Robinson really let me down with this first in a series about global warming. The plot mainly concerns the main characters going to work and having meetings and endless discussions with scientists. It really is all too much like real life to make for interesting fiction.

I picked up this book after reading an interview on BLDGBLOG.

Books that are set up for sequels just don’t do it for me. Formulaic writing and just basic character development. I know, it’s pulp fiction, but I just don’t feel like it’s worth investing my time unless there’s something interesting in the work itself, and not just the content. Don’t just tell a story—use the language!

There are parts which are good. He’s very skilled at descriptions of architecture, of the science, of the processes at the NSF. I just wish he’d gone right into the disaster—this is what I was counting on!

... by Kim Stanley Robinson
Posted from All Consuming

He’s one of my favorite authors, but this was not among his best work. It was interesting, but up until the last few chapters, it was simply boring. The characters were interesting enough for me to care what happens to them, so I may end up finishing the trilogy eventually. But the second book will have to pick up the pace.

Books about lobbyists and scientific beureaucrats aren’t always the most exciting stories in the world.

Kim Stanley Robinson has made quite the reputatation as a science-fiction writer with his Mars trilogy winning numerous awards and accolates (all of them deserved).

Now, he’s back with a new trilogy. And while it would be easy to classify it as science-fiction, that might be selling the book short. Forty Signs of Rain is more than a science-fiction story, it’s a cautionary tale of what could go wrong if we don’t start paying attention to the environment.

What I liked about this book is there are several distinct groups working on the issue from different angles. There’s no one super genius who figures it all out but instead we see various people having one peice of the puzzle and we, the reader, are able to fit together what is happening and what is going to happen. It’s a fascinating book and the good part is—Robinson makes all of the characters at least interesting enough that you want to spend time with them.

I will admit I was a bit irritated that it ended on a cliffhanger. But it’s a trilogy. That’s only to be expected.