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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
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction
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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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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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thorough discussion of the most important issue
- By Brian Katz on 2021-03-26
Written by: Ezra Klein
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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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Overall
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Performance
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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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Scientific overview of how the world works
- By Bobak Baud on 2022-07-21
Written by: Vaclav Smil
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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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Overall
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Performance
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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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A must read piece of real feminist literature
- By Desiree on 2019-02-06
Written by: Naomi Alderman
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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
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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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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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The Immortal King Rao
- Written by: Vauhini Vara
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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In an Indian village in the 1950s, a precocious child is born into a family of Dalit coconut farmers. King Rao will grow up to be the most accomplished tech CEO in the world and, eventually, the leader of a global, corporate-led government. In a future in which the world is run by the Board of Corporations, King’s daughter, Athena, reckons with his legacy—literally, for he has given her access to his memories, among other questionable gifts.
Written by: Vauhini Vara
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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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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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thorough discussion of the most important issue
- By Brian Katz on 2021-03-26
Written by: Ezra Klein
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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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Overall
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Performance
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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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Scientific overview of how the world works
- By Bobak Baud on 2022-07-21
Written by: Vaclav Smil
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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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Overall
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Performance
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Story
'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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A must read piece of real feminist literature
- By Desiree on 2019-02-06
Written by: Naomi Alderman
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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
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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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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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The Immortal King Rao
- Written by: Vauhini Vara
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In an Indian village in the 1950s, a precocious child is born into a family of Dalit coconut farmers. King Rao will grow up to be the most accomplished tech CEO in the world and, eventually, the leader of a global, corporate-led government. In a future in which the world is run by the Board of Corporations, King’s daughter, Athena, reckons with his legacy—literally, for he has given her access to his memories, among other questionable gifts.
Written by: Vauhini Vara
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New York 2140
- Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren, Robin Miles, Peter Ganim, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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New York Times best-selling author Kim Stanley Robinson returns with a bold and brilliant vision of New York City in the next century. As the sea levels rose, every street became a canal. Every skyscraper an island. For the residents of one apartment building in Madison Square, however, New York in the year 2140 is far from a drowned city. There is the market trader, who finds opportunities where others find trouble. There is the detective, whose work will never disappear - along with the lawyers, of course.
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Meh
- By Irving Cornejo on 2017-11-11
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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Termination Shock
- By Shirley's awesome reads on 2022-01-09
Written by: Neal Stephenson
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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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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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Project Hail Mary
- Written by: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
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Riveting Story!
- By Maggie Irwin on 2021-05-10
Written by: Andy Weir
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A Brief History of Equality
- Written by: Thomas Piketty
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The world’s leading economist of inequality presents a short but sweeping and surprisingly optimistic history of human progress toward equality despite crises, disasters, and backsliding, a perfect introduction to the ideas developed in his monumental earlier books.
Written by: Thomas Piketty
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Green Mars
- Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 27 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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The initial Martian pioneers had fierce disagreements about how the planet should be used by humans. This led to a war that threatened the lives of billions of people on both Mars and Earth. Now, the second generation of settlers continues the struggle to survive the hostile yet strangely beautiful environment of the red planet.
Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
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Generation Dread
- Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis
- Written by: Britt Wray
- Narrated by: Britt Wray
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In Generation Dread, Britt Wray seamlessly merges scientific knowledge with emotional insight to show how these intense feelings are a healthy response to the troubled state of the world. The first crucial step toward becoming an engaged steward of the planet is connecting with our climate emotions, seeing them as a sign of humanity, and learning how to live with them. We have to face and value eco-anxiety, Wray argues, before we can conquer the deeply ingrained, widespread reactions of denial and disavowal that have led humanity to this alarming period of ecological decline.
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Very timely
- By A. D. Bulgaria on 2022-07-17
Written by: Britt Wray
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The Dawn of Everything
- A New History of Humanity
- Written by: David Graeber, David Wengrow
- Narrated by: Malk Williams
- Length: 24 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike—either free and equal innocents, or thuggish and warlike. Civilization, we are told, could only be achieved by sacrificing those original freedoms, or alternatively, by taming our baser instincts. Graeber and Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the eighteenth century as a conservative reaction to powerful critiques of European society posed by Indigenous observers and intellectuals. Revisiting this encounter has startling implications for how we make sense of human history today.
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Being Critical of Assumptions
- By James Andrew Davis on 2021-11-13
Written by: David Graeber, and others
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Parable of the Sower
- Written by: Octavia E. Butler
- Narrated by: Lynne Thigpen
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
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God is change. That is the central truth of the Earthseed movement, whose unlikely prophet is 18-year-old Lauren Olamina. The young woman's diary entries tell the story of her life amid a violent 21st-century hell of walled neighborhoods and drug-crazed pyromaniacs - and reveal her evolving Earthseed philosophy. Against a backdrop of horror emerges a message of hope: if we are willing to embrace divine change, we will survive to fulfill our destiny among the stars.
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Readers voice is best part
- By Sarah Ferrara on 2018-11-27
Written by: Octavia E. Butler
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The Three-Body Problem
- Written by: Cixin Liu
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 13 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion.
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Hyped by CCP
- By Zyn ski on 2020-12-29
Written by: Cixin Liu
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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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Good ideas, not so good execution
- By Antony on 2019-06-01
Written by: Kim Stanley Robinson
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Growth
- From Microorganisms to Megacities
- Written by: Vaclav Smil
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 26 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. It governs the lives of microorganisms and galaxies; it shapes the capabilities of our extraordinarily large brains and the fortunes of our economies. Growth is manifested in annual increments of continental crust, a rising gross domestic product, a child's growth chart, the spread of cancerous cells. In this magisterial book, Vaclav Smil offers systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations.
Written by: Vaclav Smil
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)
More from the same
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.
2 people 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.
1 person found this helpful
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- Arthur Garrido
- 2022-07-02
Inspiring
Some really cool ideas and makes me want to make changes in my own life.
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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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- Alicia Gradson
- 2022-05-16
Performance
The majority of readings were not to my liking. As a result, some performers did detract from the story. My enjoyment was negatively effected.
The story is a reasonable extrapolation of the climatic mess we are/will experience.
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- Boombeatbob
- 2022-05-14
interesting story
it was a bit too climate leviathan-y for my tastes, but hey its an idea of how things could go, and i likes that it went beyond the west when showing how things went
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- mikey inkster
- 2022-05-03
not to be used to learn proper pronunciation.
KSR doing what he does. the readers should have heard more English in preparation. for me, nothing snags the flow like trying to guess what the word was supposed to be. for a less critical ear, just fine.
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- Valentina Manferrari
- 2021-12-13
Inspirational
Reading is a bit heavy at some points but content is great and inspiring everyone to take action on the topics of climate change and reimagining the economy and present structure of laws and society
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- Vitaly
- 2021-09-03
Disappointing
The book does an awesome job describing what might happen when humans start feeling the impacts of their environmental pollution. But then it rushes through solutions and the outcomes leaving many questions unanswered. Great performance by the narrators!
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- Amazon Customer
- 2021-03-04
absolutely a must read
shows how humanity will push through the horrors of climate change for a better future
much needed mental framing for those who care deeply
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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.
66 people found this helpful
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- James
- 2020-12-07
Airships, bad philosophy, and light terrorism
I love KSR and I wanted really badly to love this book. But I just couldn't get into it.
The climate catastrophic isn't my problem. After all, I loved New York 2140.
* Scientifically illiterate take on Organic agriculture & Vandana Shiva.
* Poor philosophy of morality & punishment.
* Apologizes for and even glorifies terrorism.
* Implies that people "need" religion.
* Misuse and apparent total lack of understanding of "ideology".
* Airships.
Nothing very exciting happens in the book. Some scenes sound exciting in theory, but I wasn't excited reading them.
48 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.
36 people found this helpful
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- knal03
- 2020-12-06
A dystopian future told by the people at the top
An accidental dystopian view in the authors view of utopia. It is basically a Marxist/Greenpeace utopia that glorifies terrorism and authoritarianism for the "greater good." The tech and engineering is well thought out and interesting, but characters and story are naive. The story itself is a bland delivery mechanism for the evangelism. More of the same old political dogma.
32 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,
22 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.
16 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.
15 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.
14 people found this helpful
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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.
10 people found this helpful
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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.
8 people found this helpful