(no subject)
I read this book a while ago but thought it was definitely one to give others a "heads up" on
Title: The Years of Rice and Salt
Author: Kim Stanley Robinson
Genre: Historical/Science Fiction - Depending on which way you look at it.
Approximate length: 699 pages
Rating: 9
Summary: What would have happened if the black plague wiped out most of Europe's population in the 14th century and history was shaped by the East rather than the West? The book covers seven hundred years of alternate history.
Assessment: I bought this book to read because I had read and enjoyed Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars series (Red Mars, Blue Mars, Green Mars) and I was not disappointed. Robinson does a wonderful job of making his alternate history believable. He immerses the reader in a world of Islam and other eastern religions seamlessly. I found this intriguing coming from a predominately Christian influenced background.
The characters are compelling and there are many strong women characters. As the book spans many generations, the characters fade in and out, but at each critical point in this history (the history is told through the eyes of the participants) there is a snapshot of the way the civilisation is shaping and a glimpse of ordinary life within it.
The quote on the dust cover sums the book up brilliantly - " An epic journey through history as it never was but might have been"
I came to this book from Science Fiction but it is much more about looking at our history and asking important questions. However, it is not a book that you have to wade through and put a lot of energy into reading - the ideas that are thought provoking creep up on you rather than being force fed to you.
A book that will linger with you well after you have read it.