, is set in multiple places, but starts in 14th century Hungary. Bold and Psin, two scouts in
's (A Mongol Turk infamous for attempting to restore Genghis Khan's empire, and largely being unrepentantingly brutal in his conquests) army, discover a village completely wiped out by the plague. Realizing the danger, Timur turns his army around, and orders the two soldiers executed to prevent the spread of plague. However, they escape, just a lightning bolt hits Timur's tent, killing him. Bold proceeds to aimlessly wonder the ruins of Eastern Europe on horse back, encountering only one local, whom (despite Bold being a polygot) he is unable to communicate with. He wounds up in the Black Sea (one particularly interesting scene sees Bold in Athens, and viewing the last offerings in the Parthenon.) Here, he is finally found by Arab slave traders, who capture him, and eventually sell him to the fleet of legendary historical Chinese explorer Zheng He. Here, he befriends a young African slave named Kyu, who is rendered a eunuch by the eunuch crew (due to their embitterment over their forced state). They stop in Sri Lanka, and eventually come to China, where they are sold to a restaurateur, and kept as kitchen slaves. Whilst Bold is surprisingly content with this, Kyu, who resents the Chinese for chopping off his genitals, has some very specials plans, particularly for the Emperor in Nanjing, the ruler of the Ming Dynasty. To enhance the tone of the story, much of it is written in the style of the famous 16th century Chinese epic,
This is an interesting artistic choice, and a welcome one, although it does get somewhat distracting. The first part of this story, Bold wandering the East European wastelands, is quite captivating in the feelings of isolation for Bold, and the destitution showed in the ruins of the European villages. The aforementioned scene of Bold looking into the Parthenon, and viewing the final prayers in it is quite powerful in its melancholy. Similarly, the second part, whilst not as interesting, is still notable in its constant references to Chinese culture and Chinese history, which in and of itself is quite interesting, and having to look up certain references is always a good indicator of an excellent story. The book is littered with these sorts of minor references to cultures. It helps give authenticity to the setting of the story. Storywise, the second part is still solid, and is still very interesting to read, particularly Kyu's quest for vengence, and how Bold is dragged into it, reluctantly.
, shifts the setting to 15th century Mughal India. A young Hindu women named Kokila poisons her husband's brother and father, after the former impregnated her friend, Bistami, and for the two's overall corruption as heads of their village. For her crime, she is executed, and her next life is that of a Tiger. As a tiger named Kya, she saves and befriends a young Persian Sufi named Bistami. Despite Bistami's pleas, the villagers kill Kya. After several years pass, Bistami travels to Agra, where he becomes a prominent figure in the court of
He becomes a personal friend of the Emperor, but many in Akbar's court aren't very fond of Bistami. Eventually, the Emperor also comes to distrust Bistami. Consequently, Bistami is sent on a hajj to Mecca, where he studies with other Persian Sufis. However, he grows to detest life in Mecca, and with the Mughals slowly extending in to Mecca, he joins a group of Sufis leaving Mecca. He travels to Africa, and eventually ends up on a caravan travelling through Al-Andulus (Spain). The caravan is ruled by a sultan, Mawji Darya and his beautiful wife, Katima, who has unorthodox views regarding the Qu'ran and gender roles. The caravan eventually settles in the ruins of a Frank town, and they build a city on it. Bistami comes to largely agree with the views Katima espouses. However, after the sultan dies, and Katima becomes ruler, certain people become restive. I think you could cut out the first two parts of this story, and you'd still be read this without confusion. I'm not saying the first two parts are bad. They do contain good plots, which have a lot of drama. Bistami features in the second part.They just don't hold much significance for the main story. Other than that, another good tale. Its insights into the nature of Islam, the ideas expressed in the Qu'ran, and the two's relation to women's rights, are quite fascinating to read, even to those who aren't familiar with the holy tenants of Islam.
Our third narrative,
Ocean Continents, shifts the focus back to 15th century China, at least initially. The
Wanli Emperor, fed up with Japanese pirates invading Chinese shores, and concerned with the potential threat of
Tokugawa Ieyasu and his rule over a unified Japan, decides that its time to, quote, "return this bastard child of Chinese culture to its rightful place under the Dragon throne."To this end, he assembles a fleet under the control of a former pirate-turned-admiral from Vietnam named Admiral Kheim. On this fleet is a doctor named I-Chin. Whilst sailing to a port owned by an daimyo (feudal lord) allied with the Chinese, Kheim's fleet is blown off course, and set adrift in the Dahai (the Pacific Ocean). After spending weeks out at sea, hoping that ocean currents would bring them back to China, they come across a mysterious land, and a mysterious people. They live amongst these people, and eventually teach a young local girl (whom they name Butterfly
), Chinese. They learn that the people living in the area call themselves the
Miwok. However, they soon learn that they brought smallpox to the Miwok, and, having grown to care for them, decide to leave, bringing Butterfly with them. However, what new discoveries, or threat, await them on their continued journey. The landscape of California and the people of the Americas are described in ways only Chinese people not completely familiar with the Americas would describe them. At one point, one character even speculates that they have in fact landed in Europe, and the Miwok are the inhabitants reduced to a more primitive civilization by the plague. I greatly admired the way the Chinese sailors, after learning that they have spread smallpox to the Miwok, magnanimously decide to leave, in contrast to the first European explorers and settlers. The final part of the story (which I will not spoil), is very action-packed, and tense, and there is a very tragic death near the end of the story.
The Alchemist is set in 17th century Samarkand, in what is now Uzbekistan. An alchemist named Khalid Al-Samarqandi has been caught trying to trick the local khan (leader) into thinking he had transmuted lead into gold. The Khan punishes him by chopping off his right hand. This sends him into a deep depression, and in this morose state, he demands that his alchemy texts be destroyed. However, his son-in-law Bahram and their friend Iwang (a Tibetan Buddhist mathematician) convince him to test the claims of the authors in these texts. They first disprove alchemy altogether, and proceed to make a myriad of scientific discoveries, from gravity, to the speed of sound, to the fact that sound needs a medium, to the composition of white light, to microbes, to Jupiter's four moons. These experiments are supplemented by various Indian, Persian, and Chinese texts from caravans. However, the Khan's top advisor seeks to use these developments for military applications, especially with the looming threat of Qing China overhead. This is probably my favorite story, largely because the scientific discoveries are very recognizable to someone somewhat fluent in scientific history. However, they are still stated in terms as if they were new discoveries, allowing for the excitement to resonate. Also, it has the most interesting characters of the piece. Not saying the other characters in this book are not good, but I feel that this story has the most relatable characters.
Warp and Weft is set deep in North America (called Yingzhou here) around 17th-18th centuries. The High Council of the
Hodenosaunee League are meeting to elect the new leader of the Confederation. They are unanimously in favor of a foreigner named Fromwest, whom they rescued from torture in the west. He is elected, and during the celebration, he narrates to them his story. Of how he was originally named Busho, and born in a far-away land called
Hokkaido . About how he became what is called a "ronin," or "samurai without a master." About how China invaded and annexed his homeland, forcing him into exile. And finally, how he believes the Hodenosaunee system of government and interpersonal relationships are exemplar, and needs to prove an example to the world. And finally, how he intends on protecting the League from incursions from Chinese to the West, and Muslims to the East. I feel this story is the weakest, not because it is poorly written, but it is too short. The concept of a samurai training native Americans against invaders is fascinating. However, Robinson doesn't go far enough with the concept as much as he could have. However, there is still that central concept that is still quite fascinating, with Fromwest teaching the Iroquois how to protect themselves with guns, and how they were to form a great nation.
Widow Kang brings us back to China, now ruled by the Manchu Qing Dynasty. A recent widow, the eponymous Kang Tongbi and her irate youngest son befriend a Buddhist monk, Bao Ssu and his son. Kang feels particularly close to Bao, taking care of his son on occasion. However, tragedy strikes, as Kang's son has his queqe cut off. The queqe is a symbol of Manchu dominance over the native Han people. Bao is accused of cutting the queqe, and is executed for his crime. Kang falls into a deep depression, and begins to have symptoms like sleepwalking. Her son brings in a Persian scholar named Ibrahim ibn Hasan to help her. Together, they go through hyponotic sessions where they remember their past lives. Eventually, the two begin to fall in love, with Ibrahim moving to China, and continuing his study of History, and Kang beginning to write poetry. However, this lays in a backdrop of increasing tensions between the Hui (Muslim) and Han, and the ruling Manchu rulers. This story is quite heavy in historiographical detail. There is a lot on the nature of history, the way history works, the direction of history. The views expressed are described as being Marxist in nature. It is quite heavy. If you can decipher the details, one can come to enjoy the story, and hell, one might be able to learn a thing or two about the nature of history.
The Age of Great Progress is set in several places, but begins in 18th Century Ottoman Empire. There, the Sultan's doctor, Ismail, has been heavily involved in the activities of the Sultan (at one point, visiting a harem full of rare European women). However, the Ottomans have come under siege from the technologically advanced Travancore League. Originating in Southern India, they have amassed such political influence, that they have driven the Mughals from Northern India, and defeated the Persians. They have utilized air ballons and iron ships in their conquest. They lay siege on Constantinople, and have captured Ismail. However, little did they realize that Ismail had correspondents with a Buddhist doctor and abbess named Bhakta. With her help, he is realized, and allowed to come to Travancore. There, he encounters a society which values scientific knowledge and technological expertise, which the monestary Bhakta resides in openly embrace. He eagerly joins them. Eventually, his work gets him a meeting with the Kerala of Travancore, an enlightened despot of sorts, who seeks to spread liberal and scientific ideals, and wishes Ismail to join him. The description of a non-European industrial revolution is done well-enough, and has a degree of uniqueness, in that the society comes to embrace science and technology, and seeks to use their gifts for spreading good, not for imperial desires. The characters are well defined, and the monestary is very captivating.
The War of the Asuras is set in the 20th century, between China, Himalayas, and India. Eventually, tensions between China and the Islamic world would rise, and eventually, blow in the form of Muslim riots in China, which, in 1914, would lead to a war between an alliance of Islamic states (called Dar al-Islam, which refers to any state where Islam is practiced regularly), and an alliance of China, the Houdensee League, and the Travancore league. It revolves around three soldiers in the Chinese army: Kuo, Bai, and Iwa. They are good friends, often discussing the news from the front, and the nature of a war that has been going on for so long that nobody remembers how it began. One day, a artillery shell is set off in their encampment, killing Kuo. Despite this setback, Bai and Iwa trudge on, travelling with the army through the Himalayas to connect the Chinese and Indians to drive the Muslims out. All the while, the two wonder whether they are truly alive, or they are in the war-torn bardo. The question of whether one is truly alive, especially in the face of war, is one that is rarely explored, at least in my experience. The way that the characters question their reality, and whether they are in the realm of the living, or the dead, brings a Dickisian dimension. There are also some pretty cool scenes, like a scene of the top of Mount Everest being blown off, so that K2 is the highest peak in the world!
Nsara is set after the war, in what would've been Northern France, but starts in Switzerland (known in this world as the Alpine Emirates). A young women named Budur lives with her father at his harem. Living with her is her scientist aunt, Idelba, who had been studying with her husband before his death. Her research was in the fields of atomic physics, and, in particular, radiation. She greatly misses her work, and one day, escapes from the harem. Budur follows her, and, after Idelba initial reluctance, accompanies her to Nsara. There, Idelba continues her work in radiation, whilst Budur meets various figures of intrigue in this city. She has a growing interest in history and archaeology. However, following the Chinese victory in the war, the Muslim world has been increasingly falling into disarray, and rebellion, which might reach Nsara one day. Meanwhile, Idelba's research has uncovered a deadly secret, which would be disastrous if it falls into the wrong hands. The descriptions of Budur's travel through Nsara, and the interesting, outspoken characters she encounters is the best thing about the story. The way Robinson writes these scenarios is very compelling, and makes you want to read more. The description of protons and electrons as "Yin-Yang particles" was amusing. The examination of history is lesser, and more accessible in this story than in "Widow Kang." There are parts where I had trouble deciphering what was happening, but it was good. I would've been fine if this was the conclusion. However, we still have one story to go.
The First Years brings this story to a close in China. Here, a young man named Bao Xinhua is caught up in a revolution by his friend Kung Jinao, against the military government ruling China since the war. After Kung is killed, Bao moves to Fungzang (a city roughly where San Francisco is), where he settles down and teaches history to future generations. That's really it to the story. It's not bad, but it really doesn't finish off the book well. It could of worked better if this story and the story before it were switched around. However, it's not a bad story, and it does keep your interests well enough.
Overall, I find that this novel has become one of my personal favorites. Yes, it has minor flaws in the individual stories, but what Kim Stanley Robinson does in this novel is to give an ambitious modern history, one not influenced by traditional European thinking. This lens allows us to view cultures like China, India, or Islam from their point of view, not the European view. It shows hat these cultures are as much, if not more inclined towards progressive ideals than Western culture. Overall, I highly recommend this novel to anyone interested in history, or wants to see other cultures.
