Kim Stanley Robbinson is one of the most loved contemporary sci-fi writers. I may not always like what he writes, but I respect him. He has unique ideas and researches thoroughly (infodumps galore). Where he usually fails is the plot and sections that drag on. This book is no exception to that. There are some amazing chapters (the opening description of the events in India). But, there were chapters I skimmed over and couldn't wait to get done with.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. This is an unusual mix of a regular narrative, chapters narrated by photons or carbon atoms, news bits and short pieces written by people living in a strange, new world of the near future.

There are only two main characters. Mary is the head of the Ministry for the Future - an international institution established to alleviate the consequences of climate change and make sure there is something left for future generations. And there is Frank, an NGO worker who survived a deadly heatwave in India that will change his life forever.

Most of the story is set in Zurich, but we learn about the world through supplemental chapters by different people/entities. There is not much story per se, even though some characters' fates end up intertwined. A lot of it didn't make much sense. I guess the story was a rather weak vehicle to present some novel ideas. Unfortunately, that is not enough for me and this book was not nearly as emotionally engaging as [b:Aurora|23197269|Aurora|Kim Stanley Robinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436300570l/23197269._SX50_.jpg|42742263] (his previous book which I loved).

The most interesting thing about The Ministry for the Future was reading on to see what will happen with the global situation as the years moved on. Read as a futurology report with a soul, this book is soul-crushing in some parts but strangely optimistic in others.

It was great to read about a future where "the 3rd world" leads the change to save the biosphere. I rooted for India going the way they did in the story. Unlike the majority of the cli-fi books I've read, there is a lot of hope here.

I gave an extra star to this book due to the importance of the central theme, but normally this would be a 3 star read at best. ( )

A long fragmented reconstruction of an impending future in which climate change translates to political necessity for action as opposed to current dialectics. I think the author did a very good job at world building in a very difficult domain, the near future. But at the same time there are many aspects of this book that are problematic.

First the characters and their stories are not compelling or transformational. They are fairly static in their development so you don’t feel the story move.

Secondly the world ingredients use language in unusual way - my primary example is that of cryptocurrency. The author has a utopic view of implementation that does not exist today and that does not even seem to be vaguely aligned to contemporary crypto enthusiasts. So the author renames invention’s with problems to new solutions which you only fully appreciate at the end of the book.

Finally there are areas where, even if I am not an expert, there are big gaps between world built claims and what is plausible.

Nevertheless I think this book is one a future thinking person should read critically and breakdown its assumptions and outcomes. ( )

5/5 for the idea that drives the book and is worth reading at least a summary of the book. I have some reservations about the writing though.

The timeline is confusing and is a key element to the story, but there are rarely any indications of what years it is. There are some massive time leaps and no one tells you. Hard to follow and sometimes frustrating.

The good side is that the book is organized in small chapters, easy to pick up and drop off.

There are numerous lengthy and detailed descriptions of Zurich and Switzerland that serve no narrative purpose. It just seems like the author wanted you to know he lived there or did massive research. ( )

Kim Stanley Robinson has woven for us a beautiful fairy tale projected a few years into the future about how the human race finally gets its act together to mitigate the worst effects of climate change through social change and some wishful geo engineering.

State-run banks adopt a carbon crypto coin, climate refugees are accepted everywhere, scientists temporarily roll back the rise of the seas, absorption of heat in Arctic seas, people voluntarily hand back the hinterlands to the animals, and deflect the suns rays with aerosols in the stratosphere.

Small initiatives everywhere redistribute wealth and Robin Hood like fleets of nano drones take out the biggest carbon offenders.

He has done a lot of research on all the upsides of coordinated global efforts and delivered persuasive arguments that the inevitable sixth extinction needn’t be.

Funny how he left out any reference to the role women’s education would have to play in population control.

This is a kind of alternative future cause right now it doesn’t look remotely likely. ( )

This is another of KSR's "novels by pastiche". It's a form I rather like because it allows KSR to introduce ideas and narrative pieces that don't merit a fully-formed character or long story arc. Yet all the pieces contribute the overarching story the novel is telling. However, in this case, I found the pastiche parts more interesting and affecting than I did for most of the two main characters' stories. YMMV.
[Audiobook note: This version has a number of different readers. This works especially well in a novel like this that has characters with backgrounds spanning the globe.] ( )