Kim Stanley Robinson (Modern Masters of Science Fiction) by Robert Markley 10/30/2019 (University of Illinois Press)

Any discussion of what science fiction is will eventually wind up with someone using Kim Stanley Robinson as the gold standard for real science fiction, or at least the hard sf variant. His Rainbow Mars trilogy alone set the standard for terraforming and his solar system novels encompass a bit of Le Guin and a bit of Star Trek.

Robart Markley’s book makes it clear that there’s much, much, more to Kim Stanley Robinson than the conquest of the high frontier. That, in fact, conquest is the last thing the author preaches, leaning towards eco-economics and developing partnerships between humans and everything around them.

Kim Stanley Robinson never comes to mind as one of my favorite authors, which is strange, since I've loved everything of his that I've read. The Three Californias, set in my home town, opened my eyes in college to the idea that California (and by extension the world and by extension me) could be something other that it was. the Mars trilogy is a masterpiece and the Years of Rice and Salt is the most ambitious and thought provoking alternate history that I've read. This book goes a step further in showing the through-lines in all of KSR's books, particularly the struggle for a sustainable utopia and how humanity might be able to "scuttle sideways" towards something better.

This is a very readable literary analysis, combining close readings, thematic analyses, and cross-textual connections to create a greater appreciation of the impact and importance of KSR's body of work. While I wouldn't go so far as the author and call KSR "probably the preeminent writer of our era," I would say that KSR (and more importantly his books and ideas) deserves more prominence in our society.