The Ministry for the Future

A Novel

By: Kim Stanley Robinson

Narrated by: Jennifer Fitzgerald, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Ramon de Ocampo, Gary Bennett, Raphael Corkhill, Barrie Kreinik, Natasha Soudek, Nikki Massoud, Joniece Abbott Pratt, Inés del Castillo, Vikas Adam

Length: 20 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

From legendary science-fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson comes a remarkable vision of climate change over the coming decades.

The Ministry for the Future is a masterpiece of the imagination, using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all. Its setting is not a desolate, post-apocalyptic world, but a future that is almost upon us - and in which we might just overcome the extraordinary challenges we face.

It is a novel both immediate and impactful, desperate and hopeful in equal measure, and it is one of the most powerful and original books on climate change ever written.

One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2020

"If I could get policymakers, and citizens, everywhere to read just one book this year, it would be Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future." (Ezra Klein)

"The best science fiction-nonfiction novel I’ve ever read." (Jonathan Lethem, Vanity Fair)

"A breathtaking look at the challenges that face our planet in all their sprawling magnitude and also in their intimate, individual moments of humanity." (Booklist, starred)

Also by Kim Stanley Robinson:

• Red Moon
• New York 2140
• 2312
• Aurora
• Shaman

©2020 Kim Stanley Robinson (P)2020 Orbit

Critic reviews

"Science-fiction visionary Kim Stanley Robinson makes the case for quantitative easing our way out of planetary doom." (Bloomberg Green)

"[A] gutsy, humane view of a near-future Earth.... Robinson masterfully integrates the practical details of environmental crises and geoengineering projects into a sweeping, optimistic portrait of humanity's ability to cooperate in the face of disaster. This heartfelt work of hard science-fiction is a must-read for anyone worried about the future of the planet." (Publishers Weekly, starred)

"A breathtaking look at the challenges that face our planet in all their sprawling magnitude and also in their intimate, individual moments of humanity." (Booklist)

Dystopian to Utipian

I read somewhere that President Obama highly recommended this book. What surprised me the most was how the author took us from a near apocalyptic global disaster to hope that maybe, just maybe the human race can use their best qualities to save the planet and themselves from complete global, environmental calamity.

The structure of this book was atypical which I found somewhat challenging , however the narration was excellent and pulled me through. I have ordered the hardback version and will go back to certain sections to absorb more carefully.

This is a thought provoking book. I wish it was required reading for all.

Worth a read - a hopeful tale of a livable climate future

With all of the dystopia in CliFi, it’s refreshing to see a less horrifying take, that’s still rooted in pragmatism and reality. Thinking it could have been 1/3 shorter and would have skipped the last two hours.

Thanks Kim!

Mind expanding, challenging but hopeful

Incredible story and performance. The 7 or so characters and voices are done very well. You’re bound to have some epiphanies about planet Earth, and your role within it, while reading. Highly recommend!

Great story full of hope and urgency

Check out this book if you want to think about our collective future. It’s an inspiring version of the next 50 years of life on earth. We need to work together to make a livable future possible.

Engrossing thought provoking near future scenarios

Really enjoyed the deeply philosophical and comprehensive global-scale near future fiction to play out a thread in of hope amongst all too plausible near future environmental catastrophes

Wonderful read

Great narration and the story is a really interesting look at the future while maintaining good pacing and fiction.

Way too political

This was a very interesting book and I enjoyed the environmental awareness and ideas for improving the world but there was way too much political leaning in one direction. The store was very much pro-socialism

Became a slog

The premise of the book is fascinating and some of the information and ideas, especially in the earlier chapters, was quite compelling. But then it seemed to just ramble on, checking every environmentalist/ liberal fantasy and there wasn't a particularly interesting plot.

Most important book in climate

It expresses the urgency and the hope of we work together. Must read and must act after reading

Important book, interesting, ok on audible

This was a good speculative work about how climate change might unfold in the next few decades and how the world might respond. Considered purely as a work of fiction it may be a bit lacking but since climate change is the challenge of our time I think everyone would benefit from reading and considering this work.
The narration was uneven. It would be nice if a work that was going to be so widely listened to was a bit more polished and didn’t have so many pronunciation errors.