At the heart of a provocative narrative that stretches from Renaissance Italy to the moons of Jupiter is the father of modern science: Galileo Galilei.

To the inhabitants of the Jovian moons, Galileo is a revered figure whose actions will influence the subsequent history of the human race. From the summit of their distant future, a charismatic renegade named Ganymede travels to the past to bring Galileo forward in an attempt to alter history and ensure the ascendancy of science over religion. And if that means Galileo must be burned at the stake, so be it.

From Galileo's heresy trial to the politics of far-future Jupiter, Kim Stanley Robinson illuminates the parallels between a distant past and an even more remote future—in the process celebrating the human spirit and calling into question the convenient truths of our own moment in time.

Combining dazzling speculation with a profoundly humanist vision, this astounding alternate history tale presents a dramatic encounter with destiny wrapped around a simple yet provocative premise: the terrifying question of what might have happened if the fateful flight over Hiroshima had gone a bit differently. An extensive interview with the author, offering insight into his fiction and philosophies, is also included.

Ernest Callenbach's classic novel Ecotopia sparked a movement that is growing rapidly around the world. Ecotopians embrace high technology as a tool for preserving and living gently within the natural environment of Planet Earth.

Kim Stanley Robinson has gathered in this volume Future Primitive bright tales of Ecotopian futures, as well as a few cautionary ones. Writers and poets, from Gary Snyder to Ursula K. LeGuin to Ernest Callenbach himself have contributed their visions, along with many more.

As the conversation shifts from debate over the existence of global warming to discussions of how best to deal with its impact, books examining the moral imperatives of biotechnology are more timely than ever. Acclaimed author, Kim Stanley Robinson offers a chilling and highly realistic look at our potential environmental future with his newly revised and collected Science in the Capitol trilogy.

Kim Stanley Robinson—award winning author of the bestselling Mars trilogy—is at the top of his game in this trio of near-future eco-thrillers set in our nation’s capital. Intelligent, suspenseful, and profoundly moving, this is a tale of everyday people caught up in extraodinary circumstances as science, technology, politics, and global climatic changes collide.

The bestselling author of the classic Mars trilogy and The Years of Rice and Salt returns with a riveting new trilogy of cutting-edge science, international politics, and the real-life ramifications of global warming as they are played out in our nation’s capital—and in the daily lives of those at the center of the action. Hauntingly realistic, here is a novel of the near future that is inspired by scientific facts already making headlines.

When the Arctic ice pack was first measured in the 1950s, it averaged thirty feet thick in midwinter. By the end of the century it was down to fifteen. One August the ice broke. The next year the breakup started in July. The third year it began in May. That was last year.

It’s an increasingly steamy summer in the nation’s capital as Senate environmental staffer Charlie Quibler cares for his young son and deals with the frustrating politics of global warming. Charlie must find a way to get a skeptical administration to act before it’s too late—and his progeny find themselves living in Swamp World. But the political climate poses almost as great a challenge as the environmental crisis when it comes to putting the public good ahead of private gain.

While Charlie struggles to play politics, his wife, Anna, takes a more rational approach to the looming crisis in her work at the National Science Foundation. There a proposal has come in for a revolutionary process that could solve the problem of global warming—if it can be recognized in time. But when a race to control the budding technology begins, the stakes only get higher. As these everyday heroes fight to align the awesome forces of nature with the extraordinary march of modern science, they are unaware that fate is about to put an unusual twist on their work—one that will place them at the heart of an unavoidable storm.

With style, wit, and rare insight into our past, present, and possible future, this captivating novel propels us into a world on the verge of unprecedented change—in a time quite like our own. Here is Kim Stanley Robinson at his visionary best, offering a gripping cautionary tale of progress—and its price—as only he can tell it.


From the Hardcover edition.

Every short story in this wonderfully varied collection has one thing in each features some alteration in history, some divergence from historical reality, which results in a world very different from the one we know today. As well as original stories specially commissioned from bestselling writers such as James Morrow, Stephen Baxter and Ken MacLeod, there are genre classics such as Kim Stanley Robinson's story of how World War II atomic bomber the Enola Gay, having crashed on a training flight, is replaced by the Lucky Strike with profoundly different consequences. Praise for the 'Mr Watson wreaks havoc with what is accepted - and acceptable.' The Times. 'One of Britain's consistently finest science fiction writers.' New Scientist.

American Fred Fredericks is making his first trip, his purpose to install a communications system for China's Lunar Science Foundation. But hours after his arrival he witnesses a murder and is forced into hiding.

It is also the first visit for celebrity travel reporter Ta Shu. He has contacts and influence, but he too will find that the moon can be a perilous place for any traveler.

Finally, there is Chan Qi. She is the daughter of the Minister of Finance, and without doubt a person of interest to those in power. She is on the moon for reasons of her own, but when she attempts to return to China, in secret, the events that unfold will change everything - on the moon, and on Earth.

Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel • One of the most enthralling science fiction sagas ever written, Kim Stanley Robinson’s epic trilogy concludes with Blue Mars—a triumph of prodigious research and visionary storytelling. “A breakthrough even from [Kim Stanley Robinson’s] own consistently high levels of achievement.” —The New York Times Book Review The red planet is no more. Now green and verdant, Mars has been dramatically altered from a desolate world into one where humans can flourish. The First Hundred settlers are being pulled into a fierce new struggle between the Reds, a group devoted to preserving Mars in its desert state, and the Green “terraformers.” Meanwhile, Earth is in peril. A great flood threatens an already overcrowded and polluted planet. With Mars the last hope for the human race, the inhabitants of the red planet are heading toward a population explosion—or interplanetary war.

In the
Nebula Award
winning Red Mars , Kim Stanley Robinson began his critically acclaimed epic saga of the colonization of Mars, Now the
Hugo Award
winning Green Mars continues the thrilling and timeless tale of humanity's struggle to survive at its farthest frontier.

Nearly a generation has passed since the first pioneers landed, but the transformation of Mars to an Earthlike planet has just begun. The plan is opposed by those determined to preserve the planet's hostile, barren beauty. Led by rebels like Peter Clayborne, these young people are the first generation of children born on Mars. They will be joined by original settlers Maya Toitovna, Simon Frasier, and Sax Russell. Against this cosmic backdrop, passions, rivalries, and friendships explode in a story as spectacular as the planet itself.


From the Paperback edition.

It is the fourteenth century and one of the most apocalyptic events in human history is set to occur - the coming of the Black Death. History teaches us that a third of Europe's population was destroyed. But what if? What if the plague killed 99 percent of the population instead? How would the world have changed? This is a look at the history that could have been: a history that stretches across centuries, a history that sees dynasties and nations rise and crumble, a history that spans horrible famine and magnificent innovation. These are the years of rice and salt.

2312. Le système solaire a été colonisé après que la Terre a été ravagée par les effets de la pollution. L’humanité peut compter sur les qubes, ces ordinateurs quantiques miniaturisés et parfois greffés directement au cerveau, pour l’épauler dans ses efforts de survie.
Sur Mercure, dans la cité mobile Terminateur, Swan est accablée par le décès soudain de sa grande-belle-mère Alex, un personnage très influent qui nourrissait pour l’humanité des projets soigneusement tenus secrets de tous les réseaux qubiques. Accompagnée de Wahram, un associé d’Alex, et de Genette, une inspectrice de la Police Interplanétaire, Swan part sur Io dans l’espoir d’élucider les questions qui entourent la mort suspecte de son aïeule. Elle qui faisait profession d’imaginer des mondes se retrouve bientôt au cœur d’une vaste conspiration visant à les détruire.
Kim Stanley Robinson met son imagination sans limites au service de la description d’un univers d’une vraisemblance parfaite. Avec 2312, couronné du Nebula du meilleur roman, l’auteur de la Trilogie martienne livre son grand œuvre.

Ils sont arrivés sur Mars la Rouge. Leur but ? Recommencer l'Histoire dans un décor nouveau. Bâtir un monde neuf, en rupture avec la Terre déliquescente qu'ils ont quittée. Sous le leadership de deux Américains et d'une Russe, les colons s'attaquent à l'installation d'infrastructures de base sur la planète. Il faut descendre dans ses canyons vertigineux pour y chercher de la glace, ensemencer les vallées où coulèrent les fleuves, il y a des millions d'années. Il faut inventer de nouvelles villes, avec des matériaux et des concepts innovants. Et il faut faire vite car les immigrants arrivent, de plus en plus nombreux, en provenance d'une Terre surpeuplée. Le rêve sombrera-t-il dans le chaos ?

Quelques siècles aprés le premier atterrissage, Mars a défintivement changé de couleur. Les patients efforts des colons sont récompensés : aidés par une longévité surhumaine, ils ont permis à une flore élémentaire de se frayer un chemin entre les roches. Le réchauffement du sol a libéré mers et océans ; des nuages sont apparus dans le ciel.

Mais les hommes et les femmes ont changé eux aussi. Depuis la révolution durement réprimée de 2061, les Cent Premiers se sont dispersés sur toute l'étendue de la planète. Ils sont divisés. Certains sont rentrés en guerre contre les terraformeurs et leur projet qu'ils qualifient de crime écologique. Une course-poursuite s'engage entre les tenants de l'éco-économie, déterminés à préserver la sauvagerie initiale de la planète, et les multinationales, avides de récupérer les profits liés aux mines martiennes et à l'ascenseur orbital construit sur l'équateur de la planète argentiers du monde, sera terrible.

Que deviendront les Terriens, désormais prisonniers d'une planète surpeuplée, miséreuse et polluée ? Tout peut à nouveau basculer dans la violence, et le rêve d'une Mars vivable et douce se transformer en cauchemar.

Mars n'est plus qu'un roc hostile qui tourne là-haut, dans le ciel. Mars est un monde bien vivant. Le Bleu a triomphé. Mars est « terraformée ». Ceux qui espéraient préserver la planète rouge dans sa terrible beauté ont perdu la bataille. Leur objectif, désormais : empêcher l'invasion de Mars par les Terriens.La tentation isolationniste est forte. C'est la position que défendent les partisans du parti Mars Libre. Ces derniers ne veulent pas comprendre que, sur la planète mère, la situation est désespérée : un déluge cataclysmique a fait monter l'eau des océans, aggravant un problème de surpopulation déjà crucial.

Et l'administration du traitement de longévité ne va pas arranger les choses...

On ne voit pas ce qui pourrait empêcher les Terriens, poussés par le désespoir, n'ayant plus rien à perdre, de déclarer la guerre à Mars.

Une solution s'impose : la conquête des autres planètes du système solaire...

2020 upended every aspect of our lives. But where is our world heading next? Will pandemic, protests, economic instability, and social distance lead to deeper inequalities, more nationalism, and further erosion of democracies around the world? Or are we moving toward a global re-awakening to the importance of community, mutual support, and the natural world? In our lifetimes, the future has never been so up for grabs.

The New Possible offers twenty-eight unique visions of what can be, if instead of choosing to go back to normal, we choose to go forward to something far better. Assembled from global leaders on six continents, these essays are not simply speculation. They are an inspiration and a roadmap for action.

With essays by:
Kim Stanley Robinson, Michael Pollan, Varshini Prakash, Vandana Shiva, Jack Kornfield, Mamphela Ramphele, Justin Rosenstein, Jack Kornfield, Helena Nordberg-Hodge, David Korten, Tristan Harris, Eileen Crist, Francis Deng, Riane Eisler, Arturo Escobar, Rebecca Kiddle, Mike Joy, Natalie Foster, Jess Rimington, Jeremy Lent, Atossa Soltani, Mark Anielski, Ellen Brown, John Restakis, Zak Stein, Oren Slozberg, Anisa Nanavati, and Fr. Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam



"Some of the finest minds on our planet, coming together to offer a vision of how we might actually get through the difficult decades ahead--and get through them in style!"
--Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

" The New Possible is a perfectly timed guide for imagining a better future. The authors provide both concrete ideas and much needed inspiration for a more equitable and sustainable world. Read it and then let's get to work."
—Van Jones, CNN Commentator & Dream Corps, Founder

In his most ambitious project to date, award-winning author Kim Stanley Robinson utilizes years of research and cutting-edge science in the first of a trilogy chronicling the colonization of Mars.

For eons, sandstorms have swept the desolate landscape. For centuries, Mars has beckoned humans to conquer its hostile climate. Now, in 2026, a group of 100 colonists is about to fulfill that destiny.

John Boone, Maya Toitavna, Frank Chalmers and Arkady Bogdanov lead a terraforming mission. For some, Mars will become a passion driving them to daring acts of courage and madness. For others it offers an opportunity to strip the planet of its riches. For the genetic alchemists, it presents a chance to create a biomedical miracle, a breakthrough that could change all we know about life and death. The colonists orbit giant satellite mirrors to reflect light to the surface. Black dust sprinkled on the polar caps will capture warmth. Massive tunnels, kilometers deep, will be drilled into the mantle to create stupendous vents of hot gases. Against this backdrop of epic upheaval, rivalries, loves and friendships will form and fall to pieces—for there are those who will fight to the death to prevent Mars from ever being changed.

Brilliantly imagined, breathtaking in scope and ingenuity, Red Mars is an epic scientific saga, chronicling the next step in evolution, creating a world in its entirety. It shows a future, with both glory and tarnish, that awes with complexity and inspires with vision.