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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 1/25/22 5:58 PM, Marcus Daniels
wrote:<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">< </span>It might
not surprise anyone here that I have become a CliFi
obsessionist with Kim Stanly Robinson's stuff well
represented ("Ministry for the Future" standing out well
above the others). His Red/Green/Blue Mars series is a good
complement with the social/technological/spiritual
implications of Terraforming there. ><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Huh. I found MftF drawn-out and boring
with distracting little nonsense chapters interleaved. I
don’t see why it is popular. A few good ideas here and
there but couldn’t care less about the characters. It could
be massively compressed.</p>
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<p>That would be *all* of KSR's novels I'm afraid... my obsession
with the ideas (unanticipated problems as well as unanticipated
responses) trumps any need I have for being entertained by the
characters or even plot. <br>
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<p>It really read to me (as you point out) as a series of loosely
connected vignettes of specific interest. To the extent that
*some* of the MoTF characters did get under my skin, it was as an
irritant as much as anything. I probably read Red Mars when it
was new as my introduction to KSR and did not go back to his
writing until as little as 5 years ago when I found his topics
more relevant than I had acknowledged before... He seemed to me
to be a lot preachy and I guess now I'm enough of the choir to be
able to hum along with his sermons now.<br>
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<p>Stephenson also gets very tedious for me, but I find his depth of
research and quirkiness of characters and technical surprises
worthy of my attention through his gruelingly long and seemingly
careening storylines and characters.</p>
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