The Years of Rice and Salt

[Magill]

I didn't want to hijack this thread anymore. I just finished this book this weekend (I had a long car trip. Don't worry, I wasn't driving). It's by Kim Stanley Robinson, who also wrote the Mars trilogy. The basic premise is pretty simple: rather than the ~25% fatality rate the Black Death had in Europe, it kills off over 90% of the population. From there, Robinson attempts to describe the next 1400 years or so.

It sounds pretty neat, no? However, the execution (no pun intended) may not be right for some readers. I know it wasn't for me the first time I tried to read it (about a year ago, when I had some time to kill in a bookstore). The book is really more like a collection of 10 novellas that follow this world through time. As a way for the reader to keep track of all of the characters, we actually follow the same set of reincarnated souls through time. They're all identified by the first letter of their names. The B and K characters are easy to notice from the start, but it wasn't until about the third vignette that I started picking out other initials. The novellas also have different feels to them--the first one reminds me a bit of a child's book, only because the end of each chapter includes some comment like "you won't believe what happens to them next, so read on". Another chapter includes what could be interpreted as notes scrawled in the margins.

As for events--in the book, Muslims and the Chinese emerge as the dominant world powers, culminating in a 70-year long "Long War". Some intriguing bits include: the discovery of America by the Chinese (the end of that story really got to me), China conquering Japan, a Japanese diaspora in North America (including a Ronin trying to help a band of Native Americans form alliances and advance technologically to fight their invaders), a feminist sultan's wife leading the settlement of abandoned France, a Galileo/Newton type scientist in Persia, railroads developed in southern India, and an alliance between the Indians and Native Americans during the Long War, and more.

The first time I tried to read this, the reincarnation gimmick really didn't seem to fit, but now I appreciate it. First, it helps one realize that people aren't so different, even though a character may be a slave, a scholar, a queen, or even an animal, many aspects of their personality remain the same. Second, it was fun when I was reading and started noticing other similar character types. I'd then flip through the sections I'd already read to try to find earlier instances of them.

Another thing I liked was found in the later chapters, when the characters start having more philosophical conversations with each other. A couple who live on the border between Muslim- and Chinese-controlled lands discussed world religion. A character noted that agricultural societies (the Egyptians, Greeks, Sumerians, Indians) often develop polytheistic systems. You have a god of the harvest, a god of the sun, a god of rain, etc. Pastoral cultures (primarily those of the Middle East) tended to have a monotheistic "shepherd" god. Another viewpoint was that Islam really was quite a progressive religion for its time, but that certain verses in the Koran were exploited by people who didn't like many of the freedoms it granted (especially to women). Although I'd like to think I have a basic knowledge of comparative religions, I don't know if I have the background to judge whether these theories are true or not. They were fun to ponder, nonetheless.

[PoolMan]

That sounds like an intensely fascinating read! So, after your year of thinking you wouldn't dig it, you ended up going ahead anyways... happy you did?

[Der Germ]

This sounds like the kinda book I'd dig. I have a hard time finding fiction books that sound good, but this one really does. Thanks for adding a new book to my list of "to read."

[Magill]

Poolman, to answer your question, I think the reason I didn't like it the first time was because it wasn't what I expected. The style and feel of the book (especially the first section) are very different than what the back cover (or inside jacket flap, as I first tried to read it in hardcover) makes them out to be. I thought it would be more linear and factual--that there would be an omniscient narrator giving a history lesson. Instead, it jumps from character to character in different times and places. I was also rushing through it. I guess I expected the book to explain why the plague was so much more fatal, but it never does. Which makes sense, because the characters don't know, either.

Also, I've been on a bit of a human history/evolution/language sort of kick, and this fit in. Some other books I've read recently:

-The Seven Daughters of Eve, by Brian Sykes. The first half of the book describes various genetic research the author did, culminating in the discovery of 7 genetic groupings representing the "clan mothers" of Europe. Over 95% of native Europeans descend from one of the 7 women (using mitochondrial DNA evidence) who lived between 45,000 and 10,000 years ago. In the second half, the author uses the estimated time of each woman, her estimated home (based on the geographic distribution of her descendents), and climatic data to write mini-biographies for each of the women.

-Evolution, by Stephen Baxter. Baxter attempts to describe the history of the human species, ranging from our ancestor 50 million years ago to a possible future 500 million years from now. Although some of it gets a bit repetitve (subject is born, has close calls with death, has sex, dies) at times, reading the different descriptions of almost fantastical animals (in the past, he theorizes "air-whales" and intelligent, tool using dinosaurs; in the future, he theorizes rabbit-gazelles, rat-wolves herding elephantine hominids, mole-people, and invisible, carnivorous toads, to name a few). The view of the future is pretty depressing. I realized that on truly long time scales, not much matters. Take a look around our world. How long would evidence of our existence (say, buildings) last, especially if we don't maintain it?

-Darwin's Radio, by Greg Bear. The premise is some "sleeping" sequences in human DNA become active. They cause miscarriages in women, followed by a pregnancy that could result in the next "step" of evolution. It was a quick read, but I think it could've been better. There's a sequel, Darwin's Children that I skimmed in a bookstore, but I didn't like what I saw (er, read).

-Hominids and Humans, by Robert Sawyer. In the first book, due to a quantum computing experiment gone awry, a Neandertal scientist from a parallel world (where our ancestors went extinct and Neandertals thrive) gets transported into our world. It's pretty interesting, though Neandertal society seems a bit too 1984-ish (everyone wears a palm pilot-on-steroids called a Companion that records every moment of their life, and new generations of children are conceived only every decade), but some ideas are interesting. I was a bit disappointed in the 2nd book, as there's a big sex scene in the middle that made me laugh out loud (it just didn't seem to fit in). There's a third book, Hybrids, that I haven't read yet (waiting for it to be paperback). Poolman--it takes place in Canada.

-Lastly, I've got Genes, Peoples, and Languages and The Great Human Diasporas: the History of Diversity and Evolution by Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza. I haven't read those 2 yet--they popped up on my Amazon recs list after I input a lot of the books listed above. It should be interesting because in The Seven Daughters of Eve, Sykes notes that Cavalli-Sforza was an opponent of his theories.

[PoolMan]

Magill said:

Poolman--it takes place in Canada.

Canada: We've Got Homonids!

[druidGirl]

Another viewpoint was that Islam really was quite a progressive religion for its time, but that certain verses in the Koran were exploited by people who didn't like many of the freedoms it granted (especially to women).

Actually, that statement is true if you're talking about Islam closer to the time of its beginnings. And it was really progressive at the time of the Crusades. An Islam controlled Holy Land had advanced places of learning, was very accepting of people practicing other religions, and had good relations other cultures in the region. Too bad that's not so much the case now.

[DARTHMADLER]

Just finished reading the book and have to say that it was brilliant! Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

[PoolMan]

I was waiting for that post, Madler.... can you elaborate on what made it brilliant?

PS: LOVE the new avatar... very you.

[Head Mutant]

The more posts you make, Madler, the more will just slip through your fingers...

[DARTHMADLER]

Elaborate...right.
What I liked about the book (in no particular order):
1. Learning about Arab, Indian and Chinese cultures. Historically at any rate as everything after the plague is speculation.
2. The Arab and Asian names given to North America, South America and everything else that was discovered by the Europeans.
3. How things like science developed without Newton. All the same discoveries were made eventually but it's neat to see how they were made.
4. How Kim Stanley Robinson figured that inspite of the absence of Europeans things would likely have turned much the same by modern day (environmental problems, large amounts of wealth controlled by few, the potential for nuclear destruction) albeit with more airships and I love airships, I love them gooood.

[Magill]

Aww, this almost brings a tear to my eye. I'm glad you liked it.

[duckie]

Thanks for bringing this book up, Magill... I finally had a chance to read through it, am glad that I did. A bit long, but well worth the time invested.

Thanks! ;D