skylar2's review against another edition
2.0
While I liked the premise of the book, I expected a lot more from it. The book is divided into three sections, and Icehenge itself is no more than a curiosity until the last 50 pages or so. None of the characters are particularly likable, and there isn't anything to drive the plot forward.
mtmdays's review against another edition
3.0
While the plot was really compelling and Robinson's universe was deep and rich, the first-person point-of-view kind of bothered me because none of the characters are particularly sympathetic. I liked that they were idiosyncratic and believable, but they were missing something...Perhaps this is the result of living so long and the loss of memory, but regardless, they seemed hard for me to sympathize with. Definitely going to read more Kim Stanley Robinson, though.
jupiterjens666's review against another edition
4.0
A minor work from KSR's early period that actually proved deceptively huge. In the 24th century, a formation of giant ice liths is discovered on Pluto. Who built it, why? Expeditions are launched, research is conducted, but the quest to discover the origin is almost irrelevant; this is a story about history and historicity; how do we know what we know? How is history used, and by whom, to shape political ends, and how do those ends shape history in return? What does the fight over truth actually mean, and who benefits from it?
So what begins as a neat little space exploration tale becomes a huge metatextual narrative, much vaster and more complex than its 400 pages. In its interests and questions this book has much more in common with KSR's later, greater "The Years of Rice and Salt" than with any of his scifi novels.
So what begins as a neat little space exploration tale becomes a huge metatextual narrative, much vaster and more complex than its 400 pages. In its interests and questions this book has much more in common with KSR's later, greater "The Years of Rice and Salt" than with any of his scifi novels.
sarahphym's review against another edition
4.0
A fun read. Robinson excels in sci-fi spanning generations, and this one delivers. A good preface to his later Mars trilogy, though not set in the same universe.
cathepsut's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The cover shows a structure like Stonehenge on a rocky ground with a moon and space in the background. First published in 1984, which makes it his second published novel, several years before the Mars Trilogy.
The age shows a little, one part of the political landscape is the Soviet Union, people print out and read paper books and Pluto is still the ninth planet.
We start in 2248 A.D., with Emma Weil on a spaceship in the Asteroid Belt. There is a revolution brewing on Mars and a mutiny on the ship. The revolution made me think of the Mars Trilogy.
Part Two is Hjalmar Nederland in 2547 A.D., an archaeologist excavating and exploring the Unrest of 2248. I liked the beginning, but skimmed through a lot of the second part of Hjalmar‘s story. Too reflective for my current mood. Great stuff for lovers of Mars stories towards the end. The political dynamics were again very reminiscent of the Mars Trilogy. Maybe Robinson expanded on this story and the idea he developed here for those later books.
Part Three: Edmond Doya, 2610 A.D., starting with him reminiscing about that expedition to Pluto in 2547, discovering Icehenge. He goes back to Pluto and tries to determine who built Icehenge and what it all means. Again I liked the start and the ending and skimmed through the rest. The ending was pretty, but unsatisfactory. I don‘t think Robinson and I will become friends anymore, his style is too dry for me.
Playlist:
Samuel Barber, Adagio for Strings
Tomaso Albinoni, Adagio in G minor
<i>“Icehenge is Kim Stanley Robinson's second novel, published in the same year as The Wild Shore, 1984. The novel consists of three stories connected through time, two of which were published before and significantly revised for the novel, and one written for the novel.
Icehenge deals with many themes, with each part complementing or shedding light to the other. In a background setting of the colonization of the solar system and social unrest in Mars, Icehenge explores the effects of longevity on human memory, historical memory, historical revisionism and the imperfect knowledge of past events.“</i>
PS: I wonder if I would still like the Mars Trilogy, if I re-read it now. I don‘t wonder enough to actually try though.
medea_jade's review against another edition
4.0
I gave this book 4 stars but I can't quite say why. The whole time I was reading it I was like okay so this is a slow burn kinda book with a satisfying pay off at the end. Nope. Just slow burn all the way through, culminating with an ending that resolves almost nothing. And yet, I wasn't disappointed. The writing is poetic and lovely to read. I enjoyed it all the way through. And at the end when they don't find a resolution to who built Icehenge I didn't find myself annoyed by that. Some mysteries are never solved. This books feels like the embodiment of the phrase "it's not the destination that matters, it's the journey", and I loved the journey.
thomcat's review against another edition
4.0
Part mystery, part political, this is three novellas that are interconnected. They look at a single event from different perspectives of age, and leave the reader to resolve the answer in the end - possibly with another mystery.
In this version of the future, lifespans have been increased far beyond today (500 years is not uncommon), and humanity has populated many places in the solar system, including many bases on Mars. A terraforming project is underway behind the scenes also, because by the end the Martian atmosphere is breathable with slight oxygen assistance.
Politically, the Soviet Union still exists (as we thought it would in 1984), and Russians make up half the colonists. Soviet-American politics aren't the focus, however - it is the Martian colonist versus the "Development Committee" which leads to the Martian civil war of the first novella.
By the end of the book, we also see colonies on other worlds and moons (Titan!), and body surf in a methane wave-pool on an asteroid converted into a wildly orbiting pleasure craft. I enjoyed this survey of Robinson's future vision, which definitely falls into the hopeful category.
It's been many years since I read anything larger than a short story from Kim Stanley Robinson, and his Mars trilogy is still on my to-read list. This book is the authors second published novel, and the first two of the three novellas were previously published also. That said, this novel is unlike many of the books available at the time, and I really enjoyed reading it. 4 stars.
In this version of the future, lifespans have been increased far beyond today (500 years is not uncommon), and humanity has populated many places in the solar system, including many bases on Mars. A terraforming project is underway behind the scenes also, because by the end the Martian atmosphere is breathable with slight oxygen assistance.
Politically, the Soviet Union still exists (as we thought it would in 1984), and Russians make up half the colonists. Soviet-American politics aren't the focus, however - it is the Martian colonist versus the "Development Committee" which leads to the Martian civil war of the first novella.
By the end of the book, we also see colonies on other worlds and moons (Titan!), and body surf in a methane wave-pool on an asteroid converted into a wildly orbiting pleasure craft. I enjoyed this survey of Robinson's future vision, which definitely falls into the hopeful category.
It's been many years since I read anything larger than a short story from Kim Stanley Robinson, and his Mars trilogy is still on my to-read list. This book is the authors second published novel, and the first two of the three novellas were previously published also. That said, this novel is unlike many of the books available at the time, and I really enjoyed reading it. 4 stars.
david611's review against another edition
2.0
Rating: 2.33
A political science-fiction mystery, although disappointing. Kim Stanley Robinson shows himself as a promising to-be-writer for those times though (1984), when the book was first published, with his good writing style. The mystery is good, but opens up into a not-so-great an ending. The book can be very interesting for someone who ventures into science fiction for the first time. This is a story, in which mankind has settled on Mars and the asteroid belt, a couple of centuries in the future, while human political actions for power still take place. Nothing great as I could see it. I would have preferred to give the book a rating of 2. The additional 0.33 rating is for that small bit of good thoughtfully-provocative lines that I came across during the course of my reading.
I would not really recommend the book, if one has several other wonderful books to read. But if one should enjoy reading a political mystery set in a futuristic scenario, then go for it. :)
A political science-fiction mystery, although disappointing. Kim Stanley Robinson shows himself as a promising to-be-writer for those times though (1984), when the book was first published, with his good writing style. The mystery is good, but opens up into a not-so-great an ending. The book can be very interesting for someone who ventures into science fiction for the first time. This is a story, in which mankind has settled on Mars and the asteroid belt, a couple of centuries in the future, while human political actions for power still take place. Nothing great as I could see it. I would have preferred to give the book a rating of 2. The additional 0.33 rating is for that small bit of good thoughtfully-provocative lines that I came across during the course of my reading.
I would not really recommend the book, if one has several other wonderful books to read. But if one should enjoy reading a political mystery set in a futuristic scenario, then go for it. :)
jmeyers888's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad, but not good. The characters were developed pretty well, and the writing was good. It also had interesting theories, such as how memory works when you live hundreds of years. However, the story itself didn’t interest me because it just fell flat, especially towards the end. I kept thinking, “okay, get to the good part,” but it never came. Essentially, I never felt that excitement of reading a good book.
led's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0