Forty Signs of Rain

Kim Stanley Robinson is best known for his award-winning Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars) as well as The Years of Rice and Salt. With the publication of his newest novel, Forty Signs of Rain, Kim Stanley Robinson begins another trilogy of epic proportion.

Set primarily in Washington, D.C., Forty Signs of Rain tells the tale of a young environmental policy analyst for a popular U.S. Senator, and his wife, a scientist with the National Science Foundation. The book details many of the varying climatic changes occurring throughout the world, and the desire (or lack thereof) within our government to enact changes to care for the situation before it's too late.

The majority of the novel builds a few major characters while introducing us to the reality of the global scientific situation. Even though the topics are fairly mind-boggling, Robinson keeps readers engrossed by building interesting, fully-realized characters, and exploring their passions about their fields of science.

Unfortunately, since the novel is the first in a trilogy, there are a lot of loose ends left dangling, and the climax is rather flat, since, for most of the book, readers aren't quite sure where they are headed. The plot revolves around a small number of major characters, which Robinson takes ample time in developing, creating a rich, entertaining read, but with very little discernible direction. By changing locales, and sometimes, scientific tracks altogether; it's hard to see where the story is headed.

One thing Robinson does well, however, is in pulling complex events together, for the greater whole of the story. Approaching the final pages of Forty Signs of Rain, many events and situations fall into place, and the reader begins to see that nothing here is explored by accident. There is a very carefully plotted story here. A story only Kim Stanley Robinson can unveil so masterfully.

Despite its wanderings, the novel pulls together very satisfactorily near the end, exploring some exciting scenes, which are so realistic and believable; they feel as though they had been pulled from the morning newspaper. In fact, Robinson is careful not include any dates at all in Forty Signs of Rain, which will only add to its timelessness. If this series follows its commendable introduction in similar fashion, it will surely be a trilogy of astounding magnitude, and will not only represent fine literature, but will make a bold political statement as well. The ‘Capital Code' trilogy, as it is being referred to, may very well become required reading for both global climate scientists, and political candidates.