The Big Ideas of the Modern Cli-Fi Novel

The Big Ideas of the Modern Cli-Fi Novel

Everdeen Mason at the Washington Post reviewed Kim Stanley Robinson’s New York 2140 this way:

 ''Kim Stanley Robinson’s New York 2140 (Orbit) feels eerily prescient at times. Here Robinson (“Aurora,” “2312”) explores the lives of several residents of an apartment building in Manhattan after global warming has caused almost all of the world’s coastlines to go underwater. The novel follows the adventures of seven characters; each one intricately describes how society would change in a major natural disaster. Robinson covers all his bases: the science behind what caused the rise in the tides, the potential consequences to the U.S. economy, even the ins and outs of how to grow food with vastly diminished resources. The book is a strange hybrid. It has the tenacious, encyclopedic detail that Robinson is known for, the big ideas of a modern Cli-Fi novel and the twists and turns of a heist movie. The characters are memorable, particularly the two little orphan boys and the Internet video star, Amelia. It all comes together (perhaps a little too) beautifully in the end. Anyone familiar with Robinson’s work knows that he can be tedious and heavy handed, and this novel is no exception. But like the others, the thought-provoking ideas and vivid details make the book worth reading.''


1. That climate change and man made global warming are real issues impacting humankind (and the nonhuman as well)

2. That if nothing is done by world leaders and the IPCC and the UN to stop runaway climate change and global warming (RCC/AGW) then the fate of the human species on Earth is in jeopardy come the Climapocalypse in 500 years or so and we are possibly possibly "doomed, doomed."

3. Why is no one taking action?

4. As Amitav Ghosh has written: Why are so few modern novels focusing on climate change and global warming? And what can be done to rectify the situation?

5. Can a mere novel or movie make a difference and send out an alarm that will be heard around the world with action taken to rectify the sitation? Or are novels and movies just entertainment products produced and marketed by huge corporations for their own profits?

6. WHO will write the BIG CLI FI NOVEL of the future? WHO will write THE BIG IDEAS OF THE MODERN CLI FI NOVEL? YOU?

7. Will the Big Ideas of the Modern Cli-Fi Novel make any difference? Did Barbara Kingsolver's FLIGHT BEHAVIOR make any impact? Will Kim Stanley Robinson's NEW YORK 2140 have any impact on readers?