The Ministry for the Future in Beyond Reality

Dec 16, 2020 Armamix rated it it was amazing

Shelves: scifi, 2020

KSR on excellent form, as usual nobody is going to save the world single-handedly here, yet this is perhaps the most optimistic KSR story I've read in a while. Lovers of the Mars trilogy and Science in the Capital will enjoy this as well. ...more

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Jan 30, 2022 mina rated it liked it · review of another edition

Actually a 3.5/5 rating.

I like this book, I do, it's just that it is written in a very non-traditional way that really made me bored during the first half of the book. More like a non-fiction than fiction, with short chapters. The main characters are Mary, the head of the Ministry of the Future, and Frank, the survivor of a heatwave in India. But most of the chapters are not about them: sometimes we don't know who the chapter is talking about, sometimes it talks about a non-named person who will ...more

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Oct 22, 2022 Natalie rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

This book had some dark moments but I think Robinson wanted the book to end with his version of a happy ending: most things that are causing climate change are eliminated, people lead responsible lives, and Mary Murphy, the main character, is happy with her life.
I had big expectations for this book since it has been recommended several times. But I had trouble getting through all 563 pages! There are multiple storylines, fact based asides, and frightening vignettes that point a spot light at var This book had some dark moments but I think Robinson wanted the book to end with his version of a happy ending: most things that are causing climate change are eliminated, people lead responsible lives, and Mary Murphy, the main character, is happy with her life.
I had big expectations for this book since it has been recommended several times. But I had trouble getting through all 563 pages! There are multiple storylines, fact based asides, and frightening vignettes that point a spot light at various climate related problems.
The main story is about Mary, head of the Ministry for the Future, who at first tries conventional ways to change the damage happening to earth (negotiating with governments, trying to implement new policies, etc...) but then finds it more effective to have a "black wing" division who take out key players in climate destruction. The story takes place just a few years in the future.
In between the main story are various vignettes including:
-a heat wave in India
-a group who pump water from under glaciers to form new ice in Antarctica
-a refugee woman and her two daughters who meet "Jake"
-heavy rainfalls in L.A. that turn the whole city into rivers of brown water
-designing corridors for animals to live in so that we can reverse near extinction
-a couple trying to farm some land with oxen
-animals in the arctic region being brought back
-masses of people in China demanding (and getting) new freedoms in China
There were also multiple instances of rogue groups somehow taking out jet planes, huge ships, and landmarks to force people to change their habits. Strangely, these groups have powerful drones, a seemingly endless source of funding, and were completely untraceable.
Along with these stories were chapters that discussed the economics including taxes and laws to reverse climate change. These chapters were told in a very matter of fact tone and were also quite dry.
With the amount of technical information in the book, I expected there to be a list of readings or sources in the back. But we are just left to wonder how the author came up with all the ideas in the book.
Some parts of the book were fascinating. My favorite section was when Mary and a security team hike through the Alps to escape a possible death threat. I looked up the locations listed (including Oeschinensee, Switzerland) and they are real places. However, for the most part the main storyline seemed somewhat unrelated to the vignettes and factual sections. The book felt overly preachy and change seemed a bit too pat. I found myself struggling to finish even though I did eventually do so.
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Apr 28, 2021 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

Second time trying was the charm. It helped to read Robert’s review on how to best enjoy. Also as an audiobook because the narrators clearly delineated what was going on. Glad I tried again.

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