Kim Stanley Robinson Popular Books

Kim Stanley Robinson Biography & Facts

Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is an American writer of science fiction. He has published 22 novels and numerous short stories and is best known for his Mars trilogy. His work has been translated into 24 languages. Many of his novels and stories have ecological, cultural, and political themes and feature scientists as heroes. Robinson has won numerous awards, including the Hugo Award for Best Novel, the Nebula Award for Best Novel and the World Fantasy Award. The Atlantic has called Robinson's work "the gold standard of realistic, and highly literary, science-fiction writing." According to an article in The New Yorker, Robinson is "generally acknowledged as one of the greatest living science-fiction writers." Early life and education Robinson was born in Waukegan, Illinois. He moved to Southern California as a child.In 1974, he earned a B.A. in literature from the University of California, San Diego. In 1975, he earned an M.A. in English from Boston University. In 1978 Robinson moved to Davis, California, to take a break from his graduate studies at the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego). During this time, he worked as a bookseller for Orpheus Books. He also taught freshman composition and other courses at University of California, Davis.In 1982, Robinson earned a PhD in English from UC San Diego under the direction of Donald Wesling. His initial PhD advisor was literary critic and Marxist scholar Fredric Jameson, who told Robinson to read works by Philip K. Dick. Jameson described Dick to Robinson as "the greatest living American writer". Robinson's doctoral thesis, The Novels of Philip K. Dick, was published in 1984 and a hardcover version was published by UMI Research Press. Career In 2009, Robinson was an instructor at the Clarion Workshop. In 2010, he was the guest of honor at the 68th World Science Fiction Convention, held in Melbourne. In April 2011, Robinson presented at the second annual Rethinking Capitalism conference, held at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Among other points made, his talk addressed the cyclical nature of capitalism.Robinson was appointed as a Muir Environmental Fellow in 2011 by John Muir College at UC San Diego. Major themes Nature and culture Sheldon Brown described Robinson's novels as ways to explore how nature and culture continuously reformulate one another; Three Californias Trilogy as California in the future; Washington DC undergoing the impact of climate change in the Science in the Capital series; or Mars as a stand-in for Earth in the Mars trilogy to think about re-engineering on a global scale, both social and natural conditions. Ecological sustainability Virtually all of Robinson's novels have an ecological component; sustainability is one of his primary themes (a strong contender for the primary theme would be the nature of a plausible utopia). The Orange County trilogy is about the way in which the technological intersects with the natural, highlighting the importance of keeping the two in balance. In the Mars trilogy, one of the principal divisions among the population of Mars is based on dissenting views on terraforming. Colonists debate whether or not the barren Martian landscape has a similar ecological or spiritual value when compared with a living ecosphere like Earth's. Forty Signs of Rain has an entirely ecological thrust, taking global warming as its principal subject. Economic and social justice Robinson's work often explores alternatives to modern capitalism. In the Mars trilogy, it is argued that capitalism is an outgrowth of feudalism, which could be replaced in the future by a more democratic economic system. Worker ownership and cooperatives figure prominently in Green Mars and Blue Mars as replacements for traditional corporations. The Orange County trilogy explores similar arrangements; Pacific Edge includes the idea of attacking the legal framework behind corporate domination to promote social egalitarianism. Tim Kreider writes in the New Yorker that Robinson may be our greatest political novelist and describes how Robinson uses the Mars trilogy as a template for a credible utopia. His works have made reference to real-world examples of economic organization that have been cited as examples of alternatives to conventional capitalist structures, such as the Mondragon Corporation and the Kerala model.Robinson's writing also reflects an interest in economic models that reject the growth-oriented basis of capitalism: Robert Markley has identified the work of Murray Bookchin as an influence on his thinking, as well as steady-state economics.Robinson's work often portrays characters struggling to preserve and enhance the world around them in an environment characterized by individualism and entrepreneurialism, often facing the political and economic authoritarianism of corporate power acting in this environment. Robinson has been described as anti-capitalist, and his work often portrays a form of frontier capitalism that promotes egalitarian ideals that closely resemble socialist systems, but faced with a capitalism that is maintained by entrenched hegemonic corporations. In particular, his Martian Constitution draws upon social democratic ideals explicitly emphasizing a community-participation element in political and economic life.Robinson's works often portray the worlds of tomorrow in a manner similar to the mythologized American Western frontier, showing a sentimental affection for the freedom and wildness of the frontier. This aesthetic includes a preoccupation with competing models of political and economic organization. The environmental, economic, and social themes in Robinson's oeuvre stand in marked contrast to the right-libertarian science fiction prevalent in much of the genre (Robert A. Heinlein, Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, and Jerry Pournelle being prominent examples). He has been described as "one of America's best-selling […] left-wing novelists" and his work has been called "probably the most successful attempt to reach a mass audience with an anti-capitalist utopian vision since Ursula K. Le Guin's 1974 novel, The Dispossessed". Scientists as heroes Robinson's work often features scientists as heroes. They are portrayed in a mundane way compared to most work featuring scientists: rather than being adventurers or action heroes, Robinson's scientists become critically important because of research discoveries, networking and collaboration with other scientists, political lobbying, or becoming public figures. Robinson captures the joy of scientists as they work at something they care about. Robert Markley has argued that Robinson "views science as the model for a utopian politics... Even in Robinson's novels that don't seem to be sci-fi, like Shaman, the inductive method, the collective search for greater knowledge about the world that can be put to use for the good for all, is front and center". The Mars trilogy and The Years of Rice and Salt rely he.... Discover the Kim Stanley Robinson popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Kim Stanley Robinson books.

Best Seller Kim Stanley Robinson Books of 2024

  • Der Plan zur Rettung der Welt synopsis, comments

    Der Plan zur Rettung der Welt

    Nick Fuller Googins

    Nach gewaltigen Katastrophen ist die Menschheit seit 15 Jahren klimaneutral. Der Weg dahin war hart: zahllose Tierarten sind ausgestorben, die menschlichen Opfer gehen in die Milli...

  • Die zweite Erde - Folge 2 synopsis, comments

    Die zweite Erde - Folge 2

    Christian Humberg

    Der Priester Hieronymus "Harry" Schiller begeisterte Millionen mit seinen Predigten und glaubt selbst an gar nichts mehr. Beim Absturz der Genesis strandet er zusammen mit dem Sol...

  • Diezukunft - Ausblicke 1 synopsis, comments

    Diezukunft - Ausblicke 1

    Wilhelm Heyne Verlag

    Leseproben aus dem HeyneScienceFictionProgramm – mit Cixin Liu, Andy Weir, Kim Stanley Robinson u.v.m.Sie interessieren sich für Zukunft, Technologie und ScienceFiction? Sie würden...

  • New York 2140 synopsis, comments

    New York 2140

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    New York, einhundert Jahre später. Der Meeresspiegel ist angestiegen, und die Straßen des Big Apple haben sich in Kanäle verwandelt und aus den einstigen Wolkenkratzern sind hoch a...

  • Embers of War synopsis, comments

    Embers of War

    Gareth L. Powell

    From BSFA Award winning author Gareth L. Powell comes the first in a new epic scifi trilogy exploring the legacies of warThe sentient warship Trouble Dog was built for violence, ye...

  • Fifty Degrees Below synopsis, comments

    Fifty Degrees Below

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    Set in our nation’s capital, here is a chillingly realistic tale of people caught in the collision of science, technology, and the consequences of global warming.When the storm got...

  • Blauer Mars synopsis, comments

    Blauer Mars

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    Es ist die größte Herausforderung, der sich die Menschheit je gegenübersah: die Besiedlung unseres Nachbarplaneten Mars. Die Verwandlung einer lebensfeindlichen Wüstenwelt in einen...

  • Die zweite Erde - Folge 5 synopsis, comments

    Die zweite Erde - Folge 5

    Christian Humberg

    Das Camp rüstet sich gegen den Angriff der fremden Wesen. Der Chemiker Mahdi entwickelt ein Medikament, das gegen die Panikattacken helfen könnte doch der Preis dafür ist hoch. Wä...

  • The Dazzle of Day synopsis, comments

    The Dazzle of Day

    Molly Gloss

    Leaving a dilapidated Earth behind, Quakers across the globe pool funds and resources as they select colonists to send to a newly discovered planet to start life anew in this “mira...

  • On The Third Day synopsis, comments

    On The Third Day

    Rhys Thomas

    Society is on the brink of collapse. The Old World is vanishing, the New World is taking over. There are no rules. Not now that a deadly disease is spreading that causes its victim...

  • Green Mars synopsis, comments

    Green Mars

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel Kim Stanley Robinson’s classic trilogy depicting the colonization of Mars continues in a thrilling and timeless novel that pits the settler...

  • The Deluge synopsis, comments

    The Deluge

    Stephen Markley

    A New York Times Notable Book “This book is, simply put, a modern classic. If you read it, you'll never forget it. Prophetic, terrifying, uplifting.” Stephen KingFrom the bestselli...

  • Roter Mars synopsis, comments

    Roter Mars

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    Die erste Kolonie auf dem MarsEs ist die größte Herausforderung, der sich die Menschheit je gegenübersah: die Besiedlung unseres Nachbarplaneten Mars. Die Verwandlung einer lebensf...

  • Half-Sick Of Shadows synopsis, comments

    Half-Sick Of Shadows

    David Logan

    On the eve of Granny Hazel’s burial in the back garden, a stranger in his time machine – a machine that bears an uncanny resemblance to a Morris Minor – visits five yearold Edward ...

  • Antarctica synopsis, comments

    Antarctica

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    The awardwinning author of the Mars trilogy takes readers to the last pure wilderness on Earth in this powerful and majestic novel.   “Antarctica may well be the best novel of...

  • Diezukunft - Ausblicke 2 synopsis, comments

    Diezukunft - Ausblicke 2

    Wilhelm Heyne Verlag

    Leseproben aus dem HeyneScienceFictionProgramm – mit Jens Lubbadeh, Kim Stanley Robinson, Dennis E. Taylor u.v.m.Sie interessieren sich für Zukunft, Technologie und ScienceFiction?...

  • The Hard SF Renaissance synopsis, comments

    The Hard SF Renaissance

    David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer

    A major anthology of the "hard SF" subgenrearguing that it's not only the genre's core, but also its future.Something exciting has been happening in modern science fiction. After ...

  • Die zweite Erde - Folge 1 synopsis, comments

    Die zweite Erde - Folge 1

    Christian Humberg

    EINE VERZWEIFELTE MISSION.EINE HANDVOLL ÜBERLEBENDER.EIN GEHEIMNISVOLLER PLANET.Kriege, Umweltzerstörung und Seuchen die Erde des 22. Jahrhunderts steht vor dem Kollaps. Das Ende ...

  • Chaman synopsis, comments

    Chaman

    Kim Stanley Robinson & Sébastien Baert

    Le récit puissant, exaltant et émouvant du voyage initiatique d'un jeune homme à l'âge adulte... il y a trente mille ans.Ère glaciaire, à une époque charnière du développement de l...

  • Kim Stanley Robinson synopsis, comments

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    Robert Markley

    Awardwinning epics like the Mars Trilogy and groundbreaking alternative histories like The Days of Rice and Salt have brought Kim Stanley Robinson to the forefront of contemporary ...

  • Aurora synopsis, comments

    Aurora

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    Hundertsechzig Jahre EinsamkeitEs ist das gewaltigste Unterfangen, dem sich die Menschheit seit Beginn der bemannten Raumfahrt je gegenübersah: die Besiedelung eines neuen Sonnensy...

  • Die zweite Erde - Folge 3 synopsis, comments

    Die zweite Erde - Folge 3

    Christian Humberg

    Die Suche nach dem dringend benötigten Generator scheint aussichtslos. Die Bewohner von Camp Eden verlieren zunehmend die Hoffnung zudem häufen sich rätselhafte Albträume. Als ein...

  • The Years of Rice and Salt synopsis, comments

    The Years of Rice and Salt

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    With the same unique vision that brought his now classic Mars trilogy to vivid life, bestselling author Kim Stanley Robinson boldly imagines an alternate history of the last seven ...

  • Red Mars synopsis, comments

    Red Mars

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel Discover the novel that launched one of science fiction’s most beloved, acclaimed, and awarded trilogies: Kim Stanley Robinson’s masterly...

  • Lune rouge synopsis, comments

    Lune rouge

    Kim Stanley Robinson & Sylvie Denis

    Un passionnant roman d'exploration spatiale et de révolution politique, par l'un des grands maîtres américains de la sciencefiction moderne.2047 : l'homme a colonisé la Lune, ...

  • Green Earth synopsis, comments

    Green Earth

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    The landmark trilogy of cuttingedge science, international politics, and the reallife ramifications of climate changeupdated and abridged into a single novel   More than a dec...

  • 2312 synopsis, comments

    2312

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    From the acclaimed author of New York 2140 and Red Mars, this NYT bestselling novel tells the story of a future where humanity has populated miraculous new habitats engineered acro...

  • New York 2140 synopsis, comments

    New York 2140

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    New York Times bestselling 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 c...

  • Aurora synopsis, comments

    Aurora

    Kim Stanley Robinson, Florence Dolisi & Jean-Charles Pasquer

    Notre voyage depuis la Terre a commencé il y a des générations.À présent, nous nous approchons de notre destination.Aurora. Brillamment conçu et merveilleusement écrit, un rom...

  • The Smoke synopsis, comments

    The Smoke

    Simon Ings

    A searing nearfuture tale about love, loss and loneliness in an incomprehensible world. Humanity has been split into three different species. Mutual incomprehension has fractured t...

  • Projekt Pluto synopsis, comments

    Projekt Pluto

    Lucy Kissick

    Die Menschheit hat sich über das gesamte Sonnensystem ausgebreitet. Terraforming – die Veränderung ganzer Planeten, um sie erdähnlicher zu machen – wird von allen Kolonien betriebe...

  • The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson synopsis, comments

    The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    Kim Stanley Robinson has been an ongoing force in the Science Fiction genre for over twenty years, with his novels (Year’s of Rice and Salt, Forty Signs of Rain) crossing over to t...

  • Ghost Species synopsis, comments

    Ghost Species

    James Bradley

    In an intimate portrayal of highconcept big ideas, can we engineer ourselves out of a problem of our own making?Set against the backdrop of rapidly escalating climate catastrophe, ...

  • Worldmakers synopsis, comments

    Worldmakers

    Gardner Dozois

    When mankind moves out to the stars, the colonists of the future will remake the worlds they inhabit in their image. Included here are twenty stories from the most imaginative writ...

  • Blue Mars synopsis, comments

    Blue Mars

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel One of the most enthralling science fiction sagas ever written, Kim Stanley Robinson’s epic trilogy concludes with Blue Marsa triumph of pr...

  • The Martians synopsis, comments

    The Martians

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy is one of science fiction’s most honored stories, with Red Mars winning the distinguished Nebula Award, and both Green Mars and Blue Mars h...

  • The Thousand Earths synopsis, comments

    The Thousand Earths

    Stephen Baxter

    In 2145AD John Hackett's adventure is just beginning.In Year 30, Mela's story is coming to a close.Hackett, in his trusty ship the Perseus, is not just a space traveller beginning...

  • The Unnatural World synopsis, comments

    The Unnatural World

    David Biello

    A brilliant young environmental journalist argues that we must innovate and adapt to save planet Earth in this enlightening “trip around the world to meet people working out new wa...

  • Forty Signs of Rain synopsis, comments

    Forty Signs of Rain

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    The bestselling author of the classic Mars trilogy and The Years of Rice and Salt presents a riveting new trilogy of cuttingedge science, international politics, and the reallife r...

  • Molecular Red synopsis, comments

    Molecular Red

    McKenzie Wark

    In Molecular Red, McKenzie Wark creates philosophical tools for the Anthropocene, our new planetary epoch, in which human and natural forces are so entwined that the future of one ...

  • Explorers synopsis, comments

    Explorers

    Gardner Dozois

    Distant planets, galaxies, alien racesthe universe is vast and filled with an almost unimaginable range of possibilities. But imagine it we can. Here are more than twenty stories f...

  • The Auden Generation synopsis, comments

    The Auden Generation

    Samuel Hynes

    This is a study of a literary generation writing in a period of expanding fears and ever more urgent political and social crises. The pace of the time itself, the sense of time pas...

  • Sixty Days and Counting synopsis, comments

    Sixty Days and Counting

    Kim Stanley Robinson

    By the time Phil Chase is elected president, the world’s climate is far on its way to irreversible change. Food scarcity, housing shortages, diminishing medical care, and vanishing...