The Years of Rice and Salt

By: Kim Stanley Robinson

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Length: 25 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

It is the 14th 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 the plague had 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.

This is a universe where the first ship to reach the New World travels across the Pacific Ocean from China and colonization spreads from west to east. This is a universe where the Industrial Revolution is triggered by the world's greatest scientific minds - in India. This is a universe where Buddhism and Islam are the most influential and practiced religions, and Christianity is merely a historical footnote.

Through the eyes of soldiers and kings, explorers and philosophers, slaves and scholars, Robinson renders an immensely rich tapestry. Rewriting history and probing the most profound questions as only he can, Robinson shines his extraordinary light on the place of religion, culture, power, and even love on such an Earth. From the steppes of Asia to the shores of the Western Hemisphere, from the age of Akbar to the present and beyond, here is the stunning story of the creation of a new world.

©2002 Kim Stanley Robinson (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Outstanding version of the Years of Rice and Salt!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Years of Rice and Salt to be better than the print version?

This audio version was skillfully read. The narrator was engaging, clear, and entertaining. I appreciate the narrator's use of character accents, passable foreign language pronunciation, and passion to the story! Also, it was the complete story, unabridged!!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, Adelba's passing in Book Nine Nsara

Any additional comments?

This is a big book, ambitious in its scope and important in its ideas. I was quite surprised how well it jumped out of the book and into my ears. A good first Audible experience!

Epic and wonderful

Thought provoking and enthralling. A great story with an immense breath, yet allowing the reader to get attached to its heroes.
The narrator also does an epic job. I'll be looking for his other readings.

Epic "what if" interpretation of history

Any additional comments?

I liked the continuity that the format created throughout the separate parts of the book. I also learned (accidentally!) about different aspects of eastern religions. It was a joyous read for me.

Good story, like realistic fiction

Book is enjoyable, but the premise can be a little confusing. Yes Europe is dessimated but the story after is more of a collection of stories of various people involved in the current events of each new age. The author does a good job of taking the existing world in (I think) ~1200s AD and caring it forward with the main powers being China and Islam (and Mongolia). The events follow seem to follow a pattern set by our own reality in terms of social, cultural and scientific achievements. It's cool to see modern concepts approached from distinctly Chinese premonitions, especially in medicine advancements.

The main struggle I have comes from the enlightenment equivalent. As a scientist myself, I've invested a great deal of time learning of the research and researchers that have built our world's foundation. While not outside the realm of possibility, I was really annoyed at what turned out to be one of the longest sections, where discoveries that took us decades and various thinker's were settled in single conversations.

I would add that this book is full of religion. I like how it gives the perspective of living in these highly theological societies, but it could be frustrating if you refuse to learn of other religions.

KSR is a good world builder, but his stories are sort of boring

As above, I’ve listened to 3 KSR books in the past few months, and they are all similar in that he does very nice world building, but they’re kind of boring. There isn’t much of a plot, just telling a story of a time.

This is one of those rare worlds that makes you want to live there

KSR does a fantastic job exploring everything known to man - science, philosophy, music, religion, the clashes of culture - all in a new way, in a new world that never existed, and yet it feels all so familiar. When listening to this story (with excellent voice performance by Mr. Pinchot), I realized that while I yearned for its reality, I also understood I was experiencing a romantic ideal of a world just as fractured as our own, and yet with the suggestion of the continuity of lives through reincarnation, I think I am able to understand that what I saw in the Years of Rice and Salt was viewed through the long telescope of time, but that if I look at this world in the same way, I understand that our condition is just as romantic, just as uniquely engaging. Bao says it better, of course, but it's there for me all the same.

brilliant

The narration is fantastic!
The way KSR takes one plausible shift in human history and builds a world at once familiar and radically different carries the reader off into a new dimension. If you enjoy speculative fiction, alternate history, and voyages into the unknown, lend me your ear.

Epic Anthology

It was a super long novel comprised of a lot of short stories with a spiritual connection holding them all together.

it's an interesting take on an alternate history of Earth.

A beautifully written 'what if'.

I listen to books while I work. This story was so engrossing I often found myself staring off into space just listening. A beautifully written what if.

Great alt history, perhaps a bit heavy handed

Kim Stanley Robinson clearly has a lot of care for history, especially more so the people that make it up, something that I personally find very appealing. The premise is very intriguing, and in my opinion, very well executed, especially for 90% of the book.
However, once the story transitions over to the Post-War period, I feel like the message of the story becomes a bit more heavy handed than it should be. That is not to say that the message of “all people are important, we all can change the world little by little, etc.” isn’t important, but it feels like the book is trying too hard to sell you on it. Overall, a recommended read, even if it’s gets a bit preachy at the end