[.ca] Antarctica (ISBN 0553574027)

From Amazon.com:
In the near future, Wade Norton has been sent to Antarctica by Senator Phil Chase to investigate rumors of environmental sabotage. He arrives on the frozen continent and immediately begins making contact with the various scientific and political factions that comprise Antarctic society. What he finds is an interesting blend of inhabitants who don't always mesh well but who all share a common love of Antarctica and a fierce devotion to their life there. He also begins to uncover layers of Antarctic culture that have been kept hidden from the rest of the world, and some of them are dangerous indeed. Things are brought to a head when the saboteurs--or "ecoteurs" as they call themselves--launch an attack designed to drive humans off the face of Antarctica. This is Kim Stanley Robinson's first book since his award-winning Mars trilogy, and while some of the themes may be familiar to seasoned Robinson readers, the book is never less than engrossing. As usual Robinson does a masterful job with the setting of his story, and anyone interested in Antarctica won't want to miss this one. --Craig Engler

Occasionally Entertaining.:
I liked this book, but I'm not entirely sure why. Without the Antarctica setting, the book would just be an economic, political, social, and environmental debate. The rather unique setting is able to take these different areas and show them from many perspectives. The book also has a mystery that keeps you interested until it is fully revealed in the last 1/3 of the book. The history of Antarctica is recounted mostly through conversations of lesser characters. The main characters are believable and their backgrounds are explained in some detail. The actual "science fiction" parts of the story are always kept in the background, and while sometimes interesting, are rarely absolutely necessary. I didn't like the last 1/3 of the book. This was mostly because it wasn't in fitting with the rest of the book. Two groups that were previously only hinted at are brought in and add little to the story other than to bring the mystery to a close. The ending leaves a lot to be resolved, and I'm not sure there won't be a sequel.

Great Robinson Tale:
Antarctica is probably my favorite KSR book, of the 10 or so I've read. I love his vision of the continent and the stories of the people who live there. Fun adventures, likeable characters, and amazing descriptions of settings. Plus, although the Mars trilogy is great, Antarctica is a little less intimidating to get into- you don't end up becoming devoted to thousands of pages of reading to enjoy it.

Enjoyable but Uneven Book:
I almost began this review by saying that I am not a fan of Robinson. However, that would be incomplete; I have only read one other of Robinson's books--The Years of Rice and Salt--and based on that book, I have not tried any of his others, even his highly-regarded Mars trilogy. If you loved "The Years of Rice and Salt," you should probably read a different review, because we don't share similar sensibilities; I didn't like that book at all. That being said, this is an enjoyable but very uneven book. The view of Antartic life is wonderful, both the Polar culture and that of McMurdo. The scene of those two places is well drawn, interesting, and involving. I really came to enjoy several of the characters, even though most of them are--let's be honest--pretty sparsely drawn or even two-dimensional. But still, Wade, X, and especially Spiff and Viktor were enjoyable folks to read about. Their adventures, little and big, made fun reading, and of course the setting is simply awesome. I think Robinson does an especially good job bringing home to you the vastness, cold, and emptiness of Antarctica (I had a friend who went there for several seasons doing graduate research). Unfortunately, I have two big problems with this book: the action is very uneven, and one of main characters--Val--I found stupendously annoying. One at a time. First, the action. I honestly believe that *everyone* will find this book uneven, and will love some of it, and hate other parts. The dicey bit is, we're all going to love and hate different things. For example, a large portion of the book is taken up with an adventure trek (much like today's adventure climbs up Everest) along the same path that Amundsen, the first man to make it to the South Pole, took. I found almost all of this stupendously dull. Frankly, I couldn't care less. There is an especially long section where Val, the guide for the trekkers, is leading them on a long march across the Antarctic plateau, and it goes on for nearly 25 pages. Walking. A little dialogue, a lot of internal monologue (the guide's) and a whole lot of walking. 25 pages. Forgive me, but for me, that's stupifying. Indeed, on re-reading, I skip the whole thing. But perhaps for you, it would be the best part of the novel, and the things that I love--such as the sub-culture of the folks who are at the Pole--would bore you to tears. It's hard to say. But I'm fairly confident that *some* of it will be interesting, and some of it dull. You've been duly warned. With regard to Val, I will say little. She is a main character, and it's always a tough ride when you dislike a main character. Let me just say this: she keeps saying (and thinking and showing by her behavior) that she is "toast," i.e. done being a guide in Antarctica. Well, I got it the first time; I really didn't need to be told another half dozen or more times. I also found her approach to relationships pretty irritating, her view of men simplistic and absurd, and her physical attributes (how many women does one meet who are 6'4"? I've met exactly, um, none) to be almost unbelievable. But who knows; you might like her. In fact, there are probably plenty of folks who do. So there you have it. I like this book enough to re-read it, but it's uneveness really gets to me. It's like going to a 2.5 star movie; you just *know* that it *could* have been so much better that you can't decide if you're more frustrated, or entertained.

Boring End!:
First, Robinson starts off with a set of assumptions about the future that I don't necessarily agree with. He believes that global warming will dramatically change the environment in the near future - I have my doubts. Secondly, he is convinced that globalization of the economy will impoverish us all - I believe that it will do the opposite. As the story got going, I was able to put these factors aside and really enjoy the middle of the book. Then, with a couple of chapters to go, he stops the story to engage in a nonsensical debate on social-economic theory - BORING!!! I couldn't care less whether Antarctica is managed by a government, a corporation, or one of Mr. Robinson's beloved co-ops. So, I skipped about a chapter and a half and proceeded to the anti-climactic ending. I give it three stars for the enjoyable and educational tour of Antarctica - and not five because of the boring political nonsense.

A bit tedious, but better than the Mars books:
I find Kim Stanley Robinson a bit of a hard slog to read. It is like he is showing off about all the clever bits of information he knows about Antarctica or Mars. I am a Geologist, and I have been to Antarctica, so I know can understand all the technical jargon, but I think many would get snowed under in all the fine detail which isn't necessary for the plot and I just feel like he is going 'see how smart I am'. I also found the characters to be pretty much the same as in the Mars trilogy. The asian/eskimo alternative lifestyle guru, the crazy russian guy, the hurt, driven woman, etc. I liked the gist of the story, but a bit too tedious.