Kim Stanley Robinson is probably my favorite living author; I don’t think anyone does setting and worldbuilding better than he does, yet his stories are largely character-driven.
Here’s my favorites of his that I’ve read:
- Aurora, where a generation ship is on it’s way to Tau Ceti
- The Years of Rice and Salt, an alt-history where most of Europe perishes in a great plague in the 14th century
- Shaman, a fictional narrative about the people who painted Chauvet Cave
I love how his stories are about being optimistic in times where that’s a hard thing to be. I like the focus on environmentalism and the sublime (Ministry for the Future is basically a solarpunk novel). He mostly writes hard sci-fi, which is my favorite genre, but also spins off into history and philosophy like in Galileo’s Dream.
I think most people know his writing from his Red/Green/Blue Mars series, which I love, but he’s done so much more than that.
So what’s your favorite of his books?
I enjoyed the Mars series, although I’ll admit it’s been a while since I read it and only a few things I really remember unless someone mentions other events. I have not read the book, but the opening chapter of Ministry for the Future (available online) is something that sticks with me as a premonition of what’s to come for many people. The only flaw to me was
Spoiler
how the main character seems to be the only survivor of what should have killed everyone. Perhaps if the death toll hadn’t been so absolute it would have been less plot armor.