New York 2140

A fascinating future vision of New York, this is an ambitious and mostly impressive work. Some (almost certainly inadvertent) homage to Ballard's The Drowned World, New York 2140 envisages a future world in which climate change has caused sea levels to rise, correspondingly rendering New York (and the rest of the planet) partially underwater. While the novel is something of a call to arms — this scenario may be plausible if we do not do more to protect the environment now — it is also a celebration of America's largest city; its diversity, its resilience and the fact that some things (its soul) are unchanging. The novel brings together a series of quite disparate characters who are united simply by virtue of living in the same tenement block. I felt Robinson was stronger in depicting a future submerged city (everything in 2140 finds its antecedent in the present day) than characterisation. Amelia, the flying environmentalist, in particular seemed both implausible and incongruous. The treatment of capitalism (and how its excesses may particularly have inspired the environmental disaster) was also somewhat heavy-handed. At 600-plus pages, it was hard not to form any emotional investment in the story, and Robinson is probably let down more by his over-ambition than anything else. John Lanchester's Capital (about London rather than New York) is a defter approach, but is grounded in the present. I may well reflect more on New York 2140 with the fullness of time. 8.5/10.

By Kim Stanley Robinson