ameliatreacy's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
ninj's review against another edition
4.0
A meandering tale set a few hundred years in the future across the solar system. There's a _lot_ of travel back and forth, examining some incidents occurring on planets / moons. Some very epic and intense excursions by the characters, punctuated by strange excerpts and lists to give you that lived-in feeling of the 24th century. Some super poetic descriptive chapters. But also large chunks that aren't bad, but also feel like digressions to just explore the whole world-view of society as it ... evolves / decays.
rachelmarieoneal's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like it. I finished it. I was always on the edge of almost enjoying myself. The ending fell flat and the dialogue always seemed stilted.
old_tim's review against another edition
5.0
Please note: This is *not* a plot driven novel. It is primarily a love story. You aren’t going to find space battles, aliens/monsters, or lots of adventure & intrigue. There is a plot, with touches of conspiracy & adventures, but they are of a tertiary importance at best. The primary focus is on character development, with a surprising & wonderful examination of the natural wonders of our solar system coming in second.
Given all the problems of our age, the genre seems to be more & more focused on dystopian visions of the future. I found “2312” to be a wonderful optimistic answer to this doom & gloom. Yes, we have problems, but perhaps they are solvable. This optimism & overall sense of wonder seemed to be a return to some of the best qualities of golden age science fiction. I think that in times like these, we need more of this sort of vision.
Given all the problems of our age, the genre seems to be more & more focused on dystopian visions of the future. I found “2312” to be a wonderful optimistic answer to this doom & gloom. Yes, we have problems, but perhaps they are solvable. This optimism & overall sense of wonder seemed to be a return to some of the best qualities of golden age science fiction. I think that in times like these, we need more of this sort of vision.
bmakuh's review against another edition
3.0
A weird space fantasia
What I found interesting was his imagining of what it would be like to create habitable spaces on various planets, moons, and other interstellar objects. Other than that, I found the plot of the book to be pretty strange and hard to follow.
What I found interesting was his imagining of what it would be like to create habitable spaces on various planets, moons, and other interstellar objects. Other than that, I found the plot of the book to be pretty strange and hard to follow.
metalmarmot's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
loveallthis's review against another edition
3.0
I got a good hundred pages into 2312 thinking "holy shit, I finally found a ballsy female hard sci-fi author!" before looking up Kim Stanley Robinson and finding out that yeah, he is a dude.
In which case, (and I don't know why I'd be easier on a woman - there's probably something wrong with this) this is a pretty forgettable attempt at an Iain M. Banks-like story. Sprawling and with lots of characters (check), super-advanced human/alien diaspora (check), secret evil cabal potentially run by robots trying to control the universe (check), mysterious bombings of technologically advanced cities on far-flung planets (check).
This is a nicely-crafted and intellectually impressive book without a lot of heart. Like this summer's unfortunate Prometheus, it's a story about commuting. From Earth to Mercury to Mars to Saturn to Jupiter's moons, with lots of shuttles and asteroids-turned-spaceliners in between, our characters hop around the solar system incessantly - all the while investigating who or what is behind the attacks.
There are some interesting bits, to do with body modification, art, music, and technology. The book's 560 pages, though it felt significantly longer.
Three stars. A decent read.
In which case, (and I don't know why I'd be easier on a woman - there's probably something wrong with this) this is a pretty forgettable attempt at an Iain M. Banks-like story. Sprawling and with lots of characters (check), super-advanced human/alien diaspora (check), secret evil cabal potentially run by robots trying to control the universe (check), mysterious bombings of technologically advanced cities on far-flung planets (check).
This is a nicely-crafted and intellectually impressive book without a lot of heart. Like this summer's unfortunate Prometheus, it's a story about commuting. From Earth to Mercury to Mars to Saturn to Jupiter's moons, with lots of shuttles and asteroids-turned-spaceliners in between, our characters hop around the solar system incessantly - all the while investigating who or what is behind the attacks.
There are some interesting bits, to do with body modification, art, music, and technology. The book's 560 pages, though it felt significantly longer.
Three stars. A decent read.
araleith's review against another edition
3.0
I am struggling with rating this book because I liked it and didn't like it and it was weird and slippery and I can't decide if it even had a real concrete plot.
girlfriday4's review against another edition
3.0
It's around a year now since I read this, and I find myself wanting to read it again.
I bought it on the strength the first few pages, which describe a person viewing the sun from Mercury - and I guess that's why I want to go back to it. Although there barely seems to be a plot, let alone a conclusion, the ideas are fascinating; from space travel via hollowed out asteroids, to terraforming venus, to biological gender morphing in all directions ... ideas and images keep forming in my mind, months later, and I know I will have to pick it up again.
I bought it on the strength the first few pages, which describe a person viewing the sun from Mercury - and I guess that's why I want to go back to it. Although there barely seems to be a plot, let alone a conclusion, the ideas are fascinating; from space travel via hollowed out asteroids, to terraforming venus, to biological gender morphing in all directions ... ideas and images keep forming in my mind, months later, and I know I will have to pick it up again.