2312

By: Kim Stanley Robinson

Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman

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. For Swan Er Hong, it is an event that will change her life. Swan was once a woman who designed worlds. Now she will be led into a plot to destroy them.

©2012 Kim Stanley Robinson (P)2012 Hachette Audio

The Accelerando In Full Bloom

What did you like best about 2312? What did you like least?

2312 is the latest entry in the Kim Stanley Robinson universe spawned in "Red Mars" and continued through "The Martians." Being beyond even the super extended lives of the cross-book protagonists of previous volumes, we are introduced to an entirely new cast of characters. These center primarily on Swan Er Hong, granddaughter and heir to the latest and recently deceased Lion of Mercury. Primarily an artist and carefree spirit who previously worked on the many terrariums which now orbit the sun, Swan is reluctantly drawn into the intrigues of her late grandmother. This small group of individuals, carefully avoiding the normal communications net, has begun to amass evidence of a conspiracy against the Mondragon (the very loose trading alignment of ex-colonies beyond Earth). Details are sketchy, but it appears to be connected to a highly unauthorized and highly dangerous number of agents who appear to be human, but are actually creations of and repositories for intelligent AI's -- the same kind of AI's that run so much of the day to day existence of humans across the solar system. Linked unexplained attacks on a terrarium and on Swan's home city of Terminator bring home the humanity's vulnerability and hone the group's desperation to unmask the conspiracy before larger havoc is wrought.

The many characters both major and minor slowly piece together this three dimensional puzzle, taking us literally from asteroids inside the orbit of Mercury to the frozen fields of Titan where even here, humanity is working epically to terraform a home. And, of course, much of the problem is connected to Earth. It's an Earth where the promise of reform and openness hinted at a century ago (@end of Blue Mars) has yet to be realized; an ecologically devastated home world groaning under its teeming billions and 10 meter sea level rise.

There are flaws with this book - the economics of the solar system are still quite fuzzy, as are some of the particulars of the technologies and terraforming. Worse still, I don't actually *like* many of the characters featured - least of all the main protagonist - but she merely super-exemplifies the petulant, bohemian, self-absorbed, trans-gendered, labor-phobic extra-terrestrial humans that largely populate Stanley's 24th century. Lastly, the plot meanders often, taking more than a few detours and dead ends through duller spots.

Having said all that, the book is still marvelously engaging. Robinson shows us the "accelerando" from the end of the last trilogy here in full bloom: asteroid terrariums, hollowed out and spinning for gravity, each one a self-contained biosphere and society ranging from the mundane to the exotic. Many of these terrariums are doing dual duty as travelling conduits between the various ex-colony worlds scattered from Mercury to the moons of Neptune, which are themselves exceedingly diverse and fascinating in their detail. Even Venus at last is being changed to habitable under dueling and simultaneous terraforming strategies (fast and friendly enough to get more people off the Earth quicker, or slower and more drastically/thoroughly to make a more Earth-like planet). It is perhaps only because the settings become so vivid that I find myself wanting to know more of the hows and whys and thus finding a few loose ends.

All in all, anyone who either enjoyed Robinson's 'Mars' trilogy, or appreciates SF where an author creates a vivid and different universe for their characters to inhabit should enjoy the book.

I didn't find the narration as bad as some of the other reviews - but I enjoyed Richard Ferrone's narration of the Mars Trilogy more.

So good.

This work is so brilliantly detailed that one feels somewhat crude in expressing any opinions on it as a totality.

Great World Building

What did you love best about 2312?

The author made the population of the other planets seem real, as well as the tension between Earth and the other worlds and their differences in economic situations

Any additional comments?

I didn't like the main character, but she's damaged and has ADHD as well as many other mental problems, which doesn't fully come out until late in the book. Yet, all the contracting characters and locations are wonderfully brought to life.

Classic SF and Kim Stanley Robinson fantastic!

For hard core SF fans really- great detective story..terraforming...AI ...problems with the help..ha..ha..extraordinary characters and political intrigue...great love story too..get it!

Great Book

The reader should learn how to pronounce Chinese words. Otherwise, it was a typical Kim Stanley Robison--Great characters, intricate plot, and chock full of useful information.

Interesting

Where does 2312 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is the first book that I have listened to that used lots of technical science terminology. Listening to this story made the book more enjoyable. The imagery was creative and made me feel like I was there on their travels.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Both main characters were fantastic. Each has something the other one didn't know they needed.

Have you listened to any of Sarah Zimmerman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no. Very different writing than I am used to, but I would buy another book of hers.

Really wanted to like it but bailed 3/4 through it

Would you try another book from Kim Stanley Robinson and/or Sarah Zimmerman?

For sure, I'd try another book by this author. _2312_ felt like a seriously large undertaking. We're shaping galaxies here, people, not just worlds. And I've got mad respect for authors who jump right in. Robinson's writing holds up but the weight of it just collapsed in on me at some point. I swear to God, I gave it my best shot.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Yah. I didn't make it. Mea culpa. Mea culpa.

What does Sarah Zimmerman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Not much and I mean that in the best sense. Zimmerman didn't get in the way of the story; I never found myself thinking, "For real? That's the choice you're going with? Well, it's your paycheck." I felt like it was a great delivery.

Could you see 2312 being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No; way too big. Jeez...if _The Hobbit_ took three movies, I have serious doubts we'd see the conclusion to _2312_ in this lifetime.

This has become one of my favorite books.

What made the experience of listening to 2312 the most enjoyable?

When listening to an audiobook the reader's voice can really either make or break a listener's experience, and I truly enjoyed listening to Sarah Zimmerman. The story itself was right up my alley; I enjoyed the refreshing mixture of science fiction and philosophy, almost all of the events seemed entirely plausible, but most of all it wasn't your typical "Hollywood"-esque sci-fi action story. The extraterrestrial scenes which Robinson painted were absolutely stunning, and they perfectly captured so many of my hopes for the future of space travel. Overall this was a wonderful depiction of what human civilization could be like in a couple of centuries, and I'm so happy I read this book!

What was one of the most memorable moments of 2312?

(Spoiler) One of my favorite moments was the re-introduction of a multitude of animal species back onto the Earth. I was actually a bit choked up!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This book takes some time--you definitely could not handle it all in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

I am surprised by the many negative reviews of the book! But then again, it's definitely not for everyone--it is a very long book and some of the story lines did kind of drag on, but overall I thought it was very well-done.

Fascinating terraforming science, sleepy storyline

What did you like best about 2312? What did you like least?

I learn a lot of multi-disciplinary earth science reading KSR, and like that aspect of the book best. My least favorite aspect was the narration, which while perfectly pronounced, was just not as dramatic as I've grown accustomed to from other actor-narrators who varry character voices, etc.

Would you recommend 2312 to your friends? Why or why not?

I think I would recommend as a palate-cleanser between other faster-paced novels. It's more contemplative than most of my SF reading.

Did Sarah Zimmerman do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I didn't notice much vocal difference between characters, but she did a fine job differentiating between inner-voices and dialog. As this story has only a dozen or so characters, this may or may not be as important to your enjoyment as it was to mine.

Any additional comments?

The plot/crisis builds too slowly and resolves too suddenly (and completely) for me.

Very descriptive (unlike my headline)

What would have made 2312 better?

It could have been about something. I was halfway through and still wondering "what is the point"?

What could Kim Stanley Robinson have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

This was my first Kim Stanley Robinson experience. I enjoyed the descriptions of the characters and the landscapes. I enjoyed the pace of the book. It moved quite quick despite the descriptiveness. What I didn't like was the vision of the future. If that's how we turn out, count me out. Honestly, I think I just don't like the vision. Almost everything else was pretty good.

Did Sarah Zimmerman do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I followed the story without too much trouble. I liked her voice though. Sometimes if you don't like the narrators voice, it's hard to listen. Listen to the sample first. It's not read or written in a way that's easy to listen to. I listen to most audio books while I'm doing something else. This one commands your attention.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.
Not in Kim, in the future history. I will definitely read another by this author but this particular story just didn't do it for me.

Any additional comments?

Although not my cup of tea, have a look at the plot summary and listen to the sample. You may be interested. If so, it's a read that will keep your attention for the duration.