
The Years of Rice and Salt
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Narrated by:
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Bronson Pinchot
It is the 14th century, and one of the most apocalyptic events in human history is set to occur - the coming of the Black Death. History teaches us that a third of Europe's population was destroyed. But what if the plague had killed 99 percent of the population instead? How would the world have changed? This is a look at the history that could have been - a history that stretches across centuries, a history that sees dynasties and nations rise and crumble, a history that spans horrible famine and magnificent innovation. These are the years of rice and salt.
This is a universe where the first ship to reach the New World travels across the Pacific Ocean from China and colonization spreads from west to east. This is a universe where the Industrial Revolution is triggered by the world's greatest scientific minds - in India. This is a universe where Buddhism and Islam are the most influential and practiced religions, and Christianity is merely a historical footnote.
Through the eyes of soldiers and kings, explorers and philosophers, slaves and scholars, Robinson renders an immensely rich tapestry. Rewriting history and probing the most profound questions as only he can, Robinson shines his extraordinary light on the place of religion, culture, power, and even love on such an Earth. From the steppes of Asia to the shores of the Western Hemisphere, from the age of Akbar to the present and beyond, here is the stunning story of the creation of a new world.
©2002 Kim Stanley Robinson (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















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Where does The Years of Rice and Salt rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Bronson Pinchot does a great job as narrator of this long novel. The characters re-encarnate: The "B" character is usually the peaceful, enlightened person and the "K" character is a fighter against what they feel are the wrongs of the world. B and K struggle in the world because "B" is enlightenment and "K" is destroying Evil. They meet between chapters in the afterlife to work through what they've learned and to exit into reincarnation again, perhaps this time, they'll "get it right."A lot of history that many readers are not familiar with (Chinese, Arabic, medieval) is re-written here in an engaging way. However, if you are not familiar with these histories, you may not see the tongue-in-cheek or clever way the author has revised history to postulate what would have happened, had the world exited from the Plague Years in Europe in a different way.
Sometimes, the chapters ("books") get long and the inevitable end (they die) seems a bit confused, and the emergence again with enlightened knowledge doesn't always seem clear. Nor are the scenes in the afterworld that interesting--as pure flights of fancy, they are less successful than the re-imagined historical events in the world.
Still, I enjoyed this novel immensely and the narration with lightly done character voices by Pinchot is masterful.
Engaging novel of alternate world history
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Excellent alternate history
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Sweeping scale, compelling details
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Better to Read
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Huge and wonderful
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Wonderful Storytelling
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This book is also so very much more, featuring rich and believable characters reasonably confronting change with the knowledge they have at their disposal based on the time and place. They also bring deeper aspects of their worldviews based on culture and the story incorporates spiritual aspects beautifully.
There are also surprising bits of wit and charm to the writing style that make for a phenomenal hook to make you want to continue. The book raises deep spiritual questions which are highly pertainant to and stemmed from eastern faiths.
As the story grows and world evolves, these worldviews and the spiritual elements change as well. It is both enlightening and fascinating to hear the biggest questions in the world be debated by curious people in different times and cultures and how it all builds to something greater over time.
Tldr: I went into it thinking it would be an interesting alt history scenario and I left questioning my philosophy and worldview. It is an all time favorite book of mine and I desperately hope you give it a chance!
Epic, Engaging, and Thoughtful
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Alternate History
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Captivated Me
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