Customer Reviews

Forty Signs of Rain

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Man alive, it kills me to have to give this review. Mr. Robinson is one of the most talented writers of thinking-person's SciFi currently working. He writes really good stuff. He has never been known for bang-zoom, action every three pages, laserbeams and killer robot stories, but for more cerebral settings of scenes and intricate, believable characters. His "Antarctica" and the California quasi-trilogy are examples of books that don't contain a whole lot of "action" per se, but are excellent reads nonetheless. I love phasers and photon torpedoes as much as the next geek, but Robinson has consistently delivered when it comes to satisfying and highly readable SciFi of a more relaxed, thoughtful nature. His Mars trilogy, which contains a few examples of what could be considered literary tedium (multi-page descriptions of what a rock outcropping looks like, an excessive fondness for the word "glossolalia"), is still far and away my favorite series from any author.

I've noticed that most of the negative reviews so far seem to be coming from my same frame of mind. That is, trying to rationalize Forty Signs of Rain (henceforth FSOR). Trying to find a way to defend it. No one seems eager to dismiss this book, and why should we be? We admire this writer and his work and have been eagerly anticipating this book. Nobody likes to be disappointed.

So what went wrong? I wish I knew. It is easy to say that in this book, not a lot happens (because not a lot does). But that seems unfair, too easy, too general. Not a lot "happens" in "The Gold Coast" but it's still a very enjoyable book. Much of FSOR centers around the travails of parents raising children - taking sons to the park, packing lunches, adult banter about children. It's easy to say that what is wrong here is that as I have no children, I can't as a reader identify with these characters. But that's a bullhockey (that is, logically inconsistent) criticism, because I may not be a drugged-out ex-astronaut or an awkward polymath scientist but I can still identify with his characters John Boone and Sax Russell. Because KSR is a good writer. Those characters are well written.

Again, what's the problem? This question is vexing me, because I can't put my finger on the answer. Read any given page of FSOR and it's quality writing. There's a few moments of brilliance. His use of game theory and prisoner's dilemma as applied to driving - particularly the way he contrasts east coast and west coast drivers - genius. That passage in particular made me think "That's great! Why didn't I think of that?"

I guess it's just that this novel is not about what it purports to be about. I should hasten to add that there is no deliberate deception on the part of the author in that regard. I honestly believe KSR was trying to craft as best he could a gripping set-up to an extended story of vast climate change. Unfortunately, that is not what he delivered. We get 350-odd pages, the first 320 or so of which are phone calls, meetings, changing diapers, the accurate description of what takes place in the research lab of an under-funded biotech start-up (which is very little), and a smattering of data tidbits about the environment and primate sociology in pre-chapter italicized asides. Only in the last 25-some pages do we get any Mother-Earth-gone-wrong action. And even then, it's... meh. Washington, D.C. is hit with two days of hard rain coupled with very high tides, causing portions of the city to get covered in water up to your knees. People get stuck in offices. Animals are released from the zoo so they won't drown. Then the rain stops. That's about it. Sorry for the spoiler, but it's the only way I can express what I felt made this book sink or swim, pun intended.

Is my complaint that this book is too... realistic? Perhaps so. It's certainly not straight-SciFi in the traditional sense. Not that there's anything wrong with that. If I may compare and contrast, everything that was wrong with the movie "Day After Tomorrow" is what is NOT wrong with this book. OK, that's awkward. Let me rephrase. Where "Day After Tomorrow" went much too far, FSOR does not go far enough. I'm willing to suspend disbelief enough for a gripping story. Is it a fair criticism to say that it's TOO believable?

Readers of KSR's Mars trilogy (actually four books if you count "The Martians") will remember the abrupt climate change that takes place on Earth in the second book. It seems Mr. Robinson has taken that idea and decided to expand and explore it, and kudos to him for doing so. This first book of his new effort just needed a little - no, a lot - more "ooomph."

Here's hoping for more and better in the future. I really do have great hope for this series. Rapid climate change is a fascinating topic, a very real danger to which we as readers can relate. In the capable hands of a writer of Robinson's skill, this could be a very enjoyable and memorable series. Hopefully he won't confine it to a trilogy. Four or even five books would be awesome.

Mr. Robinson, get a nice cup of coffee, go back to the drawing board (or laptop), and more or less start over with Book #2 of the series. It'd be great if FSOR is to the remaining as-yet-unwritten books what "The Hobbit" was to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. And since Mr. Robinson resides in a community whose verdant avenues are all named after people and places from Tolkien, he should take heart.

Time to wrap this up. Short and sweet, I'm not. 3 stars, E for effort but a C+ overall, needs improvement. Known to be capable of much better work.

Suggestions -

1) Mr. Robinson, sit down at the laptop and kick ass. We all know you can. Blow our socks off with part deux. Try to put from your mind all worries of Davis politics (the proposed development south of Russell Boulevard, the Federal BioContainment Facility, the de-bohemianization of the E Street Cafe Roma) and concentrate on the novels. Publish before Ashcroft deems your books to be subversive. :)

2) Some constructive criticism, to wit: Your hard science is great and spot-on, as always. No doubt you'll keep it up. Plenty of new material to work with, such as the sudden and unexplained increase of CO2 in the last two years, over and above the normal rate of increase, as recently reported by the Mauna Loa observing facility (which would have been front page news if Hawaiian atmospheric scientists ruled the world, and God willing one day they will).

3) When you have finished writing these books, run for office in California. Seriously. Too many actors and not enough writers have governed our Golden State. Myself and many others would campaign tirelessly for you. Give it some thought.

Hope this review didn't come off as harsh, that wasn't my intention. Keep up the great work. Do greater.

Take care and all the best, Ted

For KSR fans:

* This is old school KSR, and it's awesome. I think this book is best compared to The Gold Coast. Fun and meandering, lots of conversations and reflection. But as that book set-up a large framework that wasn't fully utilized, this one is unquestionably configured to thrill.

* This will likely be your fastest KSR read yet. The story is very focused, especially compared to TYORAS. It is less poetic than TYORAS, more driven than Mars, and none of the KSR that you love is lost.

For new KSR readers:

* This is a book about people who will use the great gifts of the mind to solve the puzzle of global warming and radical climate change. They use their gifts for other things, too--like being a good dad, having fun conversations with Tibetans, savoring their favorite places, and having crushes on mysterious strangers. This book is not just a one-trick pony... these characters are rich and well-rounded... a mirror of their author.

* If someone says this is science fiction, they haven't read the book - this is simply a novel. Some of the characters are scientists, and they have fascinating ideas, but that's as "hi-tech" as it gets.

* I think the experience for most of you will be that you digest 40 pages, reflect and think "Where are we going?", maybe even "Why am I reading this?"... but the book will stay close at hand. Another 40 pages, another feeling of mild puzzlement. But something will keep you going... and you'll approach the end, excited to find yourself in the middle of a fun trilogy, one that you start to appreciate personally, a new little secret, and a new favorite author to boot (who has written a lot of great stuff, to tide you over until the next release).

For both:

Yes, this book is a real-world Day After Tomorrow, written by a professional and popular author. And yes, this book has rich ideas and characters for every special effect the movie had. But more than that, it just has that 'special something' that we, as readers, hope for. Have you ever taken a magical trip through the world as it really is? That may sound strange, but this is a perspective-shifting work, on multiple levels... a book that will bring not only the subject of the climate crisis closer to your heart, but will reveal why humanity is (in fact) so worth saving. That is KSR's gift.

If you're even considering reading this book, you should... it's fast-paced, thoroughly interesting and enlightening... it'll be an exciting trilogy, one that you'll be happy to jump into this early. And the next book will soon be available on amazon's british site (.co.uk).

I don't understand where the negative reviewers are coming from. This is a straightforwardly gripping little tale of science and politics that presents a cast of intelligent and interesting characters, all involved (quite credibly I thought)in the day to day workings of US government and scientific institutions. The science fiction scenario is that we're a little further down the road toward major climate change. But Robinson isn't giving us a conventional "if this goes on" disaster story, or it doesn't look like it at this point. (I haven't read the 2nd book yet.) He seems to be trying to look at how the relevant institutions might respond, not just show us brave smart people coping with chaos. At any rate, there's more than enough enough interest in the lives and thoughts of these characters to keep a reader entertained.

I should perhaps note that I haven't read much sf in recent years, though I read a great deal of it in my youth in the 1960s and 70s. This is the 1st book by Robinson I've read. It won't be the last.

Robinson presents us with a masterful explication of the challenges that global warming, ocean desalinization, breakup of the Arctic ice pack, and related calamities present for us in today's world. This isn't some far-out science fiction catastrophe novel, but more of a popularization of current scientific thought. Without doing any actual fact-checking (we trust that the author isn't making up all his figures here) Robinson presents a compelling and believable story that could take place any time now.

As he did so successfully in his "Mars" series, Robinson takes great pains to humanize his scientists, presenting them as real people facing everyday problems even though they spend much of their time trying to save the world from destroying itself. To this end, we get pages and pages of details about the personal lives of the men and women who struggle with global scientific issues from 9 to 5 but then still try to live their own lives the rest of the day. Those who expect whiz-bang action and adventure from their fiction will find the first two thirds of this book pretty tedious, as the heroes phone their spouses and pick up their kids, etc... But Robinson proves himself a master of suspense, keeping us anxiously turning pages, not so much because of what's happening as because we sense what's coming. Since this first installment is more setup and character study than action, readers will have to wait for more before passing judgment on the entire series. But count me in for the sequels - this one promises to be too good to miss.

The detractors' reviews are completely unfair. Yes, the novel is a set-up for the trilogy and thus long on character portraits and short on plot. If you invest your time reading it, reading the rest of the trilogy will be mandatory. Perhaps Robinson would have been wiser to release all three as a single fat 1200-pager, but I'm sure the publisher demanded he contract a severe case of trilogy-itis. No matter, what's here shows great promise for what's sure to be a killer KSR series, hopefully rivaling the Mars trilogy.

While the character set-up means there's little happening for 2/3rds of the novel, there is payoff for your pertinence at the end. The scenes of chunks of cliff-side dropping off into the sea at La Jolla and animals being released from the zoo during the flooding are particularly evoking. And Frank, our most interesting character, between his break-in and his elevator tryst, has enough quirky adventures to keep things moving till we get there.

Worth your time, but you might want to hold out until you can read all three in one go.

No one can write this stuff like Robinson. Forty Signs of Rain begins a new trilogy about abrupt climate change. In the book (as in the real world) this is not some vague worry for the future, but something that is going on all around us right now, just waiting for a trigger event before things get really bad. In Forty Signs of Rain, the characters are real people living real lives. They respond to political, environmental, and domestic pressures that are identical to those we all witness every day, so Robinson's plot is very real and tangible throughout.

Don't expect Hollywood disaster themes in this book, climate change isn't working that way. Rather, the characters get on with their lives and struggles while subtle hints of what's to come appear here and there. Throughout the book, the science is rock solid. The only criticism I have is that this is the first Robinson I have read in which the opening book clearly requires a sequel. Forty Signs of Rain does not stand alone unless your expectations are very low. Normally I resent this from authors and publishers, but Robinson is too good at what he writes; I will give him a break.

KSR's books are generally challenging for the average person to read. They are heavy with science and not quick fluffy books that you can down in just a couple of hours. Forty Signs of Rain is no different.

The pacing is frustrating, at first. We get a look at the National Science Foundation, some of its scientists, a mostly stay-at-home dad who is also an advisor to a Senator, and West Coast scientists trying to solve the world's ills. All of this character development plays out against the background of a shifting global climate change. When the real action does hit late in the book, you are so enveloped by these characters that you are caught up and swept along with them in the floodwaters.

It does end abruptly, but that's nothing new in the world of the trilogy. It also sets up the next book seamlessly.

Forty Signs of Rain could read like a prophetic manual of what we might face as a society if we don't pay more attention to our world. For those who are denouncing the "science" in the book, I would relate one specific instance: in the book, there is mention of scientists trying to develop a lichen that would grow with trees, lichen that could 'super' absorb the tons of excess carbon dioxide being dumped in the atmosphere. Today, I read a news story of a small biotech company attempting to do just that. There's also a conference this weekend in the northeast on the importance of forests in being able to pull in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, something else that was also discussed in the book. So the science is real - it's not science fiction and it isn't alarmist propoganda.

This is a worthy read, right up there with watching An Inconvenient Truth. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series to see how well they stand up to the first book.

I was disappointed with this book, so I am sure this review will get plenty of those 'not helpful' votes. (Why do those 'not helpful' votes always seem to appear on the cranky reviews, and never on the positive ones? Perhaps there is a conspiracy novel in THAT!)

By page 214 of this novel I had to ask myself, 'What has happened in the book this far along?' Answer: a number of meetings, some paper pushing, a little baby-buggy pushing, some commentary on the weather in Washington, DC, and...well, that was about it. I hope that doesn't qualify as a spoiler. As I neared page 300, I had to ask the question again. The answer was much the same. Don't get me wrong, I do like a book that accurately portrays how science works, but there are a raft of nonfiction books out there that discuss this subject. I suppose it isn't a requirement that something happens in a novel. Proust was famous for writing long, draw-out passages in which nothing happens. I, however, prefer that something happens in a novel, whether a character emotionally changes, or I get to figure out who is doing what to whom.

By the time I made it to the end of the book, I had to ask the question again...what had happened in the novel? Answer again: a raft of meetings, plenty of baby-buggy pushing, and a rainstorm. I suppose some thin soup is always nice before a meal, but I, for one, expect the meal to be a little more than thin soup. I suppose there might be some foreshadowing of great things yet to come in sequels, but I am finding myself put off by the quantity of books lately that seem to be designed as a series yet do not contain the heft necessary to make the book stand alone and also complete within itself.

If you feel your life does not contain enough endless meetings and pointless e-mails, then perhaps this book is for you. Otherwise, keep looking.

I really liked this volume, keeping in mind that it's the first of a trilogy. It probably could have been tightened up, sure; and if you're not a parent, there's probably some stuff you couldn't care less about. But I am a parent of two small children, and I *loved* all the touches he added in that regard. Most of the time, if characters in novels have kids, they're completely peripheral, which, as any parent knows, is entirely NOT how your life is when you have children. Because it's the first of a trilogy, I think a lot of what the other reviewers complained about will end up just being setup for the next two, though it doesn't feel that way when you're reading it. I ended up reading until about 1:30 am because I couldn't stop. Robinson's characters are very real, and while there's not a lot of conflict in the novel, that's kind of a nice change from the usual. Sometimes it's nice to read a book that doesn't have 10000 events in each chapter, and just relax with the characters.

There are people on this web site giving "Forty Signs of Rain" 1 and 2 stars because the book is basically a bunch of people sitting around in different locales discussing science. Most of them have political opinions that are classified as "left" (some are center-left, some are lefty-left, but all are left). Some have complained that this isn't a fair or balanced look at abrupt climate change. Phooey. Kim Stanley Robinson has always done an excellent job bolstering his arguments. He doesn't need to give lip service--in a novel, of all places--to the counterargument.

Now, I loved this book. It IS a bunch of people sitting around in different locales discussing science. It doesn't have much action. It reads like it is the first 1/3 of the trilogy he's writing.

So why couldn't I put it down at night or wait to pick it up again the next day? Robinson's sense of pace, his flair for characterization, and his ability to set a mood or describe a place are all in top form.

If you want a book, as my review title says, that is both long-winded AND fascinating, that is clearly a left-inspired polemic and good science, then "Forty Signs" is for you.