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The Ministry for the Future
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Jennifer Fitzgerald, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Ramon de Ocampo, Gary Bennett, Raphael Corkhill, Barrie Kreinik, Natasha Soudek, Nikki Massoud, Joniece Abbott Pratt, Inés del Castillo, Vikas Adam
- Length: 20 hrs and 42 mins
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How the World Really Works
- The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going
- Written by: Vaclav Smil
- Narrated by: Stephen Perring
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don’t know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production, through our material world and its globalization, to risks, our environment and its future, How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check—because before we can tackle problems effectively, we must understand the facts.
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Great read.
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-07-04
Written by: Vaclav Smil
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Why We're Polarized
- Written by: Ezra Klein
- Narrated by: Ezra Klein
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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In Why We’re Polarized, Klein reveals the structural and psychological forces behind America’s descent into division and dysfunction. Neither a polemic nor a lament, this book offers a clear framework for understanding everything from Trump’s rise to the Democratic Party’s leftward shift to the politicization of everyday culture. America is polarized, first and foremost, by identity. Everyone engaged in American politics is engaged, at some level, in identity politics.
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Occasionally interesting, but ultimately lacking
- By Chuong Nguyen on 2022-10-14
Written by: Ezra Klein
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Antarctica
- Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 19 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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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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Not what I was expecting - but still great
- By Jeremy Morris on 2021-07-31
Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
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2312
- Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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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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worst voice performance ive ever heard
- By steven on 2019-08-06
Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
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Drawdown
- The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming
- Written by: Paul Hawken
- Narrated by: Christopher Solimene
- Length: 18 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In the face of widespread fear and apathy, an international coalition of researchers, professionals, and scientists have come together to offer a set of realistic and bold solutions to climate change. One hundred techniques and practices are described here - some are well known; some you may have never heard of.
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I'd Pass
- By Bennymac on 2019-09-29
Written by: Paul Hawken
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Red Mars
- Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 23 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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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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Not what you're expecting.
- By Joe on 2018-12-10
Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
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How the World Really Works
- The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going
- Written by: Vaclav Smil
- Narrated by: Stephen Perring
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don’t know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production, through our material world and its globalization, to risks, our environment and its future, How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check—because before we can tackle problems effectively, we must understand the facts.
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Great read.
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-07-04
Written by: Vaclav Smil
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Why We're Polarized
- Written by: Ezra Klein
- Narrated by: Ezra Klein
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
In Why We’re Polarized, Klein reveals the structural and psychological forces behind America’s descent into division and dysfunction. Neither a polemic nor a lament, this book offers a clear framework for understanding everything from Trump’s rise to the Democratic Party’s leftward shift to the politicization of everyday culture. America is polarized, first and foremost, by identity. Everyone engaged in American politics is engaged, at some level, in identity politics.
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Occasionally interesting, but ultimately lacking
- By Chuong Nguyen on 2022-10-14
Written by: Ezra Klein
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Antarctica
- Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 19 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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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Not what I was expecting - but still great
- By Jeremy Morris on 2021-07-31
Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
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2312
- Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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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worst voice performance ive ever heard
- By steven on 2019-08-06
Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
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Drawdown
- The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming
- Written by: Paul Hawken
- Narrated by: Christopher Solimene
- Length: 18 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
-
Story
In the face of widespread fear and apathy, an international coalition of researchers, professionals, and scientists have come together to offer a set of realistic and bold solutions to climate change. One hundred techniques and practices are described here - some are well known; some you may have never heard of.
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I'd Pass
- By Bennymac on 2019-09-29
Written by: Paul Hawken
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Red Mars
- Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 23 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
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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Not what you're expecting.
- By Joe on 2018-12-10
Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
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The Power
- Written by: Naomi Alderman
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh, Naomi Alderman, Thomas Judd, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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'She throws her head back and pushes her chest forward and lets go a huge blast right into the centre of his body. The rivulets and streams of red scarring run across his chest and up around his throat. She'd put her hand on his heart and stopped him dead.' Suddenly - tomorrow or the day after - girls find that with a flick of their fingers, they can inflict agonizing pain and even death.
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This book made me proud to be a woman
- By Launa J Amey on 2019-01-23
Written by: Naomi Alderman
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The Years of Rice and Salt
- Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 25 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Unique plot, interesting characters
- By Liam Denton on 2023-07-15
Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
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Termination Shock
- A Novel
- Written by: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 22 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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One man—visionary billionaire restaurant chain magnate T. R. Schmidt, Ph.D.—has a Big Idea for reversing global warming, a master plan perhaps best described as “elemental.” But will it work? Ranging from the Texas heartland to the Dutch royal palace in the Hague, from the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the sunbaked Chihuahuan Desert, Termination Shock brings together a disparate group of characters from different cultures and continents who grapple with the real-life repercussions of global warming.
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more than meets the eye? nope
- By Scott Fox on 2022-07-29
Written by: Neal Stephenson
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Water Always Wins
- Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge
- Written by: Erica Gies
- Narrated by: Linda Jones
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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As new climate disasters remind us every day, our world is not stable—and it is changing in ways that expose the deep dysfunction of our relationship with water. But as we grapple with extreme weather, a hard truth is emerging: our development, including concrete infrastructure designed to control water, is actually exacerbating our problems. Because sooner or later, water always wins. In this quietly radical book, science journalist Erica Gies introduces us to innovators in what she calls the Slow Water movement who start by asking a revolutionary question: What does water want?
Written by: Erica Gies
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Aurora
- Written 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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Awful propaganda filled nonsense
- By Shawn on 2021-11-13
Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
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Regeneration
- Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation
- Written by: Paul Hawken
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin, Bahni Turpin, Lauren Baldwin, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Regeneration offers a visionary new approach to climate change, one that weaves justice, climate, biodiversity, equity, and human dignity into a seamless tapestry of action, policy, and transformation that can end the climate crisis in one generation. It is the first book to describe and define the burgeoning regeneration movement spreading rapidly throughout the world.
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a powerful look at the ways we are to help regen
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-12-07
Written by: Paul Hawken
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Artificial Intelligence
- Modern Magic or Dangerous Future?
- Written by: Yorick Wilks
- Narrated by: Hannibal Hills
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
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AI expert Yorick Wilks takes a journey through the history of artificial intelligence up to the present day, examining its origins, controversies, and achievements, as well as looking into just how it works. He also considers the future, assessing whether these technologies could menace our way of life and how we are all likely to benefit from AI applications in the years to come.
Written by: Yorick Wilks
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The Windup Girl
- Written by: Paolo Bacigalupi
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 19 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Anderson Lake is a company man, AgriGen's Calorie Man in Thailand. Under cover as a factory manager, Anderson combs Bangkok's street markets in search of foodstuffs thought to be extinct, hoping to reap the bounty of history's lost calories. There, he encounters Emiko...Emiko is the Windup Girl, a strange and beautiful creature. One of the New People, Emiko is not human; instead, she is an engineered being, creche-grown and programmed to satisfy the decadent whims of a Kyoto businessman.
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Great story, great narration, highly recommend
- By Stephen Leamon on 2018-09-18
Written by: Paolo Bacigalupi
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The Great Derangement
- Climate Change and the Unthinkable
- Written by: Amitav Ghosh
- Narrated by: Shridhar Solanki
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Are we deranged? The acclaimed Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh argues that future generations may well think so. How else to explain our imaginative failure in the face of global warming? In his first major book of nonfiction since In an Antique Land, Ghosh examines our inability - at the level of literature, history, and politics - to grasp the scale and violence of climate change.
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Brilliant cultural Insights
- By Clare Attwell on 2019-12-11
Written by: Amitav Ghosh
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The Uninhabitable Earth
- Life After Warming
- Written by: David Wallace-Wells
- Narrated by: David Wallace-Wells
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
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An "epoch-defining book" (The Guardian) and "this generation’s Silent Spring" (The Washington Post), The Uninhabitable Earth is both a travelogue of the near future and a meditation on how that future will look to those living through it - the ways that warming promises to transform global politics, the meaning of technology and nature in the modern world, the sustainability of capitalism and the trajectory of human progress. The Uninhabitable Earth is also an impassioned call to action.
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Author didn't get the No Future No Kids movement
- By Pouria on 2019-10-22
Written by: David Wallace-Wells
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2034
- A Novel of the Next World War
- Written by: Elliot Ackerman, Admiral James Stavridis
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller, P.J. Ochlan, Vikas Adam, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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From two former military officers and award-winning authors comes a chillingly authentic geopolitical thriller that imagines a naval clash between the US and China in the South China Sea in 2034 - and the path from there to a nightmarish global conflagration.
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A one-star book by a four-star admiral
- By Peter G on 2021-05-01
Written by: Elliot Ackerman, and others
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Saving Us
- A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World
- Written by: Katharine Hayhoe
- Narrated by: Katharine Hayhoe
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Called “one of the nation's most effective communicators on climate change” by The New York Times, Katharine Hayhoe knows how to navigate all sides of the conversation on our changing planet. A Canadian climate scientist living in Texas, she negotiates distrust of data, indifference to imminent threats, and resistance to proposed solutions with ease. Over the past 15 years, Hayhoe has found that the most important thing we can do to address climate change is talk about it - and she wants to teach you how.
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Eye opener
- By B on 2023-08-02
Written by: Katharine Hayhoe
Publisher's Summary
From legendary science-fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson comes a remarkable vision of climate change over the coming decades.
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.
It is a novel both immediate and impactful, desperate and hopeful in equal measure, and it is one of the most powerful and original books on climate change ever written.
One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2020
"If I could get policymakers, and citizens, everywhere to read just one book this year, it would be Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future." (Ezra Klein)
"The best science fiction-nonfiction novel I’ve ever read." (Jonathan Lethem, Vanity Fair)
"A breathtaking look at the challenges that face our planet in all their sprawling magnitude and also in their intimate, individual moments of humanity." (Booklist, starred)
Also by Kim Stanley Robinson:
- Red Moon
- New York 2140
- 2312
- Aurora
- Shaman
What the critics say
"Science-fiction visionary Kim Stanley Robinson makes the case for quantitative easing our way out of planetary doom." (Bloomberg Green)
"[A] gutsy, humane view of a near-future Earth.... Robinson masterfully integrates the practical details of environmental crises and geoengineering projects into a sweeping, optimistic portrait of humanity's ability to cooperate in the face of disaster. This heartfelt work of hard science-fiction is a must-read for anyone worried about the future of the planet." (Publishers Weekly, starred)
"A breathtaking look at the challenges that face our planet in all their sprawling magnitude and also in their intimate, individual moments of humanity." (Booklist)
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What listeners say about The Ministry for the Future
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mike
- 2021-03-19
must read
I think this is the most important book I've listened to. I've started thinking a lot about what I can do.
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2 people found this helpful
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- William Barth
- 2022-08-27
way not worth the hype
This is still scifi. There must be a better book that spells out the truths of our time, in a much more concise and digestible way. This book is jumbled and long winded. The story line jumps around so much that one has to relisten multiple times or take notes while listening.
The actors leave much to be desired and some delivery warrants replaying to really understand what was said.
Global warming.
Heat wave kills.
Introduced me to wet bulb temps. never knew about them.
Oil and gas magnates.
Government corruption.
Concept of carbon coin is interesting and would love a book all about that on its own.
Same with the fesability of sail and photovelics.
something that is much more non fiction about marxism, communism, practical, and scientific.
Its a good story, sure. Maybe will be made into a movie or series even. Kind of like the expanse, i guess. but certainly not as gripping from a fiction standpoint.
paper version may be better.
i dont understand all the overwhelmingly positive reviews.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Chris Shannon
- 2022-06-11
Fantasy fairy-tale of someone stuck in the 60's
This book is a good way to exercise your eye muscles. You will roll your eyes constantly. It's a fantasy laundry list of things that would have worked out if only capitalism wasn't oppressing us. Yes, Communism is on that list, and let's ignore that capitalism is the only economic system that actually benefited the poor. Let's ignore that from the rise of capitalism to modern day that poverty dropped from about 90% to 8%. Let's ignore that capitalism is the only system that actually gave a damn about the environment (communism surely didn't). Let's ignore that capitalism is the only system that reduced the time people needed to work (spoilers: being a feudal serf was brutal. But so was being a worker in Maoist China.) Let's ignore all of that, because this book certainly did.
This book really should have done some research. It has the main character visiting banks in cities that those banks do not exist in (Hint, the Bundesbank is not in Berlin and the ECB is not in Brussels. They're, ironically, much closer to Switzerland than either of those two cities.) Sure, the author could have found that out by doing a simple Google search. However, this book is just disdainful for anyone who it assumes doesn't share its opinions. Economics is a pseudo-science, political science is a pseudo-science. Climatology, ironically, is a pseudo-science. Anyone who doesn't support the book's desired angle is to be discredited. If you are unfortunate to live in this "non-dystopian" take on climate change, you are likely to be more than discredited, "targeted assassinations" and employed and applauded by the protagonists in this novel. They don't kill anyone "innocent" (which means people they decided were guilty) until they do, and then they invent crimes to rationalise their systematic murder or their political enemies. The ends justify the means, I guess. Except, they don't. Not even in the narrative. The narrative tells us about 50% through that their efforts aren't effective. So, they, a UN agency, are using targeted assassinations to kill people in vain.
I must remind you that this is supposed to be "non-dystopian". This is one of the most "idealistic" depictions of the climate crisis. This book contains unironic adoption of fascist slogans and symbols like "India first" and "Africa for the Africans" and lionises the gilets jaunes, who were famously a magnet for far-right nativists.
The depictions of the EU in this novel are just... bizarre. It's like a caricature of someone who has no knowledge of or experience with the Brussels machine. You think someone who based a considerable part of their novel in the EEC would have some fundamental knowledge of that system. However, it seems that most of their research in this area was limited to the landmarks of Zurich.
Then there is just the bad writing. Things like Mary Murphy's every action being attributed to some perceived stereotypical Irish trait. The characters will frequently say the exact same things or have exactly the same thought, like all the point of view characters share a hive-mind. It's also pretty amazing how characters who have been spending decades of ruining people's lives and actively running the most successful terrorist killing thousands, if not millions, of people are shocked and astounded that they have fostered a climate of fear and violence in which people would seem to attack them directly out of revenge.
There are better and better-written novels on the climate crisis. This book is just hot garbage. It's a fetid fantasy of some hippy that wasn't able to accept that socialism didn't work and only produced immense suffering among the very people it sought to help. I'm not at all skeptical of the climate crisis. I believe we need to take serious action, and needed to some time ago. However, this book can't be allowed to use that crisis as a shield. Just because it writes about that situation, it can't be ignored that its solution to the climate crisis is founded on the idea that we need to murder our way out of it. That's not acceptable.
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1 person found this helpful
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- T. Walker
- 2021-12-06
Perhaps This Himan Race is Not Yet Run
This is a lengthy and absorbing answer to the dilemma which faces us all. The varied voices of the characters make this a great listen. I am not sure what else to say other than that this is an optimistic look at the future of the human race if and only if the Vast Majority, the silent majority, the hordes and multitudes, somehow collectively move towards safety.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Lucy in Toronto
- 2023-09-05
Brilliant
I know of no better statement for what the future world could be, if only we have the will to truly address climate change and improve life for everyone on the planet—human and non-human.
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- Dan Waters
- 2023-07-10
Fantastic
This is an incredibly powerful book. Filled with stories of fiction that could so easily be real, prescient, prophetic. It is the story of the human condition and of the disastrous failures of human systems. Of our tendency to ignore future perils for the comfort of the moment. Of capitalism’s tendency to exaggerate the worst in us and elevate the most destructive among us to positions of unchecked power. Of a future that may lead to our end, or ours and our planet’s salvation. Beautiful. Desperate. Angry. Sorrowful. Hopeful.
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- Tayleur Sutherland
- 2023-06-05
An interesting book
There are good points about how people are likely to react to climate change and its effects. And showcases some interesting ideas about how we can mitigate the damage done as well as some likely problems that could come up.
Overall, I enjoyed it.
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- Eugenio Orozco
- 2023-03-03
Terrible, chip climate changenge Davinci Code
IS not just grossly low resolution progressive, it doesn't make sense at all, I'm just sorry about the time that I lost, I was just trying to find if it makes a point, but is just shame , guilt and crap.
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- Alan Smithson
- 2022-11-02
A long, winding take about a future fate.
The ministry of the future is a long drawn out tale about the consequences of climate change, the challenges of global finance and a future where nature is at the forefront of humanity. This is an interesting look at what we must become in order to save this planet for future generations to come.
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- Charles MacLean
- 2022-10-25
what story?
I didn't feel there was a central character other than the planet and honestly by the end I wanted the planet to lose as this was soooooo drawn out.
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- depthpsychologist
- 2020-12-09
Great ideas, uneven narration
I downloaded to this audiobook because Ezra Klein said it was the most important book he had read in 2020—not for the story or literary quality so much as for the realistic and comprehensive way it addresses the coming climate crisis.
This is a novel of ideas in the truest sense. It's really about envisioning the future: what the climate catastrophe will look like, and how the world might change to address it. It is at times tragic and depressing, at other times optimistic. The scope of the novel is impressive. It definitely made me see the climate crisis in a new light, and got me thinking seriously about all kinds of things, and that's what a novel of ideas is supposed to do: make you think. The novel is well worth reading for that reason alone, though be warned at times the story and the characters definitely take a back seat to the ideas.
I found the narration of this audiobook uneven and sometimes quite irritating. This is a huge cast, and it seems like they just mailed out the chapters to a bunch of voice actors with little coordination or direction. So, different characters voices sound radically different at different times. The whole tone can shift radically too. The biggest problem I had though is that some of the voices are just over-wrought, over-done, garish and cartoony. This happens throughout, but I got especially frustrated by the Irish narrator who reads Mary's chapters: her idea of doing a mans voice is make her voice as closed and raspy as possible, her Russian and Indian accents have wild sing-songy intonations, and her American accent is whiney. This is a real shame because Mary becomes the novel's main protagonist and her chapters are long. I got to the point where my heart sank every time she came back on to start a new chapter, and I almost didn't make it through to the end as the result.
All that aside, it's an important book and well worth engaging with one way or the other. If you're picky about your narration, you might want to read it rather than listen to the audiobook.
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78 people found this helpful
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- D. J. Miller
- 2020-12-05
Ruined by dreadful narration
We have some narrators here, Fitzgerald the worst among them, who read without understanding of:
1. The material
2. How words are pronounced
3. How sentences work
4. Any accent other than their native one
The experience is comparable to an ice pick in the ear. Returning the audiobook and buying a paper copy instead.
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48 people found this helpful
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- Eleanor B. Hildreth
- 2020-11-11
I raved about it to my friends
The first step to change is being able to imagine how it could happen. I just loved that toward the end of the story, emissions start to fall. They top off at 474 ppm, hang at that level for a decade and then start to drop 5 ppm per year. Reforestation and seaweed farming and ??? I'm listening to it again to learn it better.
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Author is not perfect. He has not much studied nonviolent movements and is, as are so many, rather a leftist. Don't those two go hand in hand? But he knows a LOT about climate. I learned a lot and I've been a climate activist for a dozen years. Nothing he said seemed just plain wrong to me. And his putting all that info in stories is like chocolate coating it.
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Author is rather optimistic. The story characters discuss possible collapse of civilization, but do not mention the possibility of human extinction.
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This book earns author a spot on my climate heroes list: Paul Hawken, Greta Thunberg, Donella Meadows, Al Gore, John Michael Greer, Pope Francis,
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25 people found this helpful
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- Robert Handley
- 2020-12-26
Multiple narrators distracting (again)
I purchased because of Ezra Klein recommendation and I recognize the importance of this title. However the voice chops of various readers is not consistent. As with many titles, it seems there was insufficient oversight regarding pronunciation of words, voice quality, speed of reading/narrator and acting (overacting/412). Was there a producer in the house? My prejudice is to not struggle with audio/narrator quality and multiple voices, and I knew up front that voicing would be an issue, but the premise is useful. I'm glad I listened.
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19 people found this helpful
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- dan fisklements
- 2020-11-16
bleak yet optimistic view of climate change impact
difficult to listen to, but an important book none the less. Robinson packs the book full of facts and real science. the plot is a little slow at points, but I'm still glad I listened.
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- J. Clark
- 2021-03-07
Narration is a mixed bag, but otherwise compelling
It's really impossible to sum this up, so I'll just toss out a few points:
1. The narration ranges from pretty good to among the worst I've ever heard.
2. The opening is extremely bleak, but once it opens up and gets going, it's an interesting mix of hopelessness and hopefulness.
3. There is a mix of science, philosophy, economics, sociology, and fiction presented in a mix of narrative, interview transcripts, essays, and so on. It's uneven and kind of random, but compelling, so just be ready for that.
4. I see a lot of reviews complaining about the book's agenda. The book doesn't actually pass judgment on the characters' actions, it simply reports their outcome. Maybe some of the economics and philosophy are questionable, maybe not. It is what it is, and I believe these are important conversations to have.
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16 people found this helpful
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- Phillip F Norris
- 2020-11-04
will listen again
I loved the ideas and the writing though not a plot-driven page-turner. The many narrative performances were top notch.
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- Lincoln
- 2020-11-18
the most depressing book ever
wow. I only got to chapter 2. This book put me in such a gross, dark mood. I already know our planet is doomed and the future generations will suffer and die horrible deaths. that is why i chose not to breed. I dont need a play by play of what a couple generations ahead on me will go through in excruciating detail. This is one of those rare times where I will be asking for my audible credit back.
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- Ben Capozzi
- 2021-09-13
Flat and Weirdly Naive
Dramatic beginning, but flat pretty much ever after. Some of the characters came across as implausibly, frustratingly, incredibly naive, and while I guess KSR wanted to present a hopeful scenario for massive, positive environmental action, much of this just seemed, again, naive to me, especially in the wake of Trump’s America. While this book is much more international in scope, it just seemed politically too simple. I love this genre of near-future SciFi, though, and I absolutely LOVED KSR’s Aurora (only other book from him I’ve read), but finishing this became more obligation than enjoyment. I much more enjoyed Bacigalupi’s Wind Up Girl, though it’s set further in the future, and Daniel Suarez’s Daemon/Freedom thrillers, set in the present but a much more compelling fictionalization of the death of Capitalism. Ultimately, this reminded me a lot of how I felt reading Daniel Quinn's Ishmael, the one about the talking ape critiquing mother culture? Just make this a long essay, or collection of essays. The weakness of the storytelling and characters distracted me from the ideas.
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- Margo
- 2021-07-22
Just drivel
Uninformed economics, stereotyped characters and sympathetic characterization of terrorists are just some of the issues with this book. The ONLY saving grace is the inclusion of technology that might actually be helpful in solving our climate issues! This is mostly a political treatise; where is the 'hard science fiction' we were promised? My husband and I had looked forward to listening to this together but we gave up after 2.5 hours.
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7 people found this helpful