From the visionary NYT bestselling author of NEW YORK 2140 comes a near-future novel that is a gripping exploration of climate change, technology, politics and the human behaviours that drive these forces.
It's felt naively optimistic to me so it felt like the book fell flat on its face as the novel reaches the end.
I do long for the death of commercial airlines and the return to balloon and sail boat technology augmented with solar arrays for limited powered transport. So that part of the book was eye opening.
Yeah there are fun vignettes from that book that stick with me, like Mary Murphy traveling from Switzerland to California in an entirely carbon neutral way (trains to the coast, then solar-powered boats, then trains again). Also the blimp ecotour.
I also kinda shared the opinion it fell on its face toward the end but the more I sit with it the more I appreciate it. If you're working to save the planet there won't be a moment of final victory. The world will just continue to trundle along with some degree of managed catastrophe. In that regard maybe it doesn't make for a very satisfying end to the story, but oh well. I appreciate it as a sort of depiction of the absolute bare minimum level of effort needed to address climate change (which within our current political context would seem like a full-scale mobilization of every possible resource).
The vignettes are without a doubt the best part. Learning about the Indian revolt against billionaires, about cheap missiles being used to delete them as they gallivant across the globe is probably the most satisfying part of the book. Especially the billionaire who gets their throat slit in their bunker because oops the servants all hate your guts!
Reading this is self harm for anyone already worried about climate change
On the other hand, hearing about it did introduce me to the concept of a wet bulb event.
But, of course with last year's summer records, I'm now scared it'll happen in my back yard some time this decade.
the rest of the book is actually quite (overly) optimistic, so it balances out
It's felt naively optimistic to me so it felt like the book fell flat on its face as the novel reaches the end.
I do long for the death of commercial airlines and the return to balloon and sail boat technology augmented with solar arrays for limited powered transport. So that part of the book was eye opening.
Yeah there are fun vignettes from that book that stick with me, like Mary Murphy traveling from Switzerland to California in an entirely carbon neutral way (trains to the coast, then solar-powered boats, then trains again). Also the blimp ecotour.
I also kinda shared the opinion it fell on its face toward the end but the more I sit with it the more I appreciate it. If you're working to save the planet there won't be a moment of final victory. The world will just continue to trundle along with some degree of managed catastrophe. In that regard maybe it doesn't make for a very satisfying end to the story, but oh well. I appreciate it as a sort of depiction of the absolute bare minimum level of effort needed to address climate change (which within our current political context would seem like a full-scale mobilization of every possible resource).
The vignettes are without a doubt the best part. Learning about the Indian revolt against billionaires, about cheap missiles being used to delete them as they gallivant across the globe is probably the most satisfying part of the book. Especially the billionaire who gets their throat slit in their bunker because oops the servants all hate your guts!