The Years of Rice and Salt
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Narrated by:
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Bronson Pinchot
About this listen
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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Story
New York Times best-selling author Kim Stanley Robinson returns with a bold and brilliant vision of New York City in the next century. As the sea levels rose, every street became a canal. Every skyscraper an island. For the residents of one apartment building in Madison Square, however, New York in the year 2140 is far from a drowned city. There is the market trader, who finds opportunities where others find trouble. There is the detective, whose work will never disappear—along with the lawyers, of course.
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Complex, believable, nuanced, riveting
- By Lois on 04-07-17
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Shaman
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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There is Thorn, a shaman himself. He lives to pass down his wisdom and his stories - to teach those who would follow in his footsteps. There is Heather, the healer who, in many ways, holds the clan together. There is Elga, an outsider and the bringer of change. And then there is Loon, the next shaman, who is determined to find his own path. But in a world so treacherous, that journey is never simple - and where it may lead is never certain.
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A strange and similar world
- By Dan Harlow on 11-17-13
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Aurora
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Ali Ahn
- Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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A major new novel from one of science fiction's most powerful voices, Aurora tells the incredible story of our first voyage beyond the solar system. Brilliantly imagined and beautifully told, it is the work of a writer at the height of his powers.
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The Future is Limited, Get Used to It
- By Martin Lesser on 08-20-15
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2312
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity's only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future. The first event takes place on Mercury, on the city of Terminator, itself a miracle of engineering on an unprecedented scale. It is an unexpected death, but one that might have been foreseen....
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Good story, HORRENDOUS narration.
- By New on 11-19-12
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The Wild Shore
- The Three Californias Triptych, Book 1
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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North America, 2047. For the small Pacific Coast community of San Onofre, life in the aftermath of a devastating nuclear attack is a matter of survival, a day-to-day struggle to stay alive. But young Hank Fletcher dreams of the world that might have been, that might yet be - and dreams of playing a crucial role in America's rebirth.
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Needs 6 stars
- By Carl on 01-12-16
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Antarctica
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 19 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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It is a stark and inhospitable place, where the landscape itself poses a challenge to survival, yet its strange, silent beauty has long fascinated scientists and adventurers. Now Antarctica faces an uncertain future. The international treaty which protects the continent is about to dissolve, clearing the way for Antarctica’s resources to be plundered, its eerie beauty to be savaged. As politicians wrangle over its fate, major corporations begin probing for its hidden riches.
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Narrator ruins an otherwise interesting book.
- By Andrew Pollack on 07-03-21
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New York 2140
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren, Robin Miles, Peter Ganim, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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New York Times best-selling author Kim Stanley Robinson returns with a bold and brilliant vision of New York City in the next century. As the sea levels rose, every street became a canal. Every skyscraper an island. For the residents of one apartment building in Madison Square, however, New York in the year 2140 is far from a drowned city. There is the market trader, who finds opportunities where others find trouble. There is the detective, whose work will never disappear—along with the lawyers, of course.
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Complex, believable, nuanced, riveting
- By Lois on 04-07-17
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Shaman
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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There is Thorn, a shaman himself. He lives to pass down his wisdom and his stories - to teach those who would follow in his footsteps. There is Heather, the healer who, in many ways, holds the clan together. There is Elga, an outsider and the bringer of change. And then there is Loon, the next shaman, who is determined to find his own path. But in a world so treacherous, that journey is never simple - and where it may lead is never certain.
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A strange and similar world
- By Dan Harlow on 11-17-13
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Aurora
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Ali Ahn
- Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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A major new novel from one of science fiction's most powerful voices, Aurora tells the incredible story of our first voyage beyond the solar system. Brilliantly imagined and beautifully told, it is the work of a writer at the height of his powers.
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The Future is Limited, Get Used to It
- By Martin Lesser on 08-20-15
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2312
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity's only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future. The first event takes place on Mercury, on the city of Terminator, itself a miracle of engineering on an unprecedented scale. It is an unexpected death, but one that might have been foreseen....
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Good story, HORRENDOUS narration.
- By New on 11-19-12
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Galileo’s Dream
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 20 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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With Galileo’s Dream, Kim Stanley Robinson crafts an instant masterpiece that blends epic adventure and thoughtful alternate history. Ganymede, a rebellious Jovian, attempts to bring famed scientific mind Galileo forward in time to alter the course of history with astonishing results.
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Quit listening about a third of the way in.
- By ShySusan on 05-06-12
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Forty Signs of Rain
- Science in the Capital, Book 1
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim, Kim Stanley Robinson
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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The best-selling author of the classic Mars trilogy and The Years of Rice and Salt returns with a riveting new trilogy of cutting-edge science, international politics, and the real-life ramifications of global warming as they are played out in our nation's capital - and in the daily lives of those at the center of the action. Hauntingly realistic, here is a novel of the near future that is inspired by scientific facts already making headlines. BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction by author Kim Stanley Robinson.
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Its all
- By steve on 01-07-09
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Red Moon
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Maxwell Hamilton, Joy Osmanski, Feodor Chin
- Length: 16 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 30 years from now, and we have colonized the moon. American Fred Fredericks is making his first trip, his purpose to install a communications system for China's Lunar Science Foundation. But hours after his arrival, he witnesses a murder and is forced into hiding. It is also the first visit for celebrity travel reporter Ta Shu. He has contacts and influence, but he, too, will find the moon can be a perilous place for any traveler.
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16 hours of nothing much happening
- By GP on 03-31-19
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Red Mars
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 23 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, Red Mars is the first book in Kim Stanley Robinson's best-selling trilogy. Red Mars is praised by scientists for its detailed visions of future technology. It is also hailed by authors and critics for its vivid characters and dramatic conflicts.
For centuries, the red planet has enticed the people of Earth. Now an international group of scientists has colonized Mars. Leaving Earth forever, these 100 people have traveled nine months to reach their new home. This is the remarkable story of the world they create - and the hidden power struggles of those who want to control it.
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very long
- By Dana on 07-17-08
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The High Sierra
- A Love Story
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Kim Stanley Robinson first ventured into the Sierra Nevada mountains during the summer of 1973. He returned from that encounter a changed man, awed by a landscape that made him feel as if he were simultaneously strolling through an art museum and scrambling on a jungle gym like an energized child. He has returned to the mountains throughout his life—more than a hundred trips—and has gathered a vast store of knowledge about them. The High Sierra is his lavish celebration of this exceptional place.
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Disappointed in the judgmental tone
- By Amazon Customer on 08-18-22
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The Ministry for the Future
- A Novel
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Jennifer Fitzgerald, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Ramon de Ocampo, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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The Ministry for the Future is a masterpiece of the imagination, using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all. Its setting is not a desolate, post-apocalyptic world, but a future that is almost upon us - and in which we might just overcome the extraordinary challenges we face.
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Great ideas, uneven narration
- By depthpsychologist on 12-09-20
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Icehenge
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell, Kevin T. Collins, Carla Mercer-Meyer
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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On the North Pole of Pluto there stands an enigma: a huge circle of standing blocks of ice, built on the pattern of Earth's Stonehenge - but 10 times the size, standing alone at the farthest reaches of the Solar System. What is it? Who came there to build it? The secret lies, perhaps, in the chaotic decades of the Martian Revolution, in the lost memories of those who have lived for centuries.
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An unusually realistic (& depressing) dystopia.
- By J. Billings on 04-15-18
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New York 2140: Booktrack Edition
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren, Robin Miles, Peter Ganim, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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New York 2140: Booktrack Edition adds an immersive musical soundtrack to your audiobook listening experience! As the sea levels rose, every street became a canal. Every skyscraper an island. For the residents of one apartment building in Madison Square, however, New York in the year 2140 is far from a drowned city. There is the market trader, who finds opportunities where others find trouble. There is the detective, whose work will never disappear - along with the lawyers, of course. There is the internet star, beloved by millions for her airship adventures....
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Best audible production I’ve heard
- By Kwêvoël on 05-20-21
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The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Adventurers, scientists, artists, workers, and visionaries - these are the men and women you will encounter in the short fiction of Kim Stanley Robinson. In settings ranging from the sunken ruins of Venice to the upper reaches of the Himalayas to the terraformed surface of Mars itself, and through themes of environmental sustainability, social justice, personal responsibility, sports, adventure, and fun, Robinson's protagonists explore a world which stands in sharp contrast to many of the traditional locales and mores of science fiction, presenting instead a world in which Utopia rests within our grasp.
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A nice treat for Kim Stanley Robinson fans
- By Anonymous User on 06-13-14
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A Short, Sharp Shock
- By: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Richard Powers
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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A man tumbles through wild surf, half drowned, to collapse on a moonlit beach. When he regains consciousness, he has no memory of who he is or where he came from. He knows only that the woman who washed ashore with him has disappeared sometime in the night and that he has awakened in a surreal landscape of savage beauty - a mysterious watery world encircled by a thin spine of land.
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Wicked, thrilling, exciting
- By Matt on 01-09-19
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Passage
- By: Connie Willis
- Narrated by: Erin deWard
- Length: 31 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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A psychologist specializing in near-death experiences, Dr. Joanna Lander has spent two years recording the experiences of those who have been declared clinically dead and lived to tell about it. A new doctor has arrived at Mercy General, one with the power to give Joanna the chance to get as close to death as anyone can. Dr. Richard Wright has come up with a way to manufacture the near-death experience using a psychoactive drug. Dr. Wright is convinced that the NDE is a survival mechanism and that if only doctors understood how it worked, they could someday delay the dying process.
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interesting listen. Different from her other books.
- By Stuart on 02-10-24
By: Connie Willis
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Blue Masquerade
- Iron Crucible, Book 1
- By: T.K. Blackwood
- Narrated by: Kyle Tait
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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The year is 1992. Over twenty years have passed since Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev was assassinated by a crazed gunman. Since that time, the Soviet Union has been put on a course toward economic success—and war. In the Balkans, Yugoslavia's collapse into ethnic violence draws NATO and the Warsaw Pact to the brink of Armageddon. Armies deploy and fleets maneuver. Political intrigue engulfs Moscow and Washington, and paranoia radiates from the Iron Curtain. In the zero-sum game of Cold War, neither side can afford to blink or back down.
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Refreshing take on WW3
- By Tactless on 05-07-24
By: T.K. Blackwood
What listeners say about The Years of Rice and Salt
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- Kindle Customer
- 03-31-17
Awesome.
History, religion, philosophy, science - all brilliantly woven into a stunning meditation in why our world is the way it is.
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- Joanna D.
- 03-03-16
Engaging novel of alternate world history
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.
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- GY
- 12-19-17
Excellent alternate history
Robinson's imagination and deep knowledge of his subject are real assets for stories like this. Worth the listen, even if the reader's tone is off. Sometimes too whimsical and other times wheedling or whiny.
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- Fleet Select Visa
- 01-21-24
Sweeping scale, compelling details
An engaging trip through time following a knot of souls reincarnated together. Their lives and works, and their subtle impact on humanity are quite moving. Very interesting alternate history, and powerful commentary on “real world” history and current day. Robinson does it again.
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- averageconsumer
- 05-10-15
A Thoughtful and Timeless Masterpiece
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend this audiobook to friends who love and respect great thinking and fine writing. I would not recommend this work to friends who prefer the audiobook equivalent of fast food.
What did you like best about this story?
I like best the fact that I can read this book every few years and still find new subtleties to relish.
Have you listened to any of Bronson Pinchot’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Yes. I've never heard Bronson Pinchot give a poor performance. He is one of the very best narrators, regardless of the various quality of the materials he is given to work with. In this case, he is as gloriously wonderful as the book itself.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Not at all. It is far too good for that, and deserves as much savoring as anyone has to offer.
Any additional comments?
In my view, The Years of Rice and Salt is one of the great books of our times, and it isn't for everybody. So I will do my best to convey why I enjoyed this book so thoroughly, and hope it helps you to decide.
First things first. The inspired choice of a narrator is Bronson Pinchot. And he very wisely chose not to hasten through the journey, but to match it in rhythm and feeling. He speaks in a very clear and flowing cadence, subtly blending with the very rhythm of the story itself as it unfolds over many times and places. He uses his considerable intelligence and talent to help us experience the disparate and highly complex pieces of the story as the unified whole they already are.
With a book as sophisticated, multidimensional, far-flung and intricate as The Years of Rice and Salt, this is a gold standard for great narration.
In reviewing books, the first thing most people naturally do is describe the basic outline of the story. But in this case the book jacket does that well enough. No amount of telling you what The Years of Rice and Salt is "about" will help you much in deciding if you might like it.
If you strongly like or dislike certain topics or types of stories or authors, then the usual publisher's description here will serve very well to steer you toward or away from this book on that basis.
The more important thing to know is that this work is not a comfortable clone of something else, as most books are. It is exactly the opposite.
It is wholly original, soaring, immense, and worthy of the best sustained attention. I think The Years of Rice and Salt is an example of an unusual accomplishment, only widely recognized much later as great literature. Allow me to explain what I mean by that.
The Years of Rice and Salt does not resemble the self-indulgent display of personal subconscious idiosyncrasies some also call literature these days. In other words, it is not at all like the last few books written by Kim Stanley Robinson himself.
No. This is classical literature: wondrous in depth and breadth and vividly original, with fine-grained characterizations and utterly satisfying universal story-telling. And it is directly related to that same enormous, humanity-encompassing and delightfully specific mind which created The Golden Age of Kim Stanley Robinson.
I mean when he was one of the finest story-tellers of his or any other generation.
Back when he wrote science fiction at the level of Doris Lessing's Canopus in Argos, or Dan Simmons at his Hyperion best. When he once dedicated his sublimely imaginative intelligence to telling stories on behalf of the whole human race.
I refer to the Kim Stanley Robinson of world-class grandeur and literary attainments--- before a subconscious imp whispered in his ear that "higher" literary greatness could be achieved by focusing frequently on descriptions of sex. Or through "impressionistic" writing, as if blurry suggestive strokes are superior to classical clarity, vividness and scope. As if Monet was superior to Leonardo, Michelangelo, Bosch, and Bruegel. In other words, I have sorely missed Kim Stanley Robinson's unique gifts- and therefore greet The Years of Rice and Salt audiobook as a dear friend of the mind, returned in a new form.
There are an infinite number of ways to illustrate the journey of human beings through time and space, and one of the best is through science fiction. After all, this Earth is our primary and original Generation Ship- and we are already flying through space.
But this book is not quite that, or anything else either. It is not in a category. And it doesn't matter whether or not you accept the underlying premise. It is so well described that all you need to do is suspend personal beliefs, and let the tale tell itself on its own terms.
Personally, I think a great hidden truth of our life on Earth may very well resemble the general idea behind The Years of Rice and Salt, to one degree or another. And that is partly why I enjoy this story so much. But I would also have enjoyed this book just as much if I thought the premise was utter nonsense. The great beauty of masterful story-telling on this level is that we find some kind of telling reality in it, whether purely symbolic or purely imaginative- or any admixture in between.
My advice to anyone considering buying this book is to think about it, and let all the descriptions sink in. See if you resonate with it or not. I didn't have to think twice, since I have long wished for this particular audiobook during my own long years of rice and salt.
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- D
- 04-24-16
Glad when it was over
The concept was interesting, the writing was good, but the book didn't work for me. You know how when you start a book it takes a while before you get to know the characters and the situation and become immersed in the story? With this book, every reincarnation was like that, and as soon as I got oriented and started to enjoy the story, the protagonists died and went on to the next life. The names and places were mostly Chinese or Muslim, so kind of hard to remember and keep straight. Even though they were the same "souls", they couldn't remember (except once, when it about drove them mad) their previous lives, so each story was only peripherally connected to the previous ones. I usually love extremely long books, but with this one, I was just glad when it was over.
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- Brian
- 08-10-15
one of my favorites
one of my favorites by a great sf writer, an emotionally powerful ride that teaches and inspires a better world, perfect sf...
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- mjsevert
- 10-27-18
Well Written and Well Read
This a long story that spans centuries ... and it has well developed characters that extend throughput it... it is an interesting view of a world that took a different path than ours, but with the same universal human nature at it's heart. I feel like I learned something about life and the world after listening to it... but I couldn't tell you what that is. That delights me.
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- Chris
- 05-30-19
An enjoyable ride down a different what-if road
An interesting premise, what if the black plague had completely wiped out European civilization in the mid 1300's rather that just killing 30-60% of the population. The story is broken up into to a number of "books" each dealing with a different era, starting right after the plague and continuing on to modern or possibly post-modern times (the calendar is a little difficult to keep straight). The characters/settings in the book vary, mostly shifting between Chinese-centric/Islam-centric/India-centric with a couple of outliers. There's a frame story dealing with reincarnation & the bardo wherein the characters meet up and reflect on their lives and the world.
It was a pretty good read (listen) though I docked it a star because it seemed like in every "book" there was at least one long dry scene (sometimes more) where a character had to stand up and monologue about history and the current state of the world & religion. There also seemed to be this underlying assumption that nothing notable would happen in the new world, Australia or Africa until either the Chinese, Indians or Islamic people got there and kick started them. In general, Africans in the story only appeared once and then as slaves and afterwards that seemed to be how they were commonly referred to, if at all. The North American natives were depicted as having a highly effective form of government in their Hodenosaunee league but that they were basically savages until the displaced Japanese arrived. No mention of South America aside from the Incans, no mention of Central America at all. Australia was mentioned in passing as a Chinese colony. No sign of the Maori, Polynesian, or Phillipino cultures either
// spoilers below //
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I was surprised that by the end wherein there are supposed space planes that carry people around world in just a few hours, that there was no other space-infrastructure mentioned or inferred (no satellites, no space stations, no moon landings). Also that there seemed to be no computers, electronics or mass media.
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- Mark S. Millman
- 03-19-22
ho hum
Bronson Pinchot did a great job but, Kim Robinson has given us another ho hum story. The pretext of a world sans the Christian West sounded interesting but what should have been a great alternative history got lost in a reincarnation story that was, just boring.
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