Forty Signs of Rain

Forty Signs of Rain  
Author(s) Kim Stanley Robinson
Cover artist Dominic Forbes and Tom Hallman
Country United States
Language English
Series Science in the Capital
Genre(s) Hard science fiction
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Publication date January 2004
Media type Print (Hardback, Paperback)
Pages 356
ISBN 0-553-80311-5
OCLC Number 53325030
LC Classification PS3568.O2893 F67 2004
Followed by Fifty Degrees Below

Forty Signs of Rain (2004) is the first book in the hard science fiction "Science in the Capital" trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. The focus of the novel is the effects of global warming in the near future. Its characters are mostly scientists, either involved in biotech research, assisting government members or doing paperwork at the NSF. There are also several Buddhist monks working for the embassy of the fictional island nation of Khembalung.

Contents

Reception

Robert K. J. Killheffer in his review for Fantasy & Science Fiction said "Forty Signs of Rain is a fascinating depiction of the workings of science and politics, and an urgent call for us to pull our heads from the sand and confront the threat of climate change. We should listen."[1] Kirkus Reviews were critical in their review saying "As stiff and hard SF as they were, the Mars books succeeded through the sheer chutzpah of their epic insight. This one feels like the ho-hum preview for a run-of-the-mill end-of-the-world story."[2] Publishers Weekly said "Robinson's tale lacks the drama and excitement of such other novels dealing with global climate change as Bruce Sterling's Heavy Weather and John Barnes' Mother of Storms, but his portrayal of how actual scientists would deal with this disaster-in-the-making is utterly convincing. Robinson clearly cares deeply about our planet's future, and he makes the reader care as well."[3]

Awards and nominations

Release details

Sources, external links, quotations

References

  1. ^ Killheffer, Robert K. J. (October 2004). "White Devils/The Zenith Angle/Forty Signs of Rain (Book)". Fantasy & Science Fiction 107 (4/5): 39–46. ISSN 10958258. 
  2. ^ "FORTY SIGNS OF RAIN (Book)". Kirkus Reviews 72 (7): 294. April 1, 2004. ISSN 00426598. 
  3. ^ "FORTY SIGNS OF RAIN (Book)". Publishers Weekly 251 (15,): 43. April 12, 2004. ISSN 0000-0019. 
  4. ^ "2004 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2004. Retrieved 2009-07-06. 
  5. ^ "2005 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2005. Retrieved 2009-07-06. 
  6. ^ Release details come from the Fantastic Fiction site "Forty Signs of Rain (Capital Code, book 1) by Kim Stanely Robinson". http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/kim-stanley-robinson/forty-signs-of-rain.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-02. 
Novels
Standalone novels
The Wild Shore (1984) · The Gold Coast (1988) · Pacific Edge (1990)
Red Mars (1992) · Green Mars (1993) · Blue Mars (1996)
Science in the Capital
Forty Signs of Rain (2004) · Fifty Degrees Below (2005) · Sixty Days and Counting (2007)
Collections
The Planet on the Table (1986) · Escape from Kathmandu (1989) · Remaking History (1991) · The Martians (1999) · Vinland the Dream (2001) · The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson (2010)