New York 2140
by Kim Stanley Robinson · first published 2017
50% recommend50% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Climate-fiction novel set in a flooded New York, exploring how property, finance and economic structures adapt after sea-level rise. Its witty interludes and optimistic tone suit readers of speculative social fiction.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
It is 2140. The waters rose, submerging New York City. But the residents adapted and it remained the bustling, vibrant metropolis it had always been. Though changed forever. Every street became a canal. Every skyscraper an island. Through the eyes of the varied inhabitants of one building, Kim Stanley Robinson shows us how one of our great cities will change with the rising tides. And how we too will change.
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Not really Vinge/Niven style, but Weir's new one Artemis was a fun read. Also, Kim Stanley Robinson's New York 2140 was a lighthearted and somewhat optimistic take on humans who have coped with the inevitability of climate change.
on “Ask HN: Best scifi of 2017? (Vernor Vinge/Larry Niven style)” ↗New York 2140 has a strong financial plotline. Plus it's a great book, loved it. https://www.amazon.com/New-York-2140-Stanley-Robinson/dp/031...
on “Ask HN: Best scifi of 2017? (Vernor Vinge/Larry Niven style)” ↗New York 2140 is an interesting book examining what might happen to those coastal "drowned" cities, especially those buildings caught in the new intertidal zones. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29570143-new-york-2140
on “Venice Anti-Flood Gates Could Wreck Lagoon Ecosystem” ↗…was a lot weaker than the rest of the Ancillary series. It was still good though. The 2018 Hugo novel field was REALLY good. There wasn't a klunker in the group. My favorite was Kim Stanley Robinson's "New York 2140" but it was a very hard call.
on “N. K. Jemisin’s Dream Worlds” ↗You should read New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson, this comment fits in perfectly in many ways!
on “SF residents get a shock: Someone bought their street” ↗His latest, New York: 2140 is pretty dang great. Its a stand-alone novel with well developed characters set in a super-Venice New York. Neal Stephenson also has excellent worlds. The Diamond Age is my favorite.
on “Philip K. Dick and the Fake Humans” ↗To add to the recommendations, I’d like to mention Kim Stanley Robinson’s “New York 2140” which is heavily focused on the economic structures that he posits will arrive after future catastrophes driven by climate change. And the rather smug interludes are witty and amusing and somewhat depressing…
on “The Rise of Dismal Science Fiction” ↗I can't answer your question, but what will happen to the property market after sea level rise is a central part of Kim Stanley Robinson's book New York 2140. It is fascinating and I can highly recommend it.
on “Global sea-level rise could be double our current predictions” ↗New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson (relatively new) and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig.
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗…diplomats and other government officials more power, once we just get really left-wing political leaders in charge the problem will be solved. As far as KSR's eco-futurist science fiction goes, I preferred New York 2140 for its vivid portrayal of a flooded New York City. It has a bit of the same attitude, though, especially toward the end - if only our economy were organized into communes and workers' collectives instead…
on “Can Science Fiction Wake Us Up to Our Climate Reality?” ↗Kim Stanley Robinson explores this very market force in some interesting ways in his new New York 2140, with the Intertidal Property Pricing Index (IPPI). https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-08/only-sci-...
on “The Nightmare Scenario for Florida’s Coastal Homeowners” ↗That is the first significant rise of ocean level after hitting some tipping points that cause massive glacier break aways and ice melt. Kim Stanley Robinson depicted it in New York 2140 which describes life there after many of these pulses.
on “The world has reached 8B people but soon we'll hit a decline we'll never reverse” ↗…for the Future on the advice of someone from HN and really enjoyed it overall. Would like to keep my momentum with Kim Stanley Robinson, haven't read anything else by him yet. I'm strongly considering New York 2140 but not sure why...
on “Ask HN: What should I read after Ministry for the Future?” ↗…https://windupstories.com/books/pump-six-and-other-stories/t... 2. PG novel The Water Knife expanding on The Tamarisk Hunter https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23209924-the-water-knife... 3. KSR novel New York 2140. What if sea rise into the cities led to a financial market on real estate involving day trading on those values? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29570143-new-york-2140?r... 4. KSR novel Ministry…
on “How to Fathom Climate Change's Unfathomable Numbers” ↗…Stanislaw Lem, Octavia Butler, or Kurt Vonnegut. And any day now - we will actually wake up to realize we are living in Kim Stanley Robinson's Anthropocene climate future from The Ministry of the Future, New York 2140, or the "Science in the Capital" trilogy.
on “We are living in a version of the future out of J.G. Ballard or William Gibson” ↗