The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 24 November 2000
by Kim Stanley Robinson
This book is so full, that the reader may not discern its plot until half way through. It is full of description, it is full of people, it is full of activity. But it is an epic book. Its subject, the vast ice continent of Antarctica, begs for an epic. Robinson obliges, but with a book that is somewhat of a mess. Down at the bottom of the world, there are scientists, adventure trekkers, oil exploration, artists, people experimenting with living in the ice, and the occasional bureaucrat. They all interact in one way or another, and the potential for ecological sabotage draws them all together in the fading light of the expiring Antarctic treaty. What might result is a remarkable ecological dream uniting these divergent interests and, perhaps, changing the whole world. Getting there, though, Robinson indulges his urge to describe Antarctica in acute detail. On icy treks and scientific expeditions, he includes pages upon pages of details that may be most interesting to mountain climbers and geologists. In introducing the strange human subcultures that thrive in this extreme environment, he also gives us long passages about people's lifestyles. He may go on for ten or twenty pages with characters dancing all night to music played at the South Pole. All this clouds the book, and is occasionally repetitive. Yet buried in here there are brilliant gems of observation, insight and hope. This reader's favorite element in the story was the viewpoint of Ta Shu, a feng shui master visiting Antarctica on a grant for artists. With him, Robinson manages to evoke a real love for the remarkable and exotic landscape in which the book takes place. Ta Shu voices a sensitivity to the Earth that appears to be the message of the novel. Robinson's research certainly cannot be faulted. He retells some incredible stories from the early years of Antarctic exploration, from The Worst Journey in the World to the IGY and into the future. This is an outstanding introduction to the last wilderness on Earth, but there is a lot of chaff to wade through along the way.
Also by Robinson: [The Gold Coast] [The Wild Shore] [Pacific Edge] [The Blind Geometer]
See also: [The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard] [Everland by Rebecca Hunt]