Robinson began his career with a bang: a trilogy, known as Three Californias, that extrapolated several potential futures for the Golden State. This, the second book in the sequence, is the most dystopian, taking place in an Orange County that has been overdeveloped and overpopulated, in a world that looks very much like the one we occupy. At the center of the action is a conflict between characters: Jim McPherson, young and disenchanted, and his father, who works for a defense contractor that creates government weapons. Yet more to the point, Robinson insists, is that if the future is unwritten, anything is possible, for good or for ill. This, then, is a novel that asks us necessary questions about who we are and who we want to be.
AUTHOR KIM STANLEY ROBINSON IN CONVERSATION WITH JOHN FREEMAN
When: Tuesday, November 22, 2022, 5 p.m. Pacific time. (Please note special day)
Format: Freeman will lead a free hour-long conversation with Robinson, which will include a reading by him and questions from the audience. Joining them will be special guest Cory Doctorow, a world-renowned thinker about technology and culture. He is the author of several novels, including Little Brother and Homeland, as well as the new book Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We’ll Win Them Back.
Produced by Alta Journal for streaming on Zoom.
