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A review by beaconatnight
The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson
4.0
I have the feeling that, by now, Robinson's work is much overshadowed by the 'Mars'-trilogy (which I haven't read), surely a shame if there are gems like The Wild Shore in there. This is one of those novels that builds up so thick an atmosphere, it can change your entire frame of mind while reading it. So wonderfully sad and melancholic, yet also comfortable in a way. If you loved Cormac McCarthy's The Road, you should really get your hands on this one.
The book is set around the year 2050, after a nuclear strike in the 1980s has thrown the American people, or what's left of them, back to the days of hunting, fishing and agriculture. There are roughly two fractions now, one forming new villages and the other living in the ruins of an old world. While there are trade events between the villages, they don't serve any Kuala-exchange like purpose of reestablishing bonds; instead, they are there solely to get goods not available in your own surroundings (for lack of the necessary skills or resources). America is now encircled by highly technologically advanced nations making sure the former hegemon is not able to re-establish its former political and economic dominion.
Unlike many other writers in science fiction, who come more from a science and mathematics background, Kim Stanley Robinson approaches themes familiar from other forms of literature, giving them an SF touch. One overall thread might be the existentialist strife for meaning in what appears to be a very dull and deprived way of living. While in the West we are used to think about questions of this sort in individualistic terms, the post-apocalyptic environment makes it necessary to see yourself much more as part of a collective again, maybe suppressing personal ambitions for the sake of your group's safety. The narrator has to find that otherwise your own actions will have consequences, and you need to be prepared to take the responsibility for your decisions.
The characters learn how painful it can be to accept your impotence to change the world and to live with the cards fate has dealt you. At the same time, there is a surprising power in stories (and lies), and in a setting like that the ability to write might acquire an almost magical potency. I loved that these themes also gave a certain ambiguity to the book's main characters.
This is really a world to get lost in. It's really a shame that it's not longer than it actually is. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed to find that the other two books show alternative developments set at the same time (different possible worlds), rather than being a continuation of the story. There does seem to be characters appearing in all three of the books, though, so I'm certainly excited to see their different fates.
Rating: 4/5
The book is set around the year 2050, after a nuclear strike in the 1980s has thrown the American people, or what's left of them, back to the days of hunting, fishing and agriculture. There are roughly two fractions now, one forming new villages and the other living in the ruins of an old world. While there are trade events between the villages, they don't serve any Kuala-exchange like purpose of reestablishing bonds; instead, they are there solely to get goods not available in your own surroundings (for lack of the necessary skills or resources). America is now encircled by highly technologically advanced nations making sure the former hegemon is not able to re-establish its former political and economic dominion.
Unlike many other writers in science fiction, who come more from a science and mathematics background, Kim Stanley Robinson approaches themes familiar from other forms of literature, giving them an SF touch. One overall thread might be the existentialist strife for meaning in what appears to be a very dull and deprived way of living. While in the West we are used to think about questions of this sort in individualistic terms, the post-apocalyptic environment makes it necessary to see yourself much more as part of a collective again, maybe suppressing personal ambitions for the sake of your group's safety. The narrator has to find that otherwise your own actions will have consequences, and you need to be prepared to take the responsibility for your decisions.
The characters learn how painful it can be to accept your impotence to change the world and to live with the cards fate has dealt you. At the same time, there is a surprising power in stories (and lies), and in a setting like that the ability to write might acquire an almost magical potency. I loved that these themes also gave a certain ambiguity to the book's main characters.
This is really a world to get lost in. It's really a shame that it's not longer than it actually is. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed to find that the other two books show alternative developments set at the same time (different possible worlds), rather than being a continuation of the story. There does seem to be characters appearing in all three of the books, though, so I'm certainly excited to see their different fates.
Rating: 4/5