the tip of the iceberg. The emotion in the writing that is conveyed through this one event is what carried me through the rest of the stories in the book. As the years pass, the effects of climate change spread and take route in humans lives, causing the characters to adapt and change their way of life as the new climate takes hold.
As I read through each story and the years pass, the climate slowly worsens for the human way of life. People are beginning to die, and those that have survived are finding more radical ways to live. What impressed me the most is that nothing unrealistic or from science-fiction was brought into any of the stories. Many of the events that so drastically changed the lives of the characters are events that are happening now: air pollution so terrible that it is killing people, earthquakes resulting from fracking and changes in growing seasons and locations. Overall, a very thought provoking and practical look into our most likely future if we do not begin to change our habits.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
As I read through each story and the years pass, the climate slowly worsens for the human way of life. People are beginning to die, and those that have survived are finding more radical ways to live. What impressed me the most is that nothing unrealistic or from science-fiction was brought into any of the stories. Many of the events that so drastically changed the lives of the characters are events that are happening now: air pollution so terrible that it is killing people, earthquakes resulting from fracking and changes in growing seasons and locations. Overall, a very thought provoking and practical look into our most likely future if we do not begin to change our habits.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
October 8, 2018
Lorin R. Robinson's "Tales from the Warming" is a collection of ten short stories that focus on the consequences of global warming. Each story focuses on different characters all around the world, in the near future, ranging from the 2020s and ending in the 2050s.
The main reason I recommend this book is that I think it's a great way to get people to care about climate change. Sometimes it can be difficult to understand how bad things are going to get because for many people those changes are too far away for them to care about. FIction is a great solution, however, because it allows us to travel into the near-future and live through those situations.
From human migration and refugees to strong cyclones and desertification, this book covers a wide range of what the future might look like. With the exception of the stories set in Venice and California, I enjoyed each of the narratives.
The main reason I recommend this book is that I think it's a great way to get people to care about climate change. Sometimes it can be difficult to understand how bad things are going to get because for many people those changes are too far away for them to care about. FIction is a great solution, however, because it allows us to travel into the near-future and live through those situations.
From human migration and refugees to strong cyclones and desertification, this book covers a wide range of what the future might look like. With the exception of the stories set in Venice and California, I enjoyed each of the narratives.
December 29, 2017
Found this collection of short stories unexpectedly moving. It hardly ever sinks to disaster porn or despair. Rather these stories of real people living in the developing climate changes, some barely coping some living very recognizable lives in by turns sad and sweet and even some optimism. Just like real life.
I guess I should mention that I am a climate scientist, and the author clearly did his homework. Pretty realistic climate underpinnings.
I guess I should mention that I am a climate scientist, and the author clearly did his homework. Pretty realistic climate underpinnings.
July 5, 2017
Captivating! Dr. Robinson weaves a web around the reader. He is a really good storyteller! Also, each story is this very readable book is amplified by scientific data that could have easily been vapid … but not in these stories. His premise is well supported. I highly recommended this book!
March 1, 2018
Ten interesting stories of how various parts of the world handle climate change a few hundred years from now. Realistic thoughtful stories, not the usual action tales. Lots of interesting scientific details.
October 29, 2020
Too many numbers. Not enough emotion to keep me reading.
April 3, 2018
This book, although fiction, is a polemic by a (perhaps?) scientist who is upset with the lack of action on the climate crisis. It's a set of short stories set in the near future (2021-2059) that concern various ways climate change will impact human life. The problem is that the writing is pedestrian, and none of the characters are fully developed. I read about half of it and gave up. You need someone like Doris Lessing (cited in the author's intro) or Margaret Atwood or Ursula LeGuin to fully imagine such scenarios and give them life.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews