The Years of Rice and Salt

By: Kim Stanley Robinson

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

It is the 14th century, and one of the most apocalyptic events in human history is set to occur - the coming of the Black Death. History teaches us that a third of Europe's population was destroyed. But what if the plague had killed 99 percent of the population instead? How would the world have changed? This is a look at the history that could have been - a history that stretches across centuries, a history that sees dynasties and nations rise and crumble, a history that spans horrible famine and magnificent innovation. These are the years of rice and salt.

This is a universe where the first ship to reach the New World travels across the Pacific Ocean from China and colonization spreads from west to east. This is a universe where the Industrial Revolution is triggered by the world's greatest scientific minds - in India. This is a universe where Buddhism and Islam are the most influential and practiced religions, and Christianity is merely a historical footnote.

Through the eyes of soldiers and kings, explorers and philosophers, slaves and scholars, Robinson renders an immensely rich tapestry. Rewriting history and probing the most profound questions as only he can, Robinson shines his extraordinary light on the place of religion, culture, power, and even love on such an Earth. From the steppes of Asia to the shores of the Western Hemisphere, from the age of Akbar to the present and beyond, here is the stunning story of the creation of a new world.

©2002 Kim Stanley Robinson (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Awesome.

History, religion, philosophy, science - all brilliantly woven into a stunning meditation in why our world is the way it is.

Engaging novel of alternate world history

Where does The Years of Rice and Salt rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Bronson Pinchot does a great job as narrator of this long novel. The characters re-encarnate: The "B" character is usually the peaceful, enlightened person and the "K" character is a fighter against what they feel are the wrongs of the world. B and K struggle in the world because "B" is enlightenment and "K" is destroying Evil. They meet between chapters in the afterlife to work through what they've learned and to exit into reincarnation again, perhaps this time, they'll "get it right."

A lot of history that many readers are not familiar with (Chinese, Arabic, medieval) is re-written here in an engaging way. However, if you are not familiar with these histories, you may not see the tongue-in-cheek or clever way the author has revised history to postulate what would have happened, had the world exited from the Plague Years in Europe in a different way.

Sometimes, the chapters ("books") get long and the inevitable end (they die) seems a bit confused, and the emergence again with enlightened knowledge doesn't always seem clear. Nor are the scenes in the afterworld that interesting--as pure flights of fancy, they are less successful than the re-imagined historical events in the world.

Still, I enjoyed this novel immensely and the narration with lightly done character voices by Pinchot is masterful.

Sweeping scale, compelling details

An engaging trip through time following a knot of souls reincarnated together. Their lives and works, and their subtle impact on humanity are quite moving. Very interesting alternate history, and powerful commentary on “real world” history and current day. Robinson does it again.

Excellent alternate history

Robinson's imagination and deep knowledge of his subject are real assets for stories like this. Worth the listen, even if the reader's tone is off. Sometimes too whimsical and other times wheedling or whiny.

Better to Read

The narrator was great but this book is long with a lot of complex detail that was sometimes hard ro keep up with in audio version. I had read about 2/3 of the book years ago and was excited about the prospect of finishing it on my commute. However, so much was lost by trying to follow it in audio format that the ending left me confused and let down. I feel like I would have gotten more from reading it.