The Ministry of The Future by Kim Stanley Robinson is a stark look at where the world could be heading in terms of climate change. Whether that translates to an enjoyable book is really going to boil down to the reader.
In 2025, The Ministry of The Future is created with the purpose to protect and preserve the future for all living creatures. Then a heat wave kills millions in India, leaving the world in a precarious situation. Mary Murphy, head of the Ministry, does what she can, but bureaucracy makes things difficult. When Mary is abducted by the sole survivor of the devastation in India, her drive to do more is jump started, but only time will tell if it is too late.
As a science fiction reader, Kim Stanley Robinson is a name I’ve come across often, yet somehow I have never read one of his books. And after reading The Ministry of The Future, I can see why Robinson has such a long career in science fiction. Horrifying and yet somehow hopeful, The Ministry of The Future is a look at what could be the Earth’s very near future.
Right from the start, it was evident that Ministry would be a heavy read. There were moments when I had to walk away from the book, because coupled with the reality of the current global pandemic and my home state being on fire, the story became a bit too much for my already frayed nerves. And while there is something to be said about writing that can elicit such a strong reaction, there were also times when the book was put down because the information dumping became too much. Hard science fiction novels can be difficult sometimes, and Ministry toed the line a lot.
What one can gather from all the information in the story however is just how much research Robinson put into this novel. It’s a bit mind boggling when you really think of it. Readers will find themselves fascinated and horrified in equal measure as Robinson’s narrative lays out the realities of climate change. Ministry gives the reader a lot to think about. Possibly, too much. The way Robinson approaches climate science is what really stands out. It’s not dialled up for shock value or overly preachy. It’s just fact, like science is.
One thing missing in this story was a connection to the characters. With all the aforementioned hard science and information dumping, it felt like there was no room for the characters to develop. Unless you consider climate change a character, in which case, we got a lot of development. As a reviewer, it’s difficult because I personally like books that are equal parts character and plot driven. When reviewing a book that is so plot driven that I can’t even remember the protagonist’s name, things can get a little difficult.
So let’s lay this one out in the open. Reading The Ministry of The Future, it is easy to see that Robinson is a great writer, worthy of the recognition he has received over his writing career. That said, The Ministry of The Future is not going to be for everyone. Some will see it as an in-depth and brilliant look into the stark future our world could be facing. Others will see it as a dense, plot heavy book that could have lost about 100 pages. And at the end of the day, I find myself walking the line between the two.
I will end with this: if you like climate fiction and/or hard science fiction, you would be remiss in not picking this one up. But if you like character driven stories that don’t feel like a science lesson (even if it is a very important science lesson), then maybe this one may not be for you.
The Ministry of The Future is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
From the visionary, New York Times bestselling author of New York 2140 comes a near-future novel that is a gripping exploration of climate change, technology, politics, and the human behaviors that drive these forces.
Established in 2025, the purpose of the new organization was simple: To advocate for the world’s future generations and to protect all living creatures, present and future. It soon became known as the Ministry for the Future, and this is its story.
From legendary science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson comes a vision of climate change unlike any ever imagined.
Told entirely through fictional eye-witness accounts, The Ministry For The Future is a masterpiece of the imagination, the story of how climate change will affect us all over the decades to come.
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.
